Linksys Wireless-N WPC300N Notebook Adapter

This WPC300N Wireless-N Notebook Adapter uses the very latest wireless networking technology, Wireless-N (draft 802.11n). By overlaying the signals of multiple radios, Wireless-N's "Multiple In, Multiple Out" (MIMO) technology multiplies the effective data rate. Unlike ordinary wireless networking technologies that are confused by signal reflections, MIMO actually uses these reflections to increase the range and reduce "dead spots" in the wireless coverage area. The robust signal travels farther, maintaining wireless connections up to 4 times farther than standard Wireless-G.

Once you're connected, you can keep in touch with your e-mail, access the Internet, and share files and other resources such as printers and network storage with other computers on the network, wherever you wander. At home, you can surf the web or use instant messaging to chat with friends while sitting out on the patio. You'll also be able to connect with any of the growing number of public hotspots springing up in coffee shops, airport lounges, hotels and convention centers. Your wireless connection is protected by industrial-strength 256-bit encryption. The included Setup Wizard will walk you through configuring the adapter to your network's settings, step by step.

With Wireless-N, the farther away you are, the more speed advantage you get. It works great with standard Wireless-G and -B equipment, but when both ends of the wireless link are Wireless-N, the throughput can be increased even more by using twice as much radio band, yielding speeds up to 12 times as fast as standard Wireless-G. Get your notebook connected to Wireless-N, Wireless-G, and Wireless-B networks with the Wireless-N Notebook Adapter from Linksys.

Important Specifications:

Device type :
- Wireless PCMCIA card for notebook

Interface:
- Notebook’s PC card slot

Wireless Network Standards:
- Draft IEEE 802.11n
- IEEE 802.11g
- IEEE 802.11b

Wireless Data Transfer Rates:
- 300 Mbps

Security Features:
- Wireless Security Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA, WPA2), WEP (64bits, 128bits)

Transmit power:
- 802.11g: 12+/-1dBm (Typical)
- Wireless-N: 10+/-1dBm (Typical)

Receiving Sensitivity:
- 54 Mbps @ -70dBm (Typical)
- Wireless-N @ -70dBm (Typical)

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User reviews on www.amazon.com:

Speeds up reception from a Wireless G router EDK007 "EDK" (Middleboro, MA United States) March 17, 2007
Just installed this with no problems whatsoever. It took about 3 minutes and I was on line. I write this review to answer the question that I had before buying this network adaptor. My Wireless G router is in the basement and I started working on the second floor but kept losing the signal. I added this hoping that it would help (without changing the router) and it DOES increase reception and the speed is now significantly faster than my old Wireless G card was anywhere in the house.

Linksys WPC300N - Wireless-N Notebook Card With Some Limitations Mark "Technology, Music and Movies" (NY, NJ, CT USA) April 2, 2008
The Linksys WPC300N has some nice features in a PCMCIA card. Unfortunately, many high expectations based upon the wireless N standard will leave a lot of people disappointed. I'm going to discuss Windows XP and Vista separately, since I bought the card a long time ago and have used it on both.

First and foremost, this card was created when the Wireless-N standard was still in draft form. In fact, I have had this card for more than 2 years, which tells you just how long ago that was. There's nothing wrong with that, just be aware that there are several limits in this card.

First, this card can be configured to achieve greater throughput by setting up multiple data channels. That's the `MIMO' technology that uses multiple radios, which they vastly over-hype on the packaging.

However, the improved range of the wireless N standard as compared to wireless G just never materialized. That's because this is still a 2.4 GHz card. Newer wireless N products with 5 GHz capabilities are on the market which give much better range than this.

Second, the firmware AND software for this product initially were each very buggy. I first installed this product on Windows Vista and have tested it on some 2003 boxes. All of those required multiple reinstalls and driver downloads. In the end, the GUI configuration tool is very limited in explicitly give you the information you need to know whether you are getting a faster connection with this device. So if you're not techy, this can be a drag.

The wireless security support of WPA2 is nice, and most legacy cards don't have that. It gives you stronger encryption (256 bit). But this only really works if your access point is configured that way too. Linksys WRT300N Wireless-N Broadband Router And in that case, there are newer cards and access points that give you this and more.

Still, I can say without a doubt, that when I needed to add another wireless connection to my Vista Ultimate box, this guy worked much better.

Bottom line, there seems to be a lot of people clinging to XP. If you're one of those, plan on downloading and updating your driver software and firmware before even testing this card.

If you are a Windows Vista user, only get this if you need a spare card for backup machines or multi-card setups. If you need something for your primary wireless access, you may want to avoid this and the WPC600N Linksys WPC600N Ultra RangePlus Dual-Band Wireless-N PC Card altogether and go with the 5 GHz Netgear line. NETGEAR HD/Gaming 5 GHz Wireless-N Networking Kit (WNHDEB111)

Pros
+ Works well on Windows Vista
+ Does give you MIMO support for greater capacity
+ Once you set it up, seems to work well with Wireless G
+ PCMCIA slot saves you from using a USB port
+ Nice WPA2 support

Cons
- Doesn't give you full Wireless N capabilities (only 2.4GHz, no 5GHz)
- Legacy OS users need to download and install many updates
- Price is still surprisingly high
- Somewhat buggy software requires frequent shutdowns
- Better options available for the price

This card might be worth looking into if you can get it on sale and need an extra one for an older laptop.

Enjoy!

No real problems here Biker freak (Not of this earth) March 8, 2007
After upgrading my laptop to Vista Business, my old Linksys 802.11G adapter decided to become flaky and only connect to my wireless LAN when the moon was in the 7th house and Jupiter aligned with Mars (Everyone sing along!). I like Cisco products, and have been using Linksys equipment for years. I ordered one of these adapters and followed the directions. First mistake. Don't follow the directions, just plug the thing in and let Vista find the right drivers. Vista doesn't like the install and tells you that there are compatability issues (see some of my other reviews) and stops the install. So I downloaded the latest Vista drivers from Linksys and tried using those. Vista took one look at them, turned up its nose and stated that the installed drivers were newer and won't even consider using the ones you downloaded. By the way, while I was downloading the drivers, Vista used my old settings and connected to my network, without my looking. Sneaky. I unplugged the hard line and have not experienced any issues. I also use my laptop with my Boy Scout troop, and it attached to my church's wireless LAN easily. I now have to install the 802.11n wireless router to gain the other advantages.

DNW with HP dv1000 Maverick in MN "maverickldr" (Minnesota) March 16, 2008
Bought this to boost up my signal from my linksys ultra n router. No such luck....doesnt fit the card slot.

Does not work in 5 GHz band Astrodonkey "astrodonkey" (Woodinville, WA USA) August 8, 2007
Beware, this is a "2.4 GHz only" product. My understanding is that 802.11n should work either at 5 GHz or 2.4 GHz. This limitation was not clear to me.

It seems to work just "ok" at 2.4 GHz (802.11g). I did not experience any significant improvement over my built-in wireless on my Dell D620 laptop.

I use an Apple Airport Extreme (802.11n) router.

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