Last week my nagging finally paid off and my dear old father succumbed to the lure of wirelessly networking his house - the part which pursuaded him was the idea that I might not spend all day indoors on the internet instead I could sit out and make use of the ridiculously expensive garden ... Read review
...package he bought was a netgear router, with this wireless adaptor from PC World the deal included the TechGuys coming to install the network - a god send as my dad is paranoid in the extreme about me fiddling with his PC. In total it cost £99. The TechGuy spent over 2 hours installing the network and testing it out around the house although he was highly unimpressed by my ancient laptop.
The adaptor is a typical sized USB plug in, ... ...in the picture above it is silver coloured and has a cap to protect the USB plug itself. When plugged in there is a blue LED which blinks regularly.
Installing the software I cant comment on as I had the expert do it for me (why he used this I dont know considering I already had a Belkin one installed but never mind). As long as I have it plugged in it will find the avaliable networks, currently it is finding 4, the home network I ... more
Last week my nagging finally paid off and my dear old father succumbed to the lure of wirelessly networking his house - the part which pursuaded him was the idea that I might not spend all day indoors on the internet instead I could sit out and make use of the ridiculously expensive garden furniture he bought a few months ago (what has actually happened is that I get out of bed less often but he is yet to know this).
The package he bought was a netgear router, with this wireless adaptor from PC World the deal included the TechGuys coming to install the network - a god send as my dad is paranoid in the extreme about me fiddling with his PC. In total it cost £99. The TechGuy spent over 2 hours installing the network and testing it out around the house although he was highly unimpressed by my ancient laptop.
The adaptor is a typical sized USB plug in, 8cm long, 3cm wide and 1 cm deep. As shown in the picture above it is silver coloured and has a cap to protect the USB plug itself. When plugged in there is a blue LED which blinks regularly.
Installing the software I cant comment on as I had the expert do it for me (why he used this I dont know considering I already had a Belkin one installed but never mind). As long as I have it plugged in it will find the avaliable networks, currently it is finding 4, the home network I want it connected to, a BT hub which I believe is my mums (in the house next door), and two phillips devices which I think might be our cordless house phones since neither are in their cradles this evening. The home network understandably has the strongest signal and is set to be the first choice of network.
Obviously the network is locked - my Dad is paranoid as mentioned and believes that my mum will try to 'steal' his internet. So to log on my adaptor has to have the passcode and network key. These were preset when the network was set up so when the software asks the network to give it access these are automatically entered making the connection quick and stable. Or as i should say as stable as my archaic laptop can be.
One thing I do like is that if I wanted a change I can connect to the BT network (my mum hasnt got hers locked silly woman) just as easily as I can our home network, this is just as quick and stable as the home network, though the signal recieved for it is poor at the back of the house (well it is on the opposite side of two houses that the signal is being broadcast from).
Should we want to use the adaptor in a different computer I believe the passcode and key would remain the same as they are linked to its indiviual ID somehow.
In these terms the adaptor is every bit as good as the Belkin one I used previously. But where it falls down is its construction. In a week of use the casing has already shown itself to be rather weak, the join where the two halves of plastic clip together has separated the USB plug is now at a angle to the rest of the unit.
Now I would say that the handling of the adaptor has been no rougher than I would think is normal, it is either plugged in to my laptop or in my laptop bag which has itself only been carried up and down stairs afew times (like I said before I usually use the laptop in my bedroom so when I do eventually go downstairs I take it with me where I transfer to using the PC) much less than most laptops get carried around. So the quality of the casing is doubtful and is so far the only let down in the product.
So really I would only recommend this as a product to be used in a home network, it isnt really suitble for using on a laptop which is used by a person who is travelling alot!
scuba_angel 12.06.2007 (12.06.2007)
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Review of Netgear WG111T Super-G Wireless USB 2.0 Adapter
Advantages: Looks nice...... Disadvantages: Everything that a wireless adaptor should do, it does badly.....
...bit Vista Premium thinking that Netgear were the ones to have the proper drivers and knowledge of vista, oh how i was wrong.....
Netgear say that their Drivers are for XP and Vista, but as soon as they install, some sort of Netgear wizard somes and buggers the whole networking thing up, takes ages to get a connection, and when i have finally got a connection and everything seems to be going very smoothly. It cuts out.
This is more unreliable that ... ...poor to say the least.
I can not for the life of me get the damn thing to run in 108mbs mode with my sky router. So you might as well go and buy the 54mbs version which i have heard is very reliable and will give a constant signal strength of 'good' or higher, not the 'fair' i get with this 108mbs adaptor, and my router isnt even 10 metres away!
All in all this is a waste of my £25, i would have much rather got the £10 cheaper WG111v2 for an easy ...
tubster011 29.11.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Netgear WG111T Super-G Wireless USB 2.0 Adapter
Advantages: When its setup, it works to expectations. Disadvantages: NO x64 bit support but there is a fix inside this review.
