CNET Editor's rating: 8.2 out of 10
Reviewed by
Allen Fear
Review date: 01/23/04
Release date: 12/01/03
The good: Fast; great range; easy-to-use configuration utility; WPA support.
The bad: Increased interference risks; short warranty.
The bottom line: The WG511T is a good choice for speed demons and those looking for a long-range PC Card adapter.
Editors' note: The rating and/or Editors' Choice designation for this product has been altered since the review's original publication. The reason for this is simply the general improvement of technology over time. In order to keep our ratings fair and accurate, it's sometimes necessary to downgrade the ratings of older products relative to those of newer products.
There are three reasons you should consider Netgear's WG511T if you're shopping for a wireless networking adapter: it's easy to use, it's very fast, and it delivers the best range we've seen to date in a PC Card adapter. Unfortunately, the WG511T's enhanced range and speed can be achieved only when it is used with other Netgear Super G products, such as the Netgear WGT624 router. You can also use the adapter with standard 802.11g or 802.11b devices from other vendors, but when you do, the data-transfer speed plummets. This makes the WG511T the obvious choice if you're planning to build an exclusively Super G network. If you want your network to handle standard Wi-Fi traffic, on the other hand, you may want to consider a less expensive, standard 802.11g adapter, such as the Linksys WPC54G or Netgear's less racy WG511.
Installing the WG511T requires only inserting the accompanying CD and clicking through a few onscreen prompts. Once installed, an icon for the WG511T's Configuration Utility appears in the Windows taskbar notification area in the lower-right corner of the screen. We like this utility, which has a useful help section that explains the PC Card's various configuration and security options. The utility also lets you set up separate connection profiles for the different wireless networks you connect to, which saves you the hassle of having to reenter encryption keys or other security information each time you change networks. The WG511T supports both WEP and WPA encryption schemes.
The WG511T tucks a few performance enhancers under its hood--specifically, portions of the 802.11e draft specification built into its firmware--making it especially well suited for streaming media. These new features ensure that streaming-media applications, such as the voice and video links in a teleconference, won't be interrupted by a simple file transfer. This means that you can participate in a teleconference over your wireless connection and download data from the Internet without suffering degradation in the audio or video quality of the links.
The most noteworthy feature of the 108Mbps Netgear WG511T wireless PC Card is its inclusion of Super G technology (link is a PDF file), which boosts the adapter's speed to nearly twice the tempo of standard 802.11g devices. A recent firmware upgrade allows the PC Card to switch dynamically to support standard 802.11g and 802.11b devices when they enter the network, too.
The WG511T runs circles around the U.S. Robotics USR5410. Better yet, the WG511T delivered fantastic range in our indoor tests, providing stable connections as far as 225 feet away when connected to the Netgear WGT624 router in Super G mode.
The secret to the WG511T's fast speeds lies in its support of double-channel bonding, which tricks the transmitter and the receiver into accepting two wireless channels as a single channel. The downside to this type of channel allocation is that it requires a bigger swath of the spectrum, which means that your router is more likely to interfere with other 2.4GHz devices, such as neighboring networks and cordless phones.
Netgear's one-year warranty for the WG511T is shorter than you'll find on competing products, such as the D-Link DWL-G650, which has a three-year warranty. However, Netgear does offer toll-free, 24/7 phone support good for the lifetime of the product. We were impressed with the WG511T's documentation, too. Both the user manual and the installation guide are thorough and include illustrations and screenshots to ease setup and configuration. Netgear offers these documents online through its product support Web site, which also hosts firmware upgrades and a list of related FAQs. In addition, Netgear offers a free animated networking tutorial called Mentor that you access through the company's technical-support page. Mentor features onscreen demonstrations for changing network settings in Windows, using Outlook on your network, and browsing with Internet Explorer.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Overall Very Pleased
I own two other cards, a Linksys WPC54G and a 54G Motorola card. They are all good cards with each ...
I own two other cards, a Linksys WPC54G and a 54G Motorola card. They are all good cards with each having certain endearing features. The Netgear card undisputably has the best range and sensativity. I have read some negative reviews on the Netgear WG511T and I had some trepidation while waiting for delivery. Fortunately I had no trouble whatsoever with the installation and within under five minutes I was up and running easily hitting my fairly well secured Linksys router and several other neighboring networks that I did not even know existed. I often use my notebook in a downtown area covered by public access wifi. Although the signal was strong, my Linksys card frequently dropped the signal or it would bounce between 1 MBS and 11 MBS. The dropping problem improved significantly with a software upgrade but I did not understand what was going on until I bought the Netgear card. Using the Netgear's newest Beta software I was able to see that my office is located between three points of transmission. All of the points were set to channel 1 with the same SID name. The Linksys card, for whatever reason would drop the strongest signal and scan for the weaker ones from time to time. The Netgear card and software allowed me to lock onto the stongest signal point and resolved my connection stability issue. Overall any quibbles I have with this card are minor. I find that the data transfer rate between my Linksys Router and Linksys card seems to be very slightly higher when the two are used together. However, whenever I leave home it is the Netgear card that I'm going to be carrying.
Read more
by RHarelson (see profile) -
November 4, 2005
8 out of 10 - Excellent Excellent wifi card
This is an excellent wifi card, fast and easy to configure. Don't bother installing the netgear software--Windows XP handles ...
