Excellent ethernet connection at low cost
Written: Aug 01 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Inexpensible, reliable, tough and PCMCIA type II compatible
Cons: None I found
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| Gr8ful's Full Review: Archived Computer Hardware Reviews |
If you use a laptop over a local area network, then you know the expense of ethernet adapters for laptop computers is somewhat high compared to desktops. I found a great little PCMCIA card that allows you to connect to your LAN through 10baseT or Thin coaxial on a PCMCIA type II interface.
The Linksys combo ethernet card is relatively low cost and performs as well as a 3Com or DLink at less than half the price. I purchased mine from CompUSA about 9 months ago and have never had any trouble with the card or the connection to my LAN.
Installation is as easy as could possibly be. All you have to do is plug it in to your PCMCIA type II card bus and Windows 95 or Windows 98 will automatically load drivers for it. The card is NE2000 compatible and you really don't have to load any software at all. If you are using Windows NT, the drivers you need come on a floppy diskette with the card.
Once the card is inserted and detected by the operating system (and drivers loaded if necessary), you plug in the dongel (the short cable with the RJ45 and BNC connectors) and attach your network cable. That's all, now you're connected and ready to share internet, drives, printers and transfer files.
This card is fairly durable, I have accidentally yanked the cable a few times and dropped the card once. It has a slight separation on the side of the card after all the abuse I have put it through, but it still works without a hitch. The dongel is a little fragile, but then again all PCMCIA network adapters have fragile dongels. If you do need to replace the dongel, you can get one from Linksys without having to buy a new card. This is nice because it saves you a few bucks when you only have to buy the dongel.
I have been happy with mine and recommend Linksys to anyone looking for a reliable ethernet solution for their laptop without breaking the piggy bank. The only reason I would buy another card is to upgrade to the Linksys 10/100 PCMCIA ethernet card.
Recommended:
Yes
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