I got three of these to set up a wireless network for my home computers and link them through a Belkin wireless router. You can obviously use these cards on one machine via a router, and you have no cables running all over the place.
The installation is very easy, just fit the card in any spare PCI card on your PC. If you use XP operating system, the card is found on restarting your PC and asks for the install CD, the software is installed in seconds.
You can use the network wizzard in XP to set up your network, its an easy and intuative setup.
Its not only the internet you can share, you can share files via a "shared files" folder that is created during setup. This is handy if one of your machines has large hard drives, where bulky files can be stored and accessed by others on your network. You can also share a printer ...
Advantages: Small and lightweight Disadvantages: Problems ever since day 1!!!!!!!!!
I bought this router from PC World for £29.99 about 3 months ago. (I also bought a new computer from PC World - so the manager used her discretion and reduced it from £44.99)
When I first plugged it up to the computer, I found that I could use my laptop wirelessly. It was top of the range and has a 2.4Ghz processing speed. I was enjoying wireless broadband connection, until, suddenly, the internet on both the host computer and my laptop went dead.
Well, I was baffled! I tried to unintall it, reinstall it, change the internet connection, and try and re-configure it. I couldn't and decided to phone thier helpline. I cannot complain about the customer service. They knew exactly what to do to solve the situation, however this was not a long term solution, as I found out later!
A strange program was loaded, and I could modify ...
Advantages: Cheap-n-cheerful Disadvantages: Slow connections and poor range with supplied antenna.
Mobile 802.11g internal Mini-PCI card.)
With the third party aerial I am pleased with this card. A properly configured BSD desktop PC offers a better service than that available from far more expensive wireless access points? once you?ve gone to the trouble to set everything up. Not a product I'd recommend to the non-technically inclined though. ...
Product Information for "SMC EliteConnect SMC2586W-G 2.4GHz 802.11g Wireless Bridge" »
Manufacturer's product description
A 2.4GHz 802.11g Wireless Bridge (SMC2586W-G) bridges two or more wired LANs to connect difficult-to-wire locations, branch offices, school or corporate campus environments, frequently changing workplaces, temporary LANs, hospitals and warehouses, and makes it possible for multiple buildings to share an Internet connection. With three operational modes for ultimate flexibility, the SMC2586W-G can be configured as an Access Point/Bridge, Bridge Master, or Bridge Slave. In Access Point/Bridge mode, the unit provides both Access Point and Bridging functionalities; with Bridging function supported through Wireless Distribution System (WDS). When SMC2582W-B and SMC2682W 802.11b 11 Mbps Wireless Bridges exist in the same Bridging environment as the SMC2586W-G, Bridge Master or Bridge Slave modes can be used. Connected to the Ethernet backbone via an RJ-45 connector, the Wireless Bridge (Access Point/Bridge and Bridge Master modes) can also function as an Access Point, bridging between a wired LAN and one or more wireless mobile PC-based stations. The security features of the SMC2586W-G EliteConnect Wireless Bridge are Enterprise-strong, with advanced features including 64-bit or 128-bit key WEP wireless data encryption, 802.1x, the new Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), disabled SSID broadcast, wireless client isolation, and MAC address filtering to block unauthorized wireless clients. In addition, the new EliteConnect 802.11g Wireless Bridge provides multiple levels of protocol filtering (Ethernet, IP, TCP/UDP) to ensure network security. Management features are also versatile and easy-to-use: Web based network management tools make configuration and remote management of the network easy, and IT professionals can also use Telnet or TFTP to quickly and easily manage the device. In addition, SMC2586W-G supports SNMP for easy integration of the wireless LAN with the wired infrastructure. Other management features include event log and syslog, and the SMC2586W-G 802.11g Wireless Bridge comes with the EliteConnect Management Utility to ease Network Administrators' large-scale remote management problems.
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