D-Link DWL-650 Wireless Cardbus Adapter, 802.11b, 11Mbps

Amazon.com Product Description
A notebook computer is all about portability, so why should your network cable keep you tethered to one place? The D-Link DWL-650 PC card Type-II 11 Mbps 802.11b wireless LAN adapter, known as the D-Link Air for short, gives you back your mobility, letting you connect to your home or office wireless network from whichever desk (or couch) you happen to be at. Plus, as wireless networks continue spreading to hotels, airports, and even coffee shops, it will help you keep connected no matter how far you travel.

The DWL-650 installed easily, as a PCMCIA card should. We just ran the setup program from the included CD and plugged the card into an empty Type-II slot on our notebook PC. Windows XP immediately recognized the card and installed the drivers. Then, using the D-Link configuration utility, we configured it for our specific LAN. Once connected to the LAN, the little green LED on the end of the card stopped blinking, telling us we were good to go. The printed manual and online help gave helpful guidance on getting the card installed and connecting to our network.

As we tested our wireless setup, we reveled in the freedom the D-Link Air gave us. Using it in a two-story house, we were able to go from room to room, never losing our Internet connection. We even could go outside on the patio and browse the Web from a chaise lounge. Of course, the card worked equally well in an office environment, letting us take our notebook from the conference room to the lunchroom without losing our network connection.

In general, we found that the construction of the walls between the wireless card and the access point had as much to do with reception quality as did distance. So, for instance, if you're separated from the access point by several thick walls, reception will be much poorer than if a glass partition is all that separates you. The manufacturer suggests a range of up to 328 feet indoors and up to 984 feet outdoors, and we found that to be a decent approximation of the maximum range you can expect. The D-Link control utility has a graphical status bar that shows the wireless signal strength, so it's easy to know when you've wandered too far.

At 11 Mbps, the speed's plenty fast for most uses, like browsing the Web, accessing a file server, updating a database, etc. You can also configure it to transmit at slower speeds, depending on your network environment. The card supports both 64-bit and 128-bit WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) encryption, a vital feature that keeps your communications secret.

The D-Link Air will keep you well-connected whether at work, at home, or through a public WiFi (wireless fidelity) network at places like an airport or coffee shop. Since it's a PCMCIA card, it's easy to swap in and out if you need to use a wired connection in some places and wireless in others. Bottom line, if you have a notebook PC and have access to wireless capabilities, you'll love the freedom of movement this little card delivers. --Ken Feinstein

Pros:

Easy installation
Uses IEEE 802.11b standard for broad compatibility with wireless networks
Supports 64-bit and 128-bit encryption
Good range

Cons:

Not as fast as a 100 Mbps Fast Ethernet wired connection

Product Description:

Quick and Easy to Install
IEEE802.11b Compatible
Up to 128-bit Encryption to Protect your Data
High Performance 32-bit Cardbus
The DWL-650 is a 32-bit Wireless

Cardbus Adapter capable of transfer ratesof up to 11Mbps, giving you the ability toconnect to a wireless network at home, atthe office or at wireless hotspots. Now,with the DWL-650 in your notebook PC,you can stay connected wherever you areand wherever you go.

The DWL-650 is Wi-Fi compatible, meaningthat it can connect and interoperate with other802.11b compatible wireless routers, accesspoints and adapters.

With its quick and easy installation alongwith driver support for Windows XP, 2000,Me, and 98SE; the DWL-650 ensures thatyou will be up and running on a wirelessnetwork in just a matter of seconds. Now,you can have wireless connection overstandard 32-bit cardbus architecture foroptimal performance capability.

The DWL-650 also features up to 128-bitWEP encryption to provide a level of securityfor information that you wirelessly transmit.Using its default settings, the DWL-650automatically connects to other D-Link Airproducts as soon as its active.

