Linksys WPC51AB Dual-Band Wireless A+B Notebook Adapter

Average customer rating: 5.0

Wireless to Go in a Snap!
Works like a charm

Linksys WPC51AB Dual-Band Wireless A+B Notebook Adapter

Manufacturer: Linksys
Product Group: CE
Binding: Electronics
ASIN: B00007FH2W

Related Categories:

Networking & Online Communication

Networking & Online Communication

All Wireless

Network Adapters

Electronics Available for International Shipping

| Specialty Stores | Electronics Features | Electronics

Amazon.com Product Description

The Linksys dual-band wireless A+B PC Card adapter lets your notebook communicate with today's wireless network standard, and prepares you for the future. With one PC Card, you can connect with the 2.4 GHz 802.11b wireless networks already so prevalent in homes, businesses, and public hot spots, and also a growing number of 5 GHz 802.11a networks that are spreading across the country.

It's simple to use. Just pop it into a PC Card slot and run the setup wizard, which will walk you through the configuration. To keep your communications secure, the dual-band card supports up to 152-bit data encryption.

802.11b wireless networks are commonly found in corporate environments, and are used in homes for household Internet connectivity without the need to run cables. They're also popping up all over the country in coffee shops, airports, hotels, convention centers, and other public spaces offering on-the-go connectivity to mobile users. The 802.11a standard is almost five times faster than 802.11b, and operates in the less-crowded 5 GHz radio band, but it's not as common--yet. It is quickly being deployed wherever higher-speed connectivity is desired.

Join the wireless revolution. With the Linksys dual-band wireless A+B PC Card adapter, you'll be ready to connect to either type of wireless network, wherever you go, now and in the future.

The Linksys dual-band wireless A+B PC Card adapter is compatible with laptop PCs with a Type II or III PCMCIA CardBus and running Windows 98 Se, 2000, Me, or XP.

See a comparison diagram of the different wireless technologies.</td> <td width="58%" align="left" valign="top">

Wireless networks are rapidly becoming more popular and coming down in price. Since they don't require cables, you can use the devices anywhere in an office or home, even out on the patio. There's no need to roll out an Ethernet network cable to each room of a house; you can network anywhere -- without wires. Outside of the home, wireless networking is available in hotspots at coffee shops, businesses, airports -- great when you're on the road and need to get some work done. For convenience, wireless networking is the answer.

What Wireless Standard is Right for Me? 
Now that you've decided to create a wireless network, the next step is to figure out which wireless standard to use.

Basically, a standard is a set of specifications for a device. All devices that follow a specific standard share operating characteristics, such as the radio frequency used and maximum data transfer speed.

For wireless networking, there are three standards to choose from at this time: <ul>

802.11b </li>

802.11a </li>

802.11g</li> </ul>

To learn about the differences between the standards and select the right one for your network, click here for an easy-to-understand chart.</td> </tr> </table>

Product Description

The Linksys Dual-Band Wireless A+B PC Card Adapter lets your notebook communicate with today's wireless network standard, and prepares you for the future. With one PC Card, you can connect with the 2.4GHz, 802.11b wireless networks so prevalent in homes, businesses and public "Hot Spots" already, and also a growing number of 5GHz, 802.11a networks that are spreading fast. It's simple to use. Just pop it into a PC Card slot, and run the included Setup Wizard which will walk you through the configuration. To keep your communications secure, the Dual-Band card supports up to 152-bit data encryption. 802.11b wireless networks are commonly found in corporate environments, and are used in homes for household Internet connectivity without the need for running cables. They're also popping up all over the country in coffee shops, airports, hotels, convention centers, and other public spaces offering "on the go" connectivity to mobile users. The 802.11a standard is almost 5 times faster than 802.11b, and operates in the less-crowded 5GHz radio band, but it's not as common - yet. It is quickly being deployed wherever higher-speed connectivity is desired. Join the wireless revolution. With the Linksys Dual-Band Wireless A+B PC Card Adapter, you'll be ready to connect to either type of wireless network, wherever you go, now and in the future.

Customer Reviews:

Wireless to Go in a Snap!.......2003-04-17

When it was time to go wireless, this was the card I bought for one main reason, it is compatible with both A and B systems. At the time of purchase (some time in late 2002) B was the dominant and widely avaialble protocol. However, A was on it's way out with the promise of a much higher transfer speed and frequency.

The bonus of a higher speed is obvious...more data, less time. The bonus of a higher frequency is less obvious. B systems operate on a 2.4 GHz frequency while A systems work off of 5.4 GHz. The problem with B networks is that many other wireless devices, such as chordless phones, use this same frequency. This sometimes causes interference and therefore, can prevent the system from working. At this point in time, there are very few devices running at 5.4 GHz so there is a less crowded area.

Keep in mind that A and B systems are NOT compatible. That's what makes this card so great, it can use both. You do not need to carry around an A card and B card anymore. Just this one.

In terms of setup, it was a snap. Pre-install some drivers, restart your computer, insert the card and everything is good to go. This was the install process for Windows XP which is the simplest one, but flawless none the less.

Please note that another standard is also available. The G system is supposed to be compatible with B systems and capable of transferring data at the same speed as A systems. However, they are also operating on 2.4 GHz so the same interference problems exist.

This is all information that you as a buyer have to take into consideration. Figure out which protocol works best for you, and get a compatible card.

Works like a charm.......2003-03-29

I bought this card to replace a Netgear 802.11B card (which also works well, but only in B mode). Software loaded easily, card seems to work well, has better sensitivity (able to pick up distant APs) than the Netgear card.

Electronics:

Electronics

Electronics