NetGear WG121 54 Mbps Wireless Network Adapter
Written: Aug 20 '04
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Pros: Super-easy setup, great looking, great functioning. High build quality and Netgear's reputation-it will last.
Cons: The wireless utility can be a bit cumbersome, especially for 802.11b networks.
The Bottom Line: The WG121 is a great wireless adapter especially considering Netgear's commitment to quality. 24-7 tech support is second-to-none.
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| androoos's Full Review: NetGear WG121 54 Mbps Wireless 2.0 (WG121NA) USB ... |
Background
I've had a wireless network for over two years now, and I think it is the greatest thing since Guinness in a can. My network started out as a Netgear MR314 802.11b wireless router going to two computers, each with a Netgear MA301/MA401 wireless ethernet adapter/PCI adapter combination. Both of these systems have been incredibly reliable, although the MA301/401 was a bit difficult to set up on my self-built multimedia computer, I had to resolve a seemingly endless amount of conflicts and driver problems, but that was the only rough spot in my wireless network experience. Until last week.
My MA401 bit the dust. Dead. No more green "Connected" light. No more connection to the internet. And no Spyware or Denial of Service viruses according to SpyBot, AdAware and Norton AntiVirus. It was time to buy a new adapter.
So many choices now!
I drove myself over to Best Buy to get a new wireless adapter. There are a ridiculous amount of choices now. Two years ago, you had D-Link, Linksys, and Netgear. Now, you still have those three, with Siemens and Microsoft thrown in there too (Microsoft now makes a combination cable modem and wireless router, but for $199.99 I'll pass, thanks.) And within those companies, you have no less than three choices per manufacturer. There are Wireless USB adapters, and many different kinds of those. There are PCMCIA "Notebook Card" adapters, and there are PCI adapters too. And now for the best part - there are different Wireless "standards" among those types of adapters: 802.11b (11 megabits per second), 802.11g (54 megabits per second) and 802.11 Super-G (108 megabits per second).
My Preferences
My MR314 router is 802.11b compliant, but since the other G and Super-G standards were backward-compatible, I could get anything. I also knew I didn't want another PCI card adapter, because it was a pain to install with my current computer desk setup. I figured the easiest thing would be to get a USB adapter that I could set anywhere on my desk, and also move around between a computer and a laptop, if I decided to get a laptop sometime down the road. I was also very happy with Netgear's quality, even though my previous MA401 died after two years. I figure I got my money's worth out of it. I also decided I wanted the 802.11g format, in case I decide to upgrade my wireless router later on.
Netgear's offerings
I decided on Netgear because I was so happy with their products, and their customer service is second-to-none: 24-hours a day, toll free, free to anyone with a Netgear product. This is the way all companies should be. If I have a problem I know I can get help with it, and quickly, even if it is with a Tech Rep with a bit of an accent. Netgear's 802.11g offerings were the WG111 and the WG121, and the prices were identical. The WG111 is a compact USB 2.0 compliant wireless adapter that wasn't much bigger than a Bic cigarette lighter. The WG121 was about 3" square and had a small antenna that extended upwards. Now, I have to admit, if I see a product that looks good, I'll consider it before something that functions the same but doesn't look as nice. This is the case between the WG111 and WG121. I also wanted my adapter to be able to sit on a surface neatly, and the WG111 would not accomplish this. I walked out with the WG121.
The hookup
The WG121 is has a sleek, streamlined body with a silver finish. There are two LED lights on the front, one indicating power, the other indicating a good wireless connection. There is a short, 2" long antenna that extends via a swivel. When the antenna is swiveled down, it folds in flush with the body of the unit, giving it very clean lines, making it actually attractive to look at. The connection is absolutely simple: one USB cable. The cable has a normal USB 2.0 end on it, this end goes into your computer. The other end is the small, square connector that is routinely seen on USB printers.
One word of advice - Netgear advises you to install the drivers first, and then connect the card, not the reverse which is normal practice for me. I trust Netgear, so I follow their instructions. The driver installation is painless, and once you connect the WG121 to your open USB slot, you'll be greeted by Netgear's Wireless Utility program, which controls the connection of your wireless card to your wireless router.
Your Wireless Utilities
The wireless utility program is actually quite good, it is better implemented than the program packaged with the MA401, which wasn't always a reliable source of your actual wireless signal strength. This latest utility gives you many many options for setting up your wireless network, and I think I can only scratch the surface here without writing something comparable to "War and Peace."
First off, in order to get a good connection to your router, you need to enter your SSID and your WEP encryption, if you have it enabled. The wireless utility has screens for this that are quite visible, you won't be searching for obscure buttons or options. Netgear also advises you to go into Windows XP's network connection screen to disable the option of "Let Windows handle my wireless network connections." The user's manual gives instructions on how to find this option if you are not familiar with the workings of Windows XP.
There are options to set what kind wireless channel you'd like to operate on (this must coincide with your router's setting) and options for speed. The utility gives you the choice of using either 802.11g (54 mbps) or 802.11b (11 mbps) or both, allowing it to search for the best connection. I have mine set to 802.11b only, and I changed the speed setting from "Auto" to "11 mbps". This will help with the one downside of the utility, which I'll discuss next.
The software likes to waver...
So far, I've only discovered one problem with the software, and it's easily cured. The wireless utlity liked to "waver" between 11 mbps and 2 mbps for whatever reason. This would dramatically increase/decrease the speed of the transfers between my computer and the router. I solved this by going into the wireless utility options and placing the card in "11 mbps only" mode and unchecking the "802.11g 54 mbps" options while only leaving the 802.11b 11 mbps option checked. The utility no longer wavers between speeds and the speed between the computer and the router is now normal.
Scanning for networks
The Wireless Utility allows you to scan for available wireless networks. I found this to be very helpful because it shows you if there is another network nearby that might be interfering with yours. This was my case, as my next door neighbor has an Apple wireless network and we were trying to use the same channel. I set up my wireless card and router to only accept my connection, and it was all good.
Conclusion
I'm very pleased with my WG121 802.11g wireless adapter from Netgear. Netgear makes some quality products and that quality is going to cement them as my wireless networking provider for a long time. If you decide on Netgear's equipment for your wireless network, you won't be disappointed!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 40
Driver Availability: Windows only
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Member: JC Andrews
Location: Chesapeake, VA
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