This is an excellent wifi card, fast and easy to configure. Don't bother installing the netgear software--Windows XP handles the networking just fine. You will have to install the KB893357 update to add WPA2 support to Windows (the card supports WPA2 already). Purchased with WGT624 router.
Read more
by mterk (see profile) -
November 27, 2005
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
2 out of 10 - Terrible Intermittent, hangs, no customer support
Bought this thing 10/2004. It worked - sort of, but had hangs where computer would freeze. New software from ...
Bought this thing 10/2004. It worked - sort of, but had hangs where computer would freeze. New software from Netgear trashes computer, won't allow normal uninstall. Frozen computer, improper install. Netgear forums are _full_ of complaints on this card. Stay away. And, no, I'm not a noob. I do major hardware/software systems for a living.
Updated Had this thing for a year, got occasional freezes. Then, got wireless router for a present and discovered that the Netgear card would freeze the comp after 30s to 30 minutes. Driver uninstalls, reinstalls, different versions, incomplete installs, uninstalls, cleaning out registry, cleaning computer, email to tech support, _talking_ to tech support, nothing worked. Company won't take back card. Netgear forums are full up to the neck with tales of computer freezes under XP with this card and similar cards. Netgear has no response, and tech support has fishfood claim that 'too many resources on one interrupt will crash any wireless adapter.' Replaced card with Linksys, now no problems. Others on forums have used Belkin, etc. - also no problems. Netgear has no response. Stay away from this card!
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Great Product!
Great Product! Some other reviews were bad and complained about intermittent connection. Just like every other wireless card, you must ...
Great Product! Some other reviews were bad and complained about intermittent connection. Just like every other wireless card, you must download the lastest drivers from the manufacturer before even attempting to install to avoid problems that have already been fixed. I have installed many different brands of wireless and I have chosen to stand behind the Netgear products for their price and performance for home users.
Read more
by drath7875 (see profile) -
July 27, 2005
1 out of 10 - Abysmal Bad Support Experience
I had a very bad time with Netgear support today. Here's what I wrote in response to their customer ...
I had a very bad time with Netgear support today. Here's what I wrote in response to their customer satisfaction survey request:
Basically, your support SUCKS. I am not normally one to complain, but this time it is completely warranted. I called in to get an RMA on an adapter I already knew was defective, but that request was denied. I was forced to update drivers first; but this did not solve the problem. Doing the update was not only extremely difficult to accomplish considering I had to do it with a defective adapter, but it actually also blew away my previous configurations setting which I now have to re-create. I was eventually (after having to call in and talk with 4 seperate agents) told I would get an RMA number issued, but instead of giving me and RMA right then, I was transferred 'to the RMA department' despite my protest. Just as I suspected would happen, I was disconnected in the process by your crappy phone system. The next time I called, I actually got connected with the original technician (name deleted) who took my first call, and he actually finally processed my RMA request (So why were the other agents not able to do it when I originally pleaded with them to do this? (I think your policies dictate this stupid protocol, and I was lied to by agents that just want to get me off the line.) This whole process took nearly 3 hours when it could have been done in 10 minutes. None of the agents wanted to stay on the call to work through the issue, they were all eager to end the call. Being forced to follow your process is an insult to my intelligence, and a waste of my precious time. My solution in the future will be to avoid the purchase of Netgear products at all costs. I am utterly and completely dissatisfied with your support and the reliability of your WG511T adapter product. You people have stolen 3 hours of my life already, and now I must spend even more time to return this defective piece of junk and wait 5 to 7 days for a replacement. I seriously doubt that Netgear will repay me for the inconvenience you've caused me, so I will just have to recount, with extreme prejudice, my negative experience to anyone who will listen.
Read more
by dmhinz (see profile) -
October 31, 2005
1 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
2 out of 10 - Terrible DON'T BOTHER
THIS CARD WAS NOT MADE FOR THE TYPICAL PC USER< OR FOR THE PROFESSIONAL TECH GUY, IT IS NOT ...
THIS CARD WAS NOT MADE FOR THE TYPICAL PC USER< OR FOR THE PROFESSIONAL TECH GUY, IT IS NOT WORTH THE TIME AND EFFORT TO GET IT TO WORK. NETGEAR KEEPS PLUGGING THAT IT IS AN XP PROBLEM, WHY DON"T THEY JUST RECALL THIS PRODUCT AND MANUFACTURE A BETTER CARD. WHY DO THEY HAVE SO MANY FIRMWARE UPGRADES, BECAUSE THEY CAN'T FIGURE OUT HOW THE CARD WORKS. POOR ENGINEERING, VERY POOR.
Read more
by wireless_less (see profile) -
September 1, 2005
Port(s) Total (Free) / Connector Type:Port(s) Total (Free) / Connector Type Port(s) Total (Free) / Connector Type
1 Network Radio-Ethernet:
Expansion Slot(s) Total (Free)
None
Miscellaneous
Encryption Algorithm
128-bit WEP,
40-bit WEP
Compliant Standards
FCC Class B certified
Power
Power Device
None
Power Supply / Device
None
Software / System Requirements
Software Included
Drivers & Utilities
OS Required
Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition,
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition,
Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition,
Microsoft Windows 2000,
Microsoft Windows XP Professional,
Microsoft Windows 98
Hide
More stores below
Show
Print friendly version
Email to a friend
del.icio.us
