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"Linksys WPC300N - Wireless-N Notebook Card With Some Limitations"
Linksys WPC300N Wireless-N Notebook Adapter

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!


"DNW with HP dv1000"
Bought this to boost up my signal from my linksys ultra n router. No such luck....doesnt fit the card slot.

"Doesn't work with Dell laptop"
I got this at Best Buy and ended up exchanging it ten minutes after getting home because it doesn't fit the slot in my Dell notebook (E1505). Funny how the box says it works with "most notebooks," when Dell has a huge market share. It's not Linksys' fault, of course--the Dells just aren't ready for 802.11n, I guess, unless the new high-end ones are.

Get the USB adapter instead, if you aren't sure. It works like a charm.

BTW, if you're buying an 802.11n router at the same time and are only thinking about getting an adapter, think harder. Chances are good that your router won't play well with your computers otherwise, and you'll get far better performance with the N adapter.

(3 stars out of fairness, I guess.)

"Solid less the GUI"
This works great out of the box with one exception. After installing the drivers and monitoring GUI here is what you do. You uninstall the card, unplug it, then plug it back in. This allows the card's drivers to work but you can now control this via Window's WZC. Download the KB to allow for WPA2 (PSK2), use AES, and you're set. Works flawlessly with the WRT330N using WZC. Be sure to set the NIC to the same settings as the router regarding Frag Thresh and RTS Thresh. Disable power save as well (on all NICs talking to the WAP). A little tweaky to setup but once it was I get 108Mbps minimum from 75' through two walls. I even get 4/5 bars from two of my neighbrons who are likely running G with this NIC that has a much smaller array than its desktop cousin.

"Does not work with Westell router/modems"
The product is good, but does not work well with the Westell router/modem 108.11g.
It reverts back to 108.11a and runs at only 11MBps not at the 108.11g speed of 54MBps.