mrs-j's Full Review: Linksys (WUSB11) USB 1.1 Network Adapter
Introduction
Wireless this, wireless that, everyone and their mother is going wireless these days and I am no exception.
My home network consists of four laptops and one desktop (all running Windows variants) and one iMac running OS X. The laptops all use wireless cards. The iMac has wireless capabilities, thanks to a built-in Airport wireless card. The only computer that still needed to access the wireless network was my ancient desktop.
I really didn't want to crack the case of that monster, so when I saw an open box buy on the Linksys Instant Wireless WUSP11 USB Network Adapter at Best Buy for half price, I checked to make sure all the necessary gadgetry was included and picked it up.
The USB adapter kit comes with:
- 1 USB Network Adapter
- 1 USB cable
- CD-ROM containing drivers for installation
Specifications
- Supported Standards: 802.11b (wireless) and USB 1.1
- 11 Channels
- LEDs: Power, Link light
- Indoor Range: Up to 300'
- Outdoor Range: Up to 1500'
- Supported OS: MS Windows XP and 2000
- Warranty: 1 year limited
Installation and Configuration First Attempt
I brought the network adapter home from the store eager to try it out. Unfortunately, I hadn't paid close attention to the MS-Windows support sticker on the box (which listed XP and 2000 as the supported operating systems). I tried to install it on my old computer, which at the time was a Windows 98 box.
Installation was a miserable failure. No matter how perfectly the USB adapter was configured, it would report that it could see the Linksys Wireless Adapter, but that the Internet was not responding. I could verify Internet access for the rest of the computers so after double and triple-checking the configuration settings I gave up. I chucked the USB network adapter back into the box and set about getting a fresh copy of Windows XP to install on the computer before retrying the install.
If At First You Don't Succeed... The Second Install Attempt
Fast forward about three weeks later. I had a clean install of Windows XP on the computer. This time I hooked up the USB adapter and XP immediately "found" the new hardware and prompted me to install drivers. I chose to install from the CD-ROM and completed the install of the software in just a few moments.
Configuration
Configuring the software is very simple. You install the setup utility and walk through the installation wizard. The installation wizard prompts for the following settings:
- Folder for installing the software (I left at 'default')
- Ad-Hoc Mode vs. Infrastructure Mode (Most networks with an Access Point will use Infrastructure Mode)
- If you choose Ad-Hoc mode you will then be prompted to pick a channel from which to operate. All systems on your wireless network should be on the same channel. (I didn't pick Ad-Hoc mode so I didn't perform this step.)
- SSID (Service Set Identifier) - You should enter in the SSID of your wireless Access Point device.
- Review your settings/Restart your computer
Once the setup utility has configured your adapter it is then up to you to configure any advanced settings, such as WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) encryption.
To make these configuration changes, you should look in your System Tray for the Wireless USB Network Adapter Configuration Utility icon. It is a green icon (when your adapter is connected to the network) of a computer monitor with little lines emanating from the top of it.
From this utility you can view and configure many items.
The Link Info tab shows:
- Connection state
- What channel the connection is using
- Current transfer rate
- SSID in use
- Frames transmitted/received
- Link Quality/Signal Strength
The Configuration tab shows:
- What profile you are using (You can have multiple profiles, for instance I have one for work and for home)
- Configuration details such as what mode you're in (Ad-Hoc, Infrastructure), Transfer rate, SSID, etc.
The Site Survey tab shows available access points, their signal strength, what channel they're broadcasting on and if they require WEP authentication.
The Encryption tab enables you to configure WEP Encryption if your Access Point requires it. You set your WEP key at Disabled, 64-bit or 128-bit. If you are using WEP you will have to enter the Hexadecimal version of your WEP key. This is an annoyance. On many adapters, you can enter in your passphrase and it will automatically convert your passphrase to hex for you. Not on this adapter. To find the hex version of my passphrase I had to go to my Linksys Access Point, copy and paste the hex phrase and print it out to take with me to the other room to complete the configuration.
There are two remaining tabs which are less important for every day use: Advanced, which lets you set your fragmentation threshold, etc. and the About tab. If you aren't certain if your CD-ROM installed the latest version of the software, compare the version in the About tab with the latest version downloadable from the Linksys website.
Using the Wireless Adapter
If it's configured properly, you shouldn't notice the presence of this adapter any more than you would an Ethernet cable hanging out the back of your computer. It's totally transparent and just does the networking for you, which is rather nice.
This adapter is about 50 feet away from the Linksys wireless Access Point in our house (through two walls) and our signal strength and quality are both Excellent. If you are having problems getting a good signal, you can move the wireless adapter around, as it's got about a three foot long cable connecting it back to the USB adapter.
There's a small antenna on the casing which you can move about a bit and stand up. It doesn't make much of a difference in signal quality no matter how it's angled, just so long as it's pulled upwards away from the unit.
The wireless adapter has performed admirably for the past three months with absolutely no problems. Since its initial configuration I haven't had to make a single change to it.
Warranty, Customer Service and Support
LinkSys offers a one year limited warranty on this product. Contact information for warranty service or customer support:
Summary
Even as a slightly temperamental open box buy I really like this adapter. It works perfectly once it's been configured, and it's a great alternative to having to crack open your computer to install a new network adapter card.
Appendix: A Word about Wireless
Even though it's beyond the literal scope of this product, I'd like to take a few paragraphs to explain some important concepts about wireless networking.
While "WiFi" is all the craze, it's an inherently insecure medium to transfer network data. It's important to take at least a few rudimentary steps to tighten up security on a wireless network. Remember, when you use wireless, you are BROADCASTING your network to the world for up to several hundred feet.
Sitting at my computer in my house I find no fewer than three sets of networks outside of my own available to me because of neighbors who haven't secured their wireless networks. "Wardrivers", or people who like to piggyback off an unsuspecting wireless user's network, could easily drive down our street and illegally trade files over the Internet using one of these "open" access points putting my neighbors and their wide open networks at risk.
Is your network one of them?
Some terms defined, and how they can help secure your network:
SSID: Service Set Identifier
This is the name that you give to your wireless network. For goodness' sake, change it from the default at the very least. (All Linksys Access Points default to "linksys" for instance.) Set it to a single word that you'll be able to remember. Something like "bobsnetwork" will do fine. Changing it isn't exactly a great security measure, but it's the easiest thing to change and prevents people who have "linksys" or other default SSIDs configured from accidentally logging on to your network instead of their own.
WEP: Wired Equivalent Privacy
The name is somewhat of a misnomer. It's not really equivalent in security to having a wired network because people can still come around and "sniff" onto your network pretty easily. WEP is a form of encryption that you set on your Access Point. Think of it as a 128-bit password that all of your computers have to know to gain entrance onto your network. WEP is currently the best way to secure your network. The 128-bit key is not unbreakable, but look at it this way: A hacker will have to invest some time (be it a few hours or longer) to hack onto your network. With all of the wide OPEN networks out there, and likely within just a few feet of your secured network, the hacker is likely to move on and just look for an open network.
Other Privacy Measures:
There are other privacy measures you can take, but they amount to not much more than "security through obscurity". Changing your SSID and forcing 128-bit WEP encryption across your network are the two most straightforward steps you can take to secure your wireless network.
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