Siemens SpeedStream Wireless PCMCIA Card (SS1021)

Product Description:
Plug the SpeedStream Wireless PCMCIA Card into your notebook PC and you've got the freedom to roam while staying connected. In the boardroom or the backyard, you can access the corporate LAN or surf the Internet without cables or outlets to tie you down. Simple, quick, plug-and-play installation means high-speed networking is now almost instant. Use this affordable, high-performance solution in ad-hoc (peer-to-peer) mode to connect directly with other SpeedStream Wireless PCMCIA Card users. Get a SpeedStream Wireless PCMCIA Card and free your broadband life.

Average customer rating:

Siemens SS1021 Wireless PCM Ethernet Card
siemens = speedstream = not very compatible with xp and Linu
Works but very buggy. Not worth it!
Doesn't work on IBM T22
Excellent real plug-n-play product

Siemens SpeedStream Wireless PCMCIA Card (SS1021)

Manufacturer: Siemens
ProductGroup: CE
Binding: Electronics

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Product Features:

Type II PCMCIA card with built-in PCB patch diversity antenna
Typical operating range: Indoor--30 meters at 11 Mbps; 50 meters at 5.5 Mbps; 100 M at 2 Mbps; 120 meters as 1 Mbps
Up to 11 Mbps for true, high-speed networking
Plug-and-Play installation
WEP encryption

ASIN: B0000631YT

Product Description

Plug the SpeedStream Wireless PCMCIA Card into your notebook PC and you've got the freedom to roam while staying connected. In the boardroom or the backyard, you can access the corporate LAN or surf the Internet without cables or outlets to tie you down. Simple, quick, plug-and-play installation means high-speed networking is now almost instant. Use this affordable, high-performance solution in ad-hoc (peer-to-peer) mode to connect directly with other SpeedStream Wireless PCMCIA Card users. Get a SpeedStream Wireless PCMCIA Card and free your broadband life.

Customer Reviews:

Siemens SS1021 Wireless PCM Ethernet Card.......2004-03-17

I purchased the SS1021 because it has minimal hardware and software requirements which allowed its use with my old notebook computer that has a 166 MHz processor, 80 MB RAM, a 2 GB hard drive and Win98. The only other potential choice was a Microsoft MN-520, but it required Internet Explorer 5.X or 6.X, neither of which run well on my notebook. Most other cards require Win98ME or SE or later operating systems and greater than 200 MHz processors.

If your wireless network knowledge is limited, adding this card to an existing could be frustrating, since the printed insructions are minimal and no glossary of LAN or internet terms is provided. My LAN is based on a Linksys BEFW1154 wireless router and two other WinXP computers, so it took me longer than expected to figure out which IP, DNS, DHCP, gateway, WEP encryptation and SSID settings to use on the Win98 system and how to enter them in the SS1021 configuration utility program. Solving these issues using a web-based tech support system would not be fun.

After I got the card talking to the router, the notebook crashed repeatedly from a corrupted operating system file, which required reinstalling the system. This was my fault, since I forgot that any PCM card installed on this notebook requires the sound card interrupt and I/O address settings to be manually changed from the default, even though Windows Device Manager shows no conflict with other hardware.

A distances of 10-12 from the router, but the data transfer rates seem comparable to the WinXP boxes and it hasn't drop the connection once in 8 hours of operation. When moved to the other end of the house (~75 feet and one masonry wall away) the data transfer and conection quality are unsatisfactory. My HP WinXP notebook's integral wireless system is unfazed in the same distant location. I downgraded my original rating to 2 stars due to the poor performance at larger distances from my wireless router.

Here's an update on this card. It quit working 4/27/2004, and on boot-up I get a message that states it is not working and should be reinstalled. After repeated attempts to load drivers and the configuration program, I even reloaded the operating system. The light on the card, indicating it is locked onto the wireless router, is on all the time, even during bootup. It used to blink until it locked on. The config program will not run. Whether it's a hardware or software problem, or a combination of both, the hassle of using this card in not worth it.

Final downgrade to 1 star based on Siemens tech support personnel agreeing card had failed (it would not install and operate in another notebook), but refusing to honor warranty since it was bought on-line. The card got very hot when it did operate; I think the heat killed it.

siemens = speedstream = not very compatible with xp and Linu.......2004-01-22

Started using this card in windows 2000. the config utility that comes with has no option to "discover" the networks and find the available SSID's.
Been using it now for a while with XP. The driver is not very good with XP. Might find the network, but very slow compared to a D-link card I'm using in the same laptop.
Also, right now, the card can not get a DHCP address anymore. Even though the D-link card still works fine. This even though I have a siemens = speedstream 2623 router. So sticking with the same brand did not help here.

My advice: stay away from this brand all together. Buy a more known brand (linksys, netgear or so). Not this one. Not the greatest support. No updated drivers. the router does not support UPnP.
Not that satisfied with this product. Would not buy it again!!

Works but very buggy. Not worth it!.......2003-08-11

Here is my story:

As soon as I started the installation, Windows 2000 warned me the driver were not certified. However I just ingored the warning and the installation completed sucessfully.

It works with my SMS 2404 WBR wireless router. However the signal strength is always about 50-60%, and the link quality never surpasses 60-70%, even though my laptop is just 3 ft from the router. For reference, my other Trendnet TEW-221PC card works just fine, with quality and signal strength approach 90-100% most of the time.

Most anoying of all is its problem with DHCP. 3 out of 4 times I don't get IP address (DHCP). Remove and put it back a few times help. Another trick is change any parameter and "apply" (so that the card gets restarted) also helps sometimes. My other card does get this problem but rarely.

Will try to return it next week.

Doesn't work on IBM T22.......2003-05-14

I've had a terrible time with this card. I bought it as a present for my son, only to have him discover that it didn't work on his IBM T22 notebook. The store (Circuit City) wouldn't take it back because it was more that 14 days after I had bought it, so we returned it to Siemens (actually, Efficient Networks) for repair. They sent a new one, which also didn't work. We verified that the card works in a different notebook (a Gateway 450) and that other wireless cards work in the T22 (a D-Link and a Netgear). The symptom with the SS1021/T22 combo is that the SSID is garbled and the card won't connect to the access point. I called Efficient today to try to return the card but all they'll do is repair and return it. I just want my money back!

My advice -- don't buy this card unless you can try it out in your notebook immediately!

Excellent real plug-n-play product.......2003-05-12

It just can't be any easier. A real plug-n-play product. Compared to other wireless 802.11b products, this is definietly the best. Performance is just great. I can take my laptop to the backyard (while my siemens base station is on the ground floor) and still get a very decent signal.
I just love this product (specially when I compare it to the horrible cards from microsoft and linksys).

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