...was originally purchased with a Netgear WGT624 router and it was a bundle, but individually it was around £20 at the time from PC world.
Generally it works all day quite happily but after about an hour of heavy use it will start to cut out because it overheats. And when it overheats you will have to unplug it (which is uncomfortable because its so hot) Yes there are times I have fallen out with it or it didnt feel like re-installing after a re-format ... ...x64 bit drivers for any Netgear product.
After much thought about weather to buy a Belkin or Linksys wireless card, I though I would give it one last go at getting the WG111T to work. And in my thought process I realised that Drivers are more or less independant of weather its 32 or 64 bit so the problem lies with the software so if you are willing, patient and have some Vista experiance you can get a WG111T to work.
'''Guide to making WG111T work ...
NeoNMD 26.09.2008 (27.09.2008)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Netgear WG111T Super-G Wireless USB 2.0 Adapter
Advantages: Fast, Reliable and Affordable Disadvantages: None
...connection. I use a Netgear router but this should work with most routers regardless of manufacturer.
It's easy to install the drivers as the software that ships with the adapter takes you through each step of the process in a way all will be able to understand.
The Adapter also ships with a plastic "stand" which can be fixed to your monitor to allow the Adapter to sit still and in a good position to receive the signal from the router. The Adapter ... ...(by using the "stand") it's fine.
The maker, Netgear, provides support on the product and even has a forum at their site should you need to ask questions.
I also have the slower WG111 54 Mbps model but this (the WG111T) is by far the better proposition in my opinion. Not only does it deliver a faster speed but its drivers had no conflicts with my Operating System (XP service pack 2) unlike the slower model's drivers. (In simple terms, drivers are ...
fairlybalanced 23.02.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Netgear WG111T Super-G Wireless USB 2.0 Adapter
Advantages: Small, efficient and cheap Disadvantages: poor shipped firmware
Firstly, this wireless adapter is a good purchase for anybody who reqires to add wireless ability to their laptop or pc. Instalation is very easy with the supplied CD, which contains drivers and software for configuring the wireless adapter. The software is a good alternative to the windows wireless wizard, and makes connecting to any wireless network an easy process.
The package includes a desktop stand, which meas you can locate the adapter anywhere ... ...adapter is small, and it looks smart. In terms of functionality the WG111T performs very well, it connects very quickly and maintains a connection to network uniterupted. It also has a high speed (108mbps) which allows fast file transfer. There is a convenient blue LED to inform you of the connection status.
One problem is to do with connection problems at the start. I would recomend upgrading the firmware through the website, this removes problems ...
hughchapman 10.06.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Netgear WG111T Super-G Wireless USB 2.0 Adapter
Advantages: Very fast, easy to set up and use Disadvantages: none
I used to have a Belkin wireless usb card. This was alright however it seemed to like disconnecting and reconnecting. I believe its USB may have gone slightely faulty. Therefore i decided to give this a go. It is much easier to install and configure and the software that comes with it is very very simple. It is also easy to configure with the windows wireless configuration utility. Once it is connected it stays connected as well. I have not lost ...
JamesKendall456 11.05.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Netgear WG111T Super-G Wireless USB 2.0 Adapter
Product Information for "Netgear WG111T Super-G Wireless USB 2.0 Adapter" »
Manufacturer's product description
NETGEAR's 108 Mbps Wireless USB 2.0 adapter enables 108 Mbps wireless Internet access to either your desktop or notebook PC - 10x the speed of 802.11b products. New Extended Range (XR) technology delivers up to 3x the range of 802.11g wireless so you can move to extended distances without losing your connection. Setup is now made quick and easy with a new Smart Wizard install assistant. High-level WPA-PSK encryption shields your network from wireless eavesdroppers without sacrificing performance. NETGEAR's 108 Mbps Wireless USB 2.0 adapter features a USB 2.0 interface that is up to 40 times faster than USB 1.1 allowing you to realize full 108 Mbps speed. Experience speeds up to 2x that of 802.11g, with range up to 3x due to new Extended Range (XR) technology. Use at home, the office, the airport, or in a public hotspot. Small, thumb-sized form factor makes carrying easy. The WG111T simply plugs into the external USB port of your PC, eliminating the need to open up your desktop PC. Gain full mobility with your notebook, or place your desktop anywhere in your home, without the need to use unsightly Ethernet cables. 802.11g standard compliance ensures interoperability with existing 802.11b and 802.11g networks. Setup is now made quick and easy with a new Smart Wizard install assistant. NETGEAR's 108 Mbps Wireless USB 2.0 adapter has compact, pocket-sized design and can easily be carried anywhere.
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