Average customer rating: 4.0
  • Horrible...
  • Died after only 6 months.
  • BEWARE!!
  • Serious issues with later revs
  • Save your money...

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Netgear FA-310TX 10/100Mbps Fast Ethernet PCI Card

Manufacturer: Netgear
Product Group: CE
Binding: Electronics
ASIN: B00000J4L8

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Product Description

The NETGEAR FA310TX is an auto-sensing, 100BASE-TX Fast Ethernet PCI adapter designed to support the next generation multimedia power-applications. The NETGEAR adapter is like 2 products in 1 while it supports the 100BASE-TX 100 Mbps high-speed standard, it also runs in the pervasive 10BASE-T 10 Mbps mode. Moreover, the FA310TX is priced at a level comparable to many 10BASE-T only adapters removing any reason to buy 10 Mbps -only adapters even if there is no immediate plan to upgrade to 100 Mbps.Install the adapter once, and it will operate with either 10 Mbps 10BASE-T or 100 Mbps 100BASE-TX hubs or switches. Single network connection works at either speed - the FA310TX can be introduced in a 10 Mbps environment and later upgraded to 100 Mbps with no changes to the desktop. A graphical interface guides the user through the installation of software drivers and support files for all popular network operating systems. Plug-N-Play compliance enables the adapter to be automatically configured.

Amazon.com Review

Whether you're putting together a new network or just need to add a computer to your existing setup, 10/100Base-T Ethernet network interface cards (NICs) are the way to go for home and small-businesses use. The Netgear FA310TX skimps on a few advanced features we've seen with competing cards, but offers a low price that anyone on a tight budget will appreciate.

This NIC connects to a PCI slot on the motherboard, so it's quite easy to install. You just turn off the computer, seat the card in the PCI slot, connect the card to your network hub via a cable (not included), and turn on the PC. Windows will recognize the card and ask for drivers, which are supplied on an included floppy diskette. Customers with experience installing modems, video cards, or nearly any other internal PC device should have this card installed and working in under 20 minutes.

The FA310TX is a very basic card. Wake-On-LAN is not supported--there isn't even a connecter if you have an extra WOL cable lying around. There are five status lights that show various types of network activity and also let you know when collisions are happening. We didn't have any trouble with this easy-to-install card, and it would make a good choice for anyone looking to expand their network without breaking the bank. --T. Byrl Baker

<b>Pros:</b>
<ul>

  • PCI interface
  • 10/100Base-T support at a reasonable price
  • Easy installation
  • Many status lights </ul>

    <b>Cons:</b>
    <ul>

  • No WOL support </ul>

    Amazon.com Product Description

    The Netgear FA310TX is an auto-sensing, 100BaseTX Fast Ethernet PCI adapter designed to support multimedia applications. With easy, one-step installation, the adapter operates with either 100BaseTX or 10Base-T hubs and switches, providing either 100 Mbps or 10 Mbps modes of operation. Thus, introduced in a 10 Mbps environment, it can later be upgraded to 100 Mbps with no changes to the desktop. Its 32-bit architecture and PCI bus mastering enable speedy network response with minimal CPU overhead. Five LEDs provide clear, at-a-glance status to help ensure proper configuration and operation.

    The FA-310TX Fast Ethernet PCI card comes with a lifetime warranty

    Customer Reviews:

    1 out of 5 stars Horrible..........2002-09-02

    Dead on arrival. No support. Exchanged it for another, still didn't work. Bought a D-Link and I'm now networked.

    1 out of 5 stars Died after only 6 months........2002-07-10

    This card only lasted 6 months. I tried new drivers with no luck ... Try another brand.

    1 out of 5 stars BEWARE!!.......2002-05-29

    This product is the worst. The first one was broke when I opened it. The second one had no drivers. Tech support is awful as well. Really, don't buy this one...

    2 out of 5 stars Serious issues with later revs.......2001-11-20

    These used to be some of the best cards to have, back when they were based on the REAL Digital Tulip chip. However, some years ago the Tulip went out of production and Netgear switched to an _almost_ compatible clone chip.
    The LiteOn PNIC chip that the current cards use has a poor reputation (from what I've read) in the development community. I personally have used dozens of these cards over the past two years and have seen almost every manner of failure. We've had cards that can't auto-neg, ones that never seem to work, and worst of all, cards that will work for weeks and then die without warning. From what I've seen, these things never get decent performance, especially with multiple cards in a system.
    I have used the FA310TX with Windows 95,98,NT,2k, Linux 2.2-2.4, and Free/OpenBSD. Across every OS and hardware platform I've tried I've seen the same problems, so it's definately not driver or configuration issues.

    1 out of 5 stars Save your money..........2001-11-19

    Just buy the cheapest you can find. They work the best, becuase they have less bells and whistles.

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