D-Link DWL-650 Wireless Cardbus Adapter, 802.11b, 11Mbps

Average customer rating:

Good 11b card for portable devices
Their web suggests good linux support but...
The Best PC Card In the Business
Easy to use and Works Perfect
Decent and Reliable 802.11b Laptop Card

D-Link DWL-650 Wireless Cardbus Adapter, 802.11b, 11Mbps

Manufacturer: D-Link Systems, Inc.
ProductGroup: CE
Binding: Electronics

Computer Add-Ons | D-Link | Brands | Electronics Features | Electronics

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Product Features:

Data transfer rates up to 11 Mbps
Fully compatible with 802.11b products
Plug and Play
128-bit WEP data encryption for a secure wireless network
3-year limited warranty

ASIN: B000051SHL

Product Description

The D-Link DWL-650 is an IEEE 802.11b compliant PC Card Type-II 11Mbps wireless LAN adapter. The DWL-650 will operate in 2.4 GHz Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) for wireless networks in the home or office environment. It is designed to operate in 3.3V or 5.0V DC slots. In addition, the DWL-650 uses a 64/128-bit WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) Encryption for a secure network connection. The D-Link DWL-650 can operate in either Ad-Hoc mode (Peer-to-Peer networking without access point) or Infrastructure mode (Peer-to-Peer networking using an access point). In Infrastructure mode, the DWL-650 can be connected to a broadband residential gateway or a DSL/Cable modem for high-speed wireless Internet access on the existing network. The DWL-650 can transmit data at 11, 5.5, 2 or 1 Mbps per channel. The DWL-650 transmit rate values can be manually selected for Auto Select 1 or 2 Mbps, Fixed 1 Mbps, Fixed 11 Mbps, Fixed 2 Mbps, Fixed 5.5 Mbps and Fully Auto. The DWL-650 has full mobility and seamless roaming from cell to cell as well as across access points.

Amazon.com Product Description

A notebook computer is all about portability, so why should your network cable keep you tethered to one place? The D-Link DWL-650 PC card Type-II 11 Mbps 802.11b wireless LAN adapter, known as the D-Link Air for short, gives you back your mobility, letting you connect to your home or office wireless network from whichever desk (or couch) you happen to be at. Plus, as wireless networks continue spreading to hotels, airports, and even coffee shops, it will help you keep connected no matter how far you travel.

Pros:

Easy installation
Uses IEEE 802.11b standard for broad compatibility with wireless networks
Supports 64-bit and 128-bit encryption
Good range

Cons:

Not as fast as a 100 Mbps Fast Ethernet wired connection

Customer Reviews:

Good 11b card for portable devices.......2007-02-17

Using adapter with Jornada 720 and compaq drivers without any problems

Their web suggests good linux support but..........2006-02-25

The chipset in this model changes from revision to revision. When I checked their web I got the impression it had good linux support. Before I purchased I also got the same impression - but that was for some other revision of the card.

So - the two stars is for that. I have no reason to believe that the hardware is not just fine - but I feel like D-link misled me into thinking this card had good linux support.

The Best PC Card In the Business.......2005-08-30

I first tried a Netgear MA521. It saved me in France from being completely without internet service, but connections were spotty. Here at home, it worked fair, but only in a couple of rooms. And then kept looking for network address. Then tried a Linksys WUSB11. This is worthless, and I NEVER got connected anywhere in the house. Not once. Then the D-Lind dwl-650. This is great. Works ANYWHERE in the house and never loses the connection. And I don't even have broadband.

Easy to use and Works Perfect.......2005-04-12

When I say that this wireless adapter card works perfectly I mean it. I've never had to reboot because of this being in my laptop, or ever had a problem with my wireless connection because of this card, nor was it hard to get working in the first place.

I can't say how much I value this card because you only know the value after it's gone. And I've never been apart from this card now that it's pretty much a permanent fixture in my laptop.

The range is perfect for me. I never feel that I have to get super close, nor do I feel I can walk real far away from the AP I'm connected to. Overall this card works wonders and I recommend it to anyone who needs a wireless adapter PCMCIA slot card in their laptop.

Decent and Reliable 802.11b Laptop Card.......2005-04-05

If I had to buy another wireless card for my laptop, and I wanted to stay 802.11b, I'd buy this card again. And how many computer devices can you say that about? Not many in my book.

This wireless card was easy to use and installation just took one reboot and some clicking of NEXT. Everything seemed to work on the first try and I haven't had any major issues that a normal reboot didn't fix now and then. But I don't blame that on this card, just windows.

Good range, decent configuration interface, and doesn't take a powerful machine to run it. It works for me and I don't see why it wouldn't for others.

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