Where I've used it

The Orinoco (Lucent Technology) Wireless Ethernet PC Card allows your laptop, or PC Card Reader equipped Desktop to connected to a base wireless ethernet hub and connect to the network. Wireless is an emerging technology and the Orinoco Silver/Gold card is an excellent choice as a foray into this new technology field. In my office, all of the Macintoshes are connected via Airport Wireless cards to the Airport Hub from Apple. We got a new IBM Thinkpad equipped with the Orinoco Gold Card, and we got it set-up to recognize the basehub immediately. However, with the Apple Airport Base Station (The most affordable one available), a PC equipped for wireless might have problems configuring the Airport Base Station due to its inherent Mac architecture. So, you might consider getting a base station from 3Com or another manufacturer. The main difference between the Silver and the Gold card is that the Gold has the ability and technology to allow it to utilize higher bandwidths in the future. In one to two years, the benefits of the Gold over the Silver will be apparent, and I believe the $20 extra is a great investment.

Why Wireless

The main reason to go wireless is basically to reduce clutter around your office or home area by using radio-signal data transmissions. The costs and hassle of adding ethernet ports and wiring the whole office to a broadband connection might not be within reach of many small businesses. With wireless ethernet, multiple PCs and Macintoshes can share one single broadband connection within a standard 150ft away from the base station. (Depending on obstructions) Also, all computers that are within the range of the base station will be configured as a network group, allowing wireless file sharing, gaming, and other goodies. With password protection, your network is safe from intruders leeching off your bandwidth.

Lucent - Orinoco

My company chose to go with the Orinoco card because Lucent Technologies has proven to be a leader and innovator in the wireless arena. Paired with an excellent warranty and loads of technical information and help available, the Orinoco card is bound to dominate the competition.

Possible Problems

From my experience with a few clients, some have expressed that their DSL provider does not support the use of wireless broadcasting. So, I suggest you check first with your DSL provider or your network administrator to make sure that your broadband connection is fully compatible with the existing wireless standards. The base stations are equipped with a RJ-45 Port for standard ethernet connection and also in some cases a 56K modem.

Buy It Now!

I recommend buying the Gold Card, since it's a small price to pay for future technology. Orinoco has presented a product that is very useful, performs very well, and is going to lead the way into the future of wireless data/power transmitting. It's fast, looks good, and can fit into your standard PC Card slot on your existing laptop. There are also PCI cards being sold that have an Orinoco card adapted onto the card, however, I do not it is supported by Orinoco or Lucent. So, it's kind of shady and I recommend you just go for a PC Card reader instead. Otherwise, this is a small price to pay for amazing technology and mobility around the home and office. Buy an Apple Base Station or one from a quality manufacturer like 3Com!



Recommended: Yes