Opinions on this Netgear usb adapter

yaggayagga Havn't you heard? ... New
edited December 2006 in Science & Tech
http://www.netgear.com/products/details/WG111U.php#first

Do you think this will perform as well as a real pci card with external antenna? I thought Netgear made a pci card but it only appears they make a notebook and usb "double" adapter. This double means both the a and g networks. I am looking into getting the usb version, but don't know if it will keep up as well as a pci edition. And even if it does I can't add a bigger antenna or anything to make it even better. I'm in doubt hear on this, can anyone support this product enough to get me to buy it?

Comments

  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited August 2005
    USB networking really isn't great in general. Apparently it is prone to drop-outs and general slowness... but... that was a few years ago, things may have changed...
  • Allan-OKAllan-OK
    edited August 2005
    If it helps I would advise that I use a USB adapter (supplied with the Netgear wireless router) on one laptop and the performance is no different to the PCI card on another laptop. The range is the same and the status hasn't yet fallen below "very good" anywhere in the house.
  • FormFactorFormFactor At the core of forgotten
    edited August 2005
    It should be ok. I think the double means that it can operate at up to 108mbps using two 802.11G channels.

    I dont have much experience with USB Wi-Fi adapters, but I know a few guys that use em, and they dont complain.


    Dont expect anywhere close to ethernet speeds though.
  • yaggayagga Havn't you heard? ... New
    edited August 2005
    FormFactor wrote:
    I think the double means that it can operate at up to 108mbps using two 802.11G channels.

    It means 1 g network, 1 a network, however on the usb adapter netgear misleads you to believe it can connect to both networks at the same time and I think you can only connect to one, whether a or g at any given time.
  • EnverexEnverex Worcester, UK Icrontian
    edited September 2005
    No, the double is this new buzword thing where certain compatible devices can operate at 108Mbp/s to each other rather than 54Mbp/s, thus double speed (no idea if it actually works or not).
  • yaggayagga Havn't you heard? ... New
    edited September 2005
    I 100% assure you it is talking about a and g wireless, it is also 108, but netgear just refers to that as 108 speed, no fancy "double" word like linksys
  • wingreenwingreen
    edited December 2006
    Sorry, can't add much to what has gone before but I can ask a question (sorry, newbie to all this so not sure if this is the right way to go about it...but here goes.....) - I'm having problems getting this adapter to work - I'm using Windows 98 SE (been told it would work by Netgear and have downloaded the windows 98 set-up) but, although it seems to be installed and is getting signal from the Router, it won't connect to internet (or even to the router! weird?). I'm a bit stuck really (not getting much sense from Netgear) - anyone have any thoughts?
  • mtroxmtrox Minnesota
    edited December 2006
    I have a Netgear MA111 and have used it on 11ty billion computers. When I bring a sick one home, I just plug that in to get it on my network (which by the way is not more than 5 miles from Dood). I get as good as, or better, signal than my desktop next to it with a Linksys PCI wireless card.

    I have had it on a Win 9x computer just once. I'm sure you know you have to install Netgear's utility to connect in 9x....past that I don't have much help. You've got USB 1.1 and an op sys that had never heard of wireless.
  • nonstop301nonstop301 51° 27' 24.87" N // 0° 11' 38.91" W Member
    edited December 2006
    The following applies to wingreen's query.

    First of all I would suggest you connect your computer to the router with an ethernet cable to see if you can establish a working internet connection that way and be assured all the settings of the router are correct.

    With respect to the wireless connection you have to look at the network connection properties by entering the control panel and selecting the Network icon.
    Then you can check to see if a TCP/IP protocol is installed corresponding to your usb adapter and if you see it on the list you can check it's properties and ensure that the option "Obtain IP address automatically" is selected in the IP address tab. Similarly in the DNS Configuration tab you should ensure that "Obtain DNS server address automatically" is also selected.
    After applying these changes you might be prompted to restart and then your wireless usb adapter should be working properly.
  • wingreenwingreen
    edited December 2006
    Thanks for your replies. I've got everything working using the ethernet cable (hence my ability to keep the ball rolling on this one) and the router settings look correct. I've got "obtain IP address automatically" selected but, under the DNS Configuration tab I don't have the option to to use "obtain DNS server address automatically" (?!). All I have is either "Disable DNS" (which is what I have selected) or "Enable DNS" (but if I select that it asks for all sorts of info/data that I've no idea about). Could this be a clue to my problems?


    (......and I thought I was the only one up at 2.20 in the morning thinking about USB adapters)
  • mtroxmtrox Minnesota
    edited December 2006
    wingreen wrote:
    All I have is either "Disable DNS" (which is what I have selected) or "Enable DNS" (but if I select that it asks for all sorts of info/data that I've no idea about). Could this be a clue to my problems?

    God I'd forgotten......we had to plug DNS numbers into Win 9x didn't we? Yea, without DNS you have to know Yahoo's IP address instead of just typing yahoo.com. You need to know your ISP's DNS addresses and plug 'em in wingreen. Just Google "dns settings win 98" and you'll find plenty of screen shots telling you how to do it.

    Oh, and it ain't 2:50 AM everwhere....;)
  • nonstop301nonstop301 51° 27' 24.87" N // 0° 11' 38.91" W Member
    edited December 2006
    For the DNS configuration tab just select the Enable DNS option and then for host and domain write local in the boxes you see.

    For the DNS Server Search Order you have to enter the DNS number of your ISP and then press Add

    After you apply these settings and restart, I believe you will have your wireless usb adapter functioning for you.
  • wingreenwingreen
    edited December 2006
    .....if only! I tried that (assuming I got the right DNS number - it's shown on the router information, although the router is set to get DNS automatically)....but it hasn't helped. In fact, when I looked at setting DNS for Windows 98SE on google, the inormation suggested that "Disable DNS" is equivalent to telling it to get DNS automatically.
    Don't suppose anyone has any further ideas?
  • mtroxmtrox Minnesota
    edited December 2006
    I'm sorry we steered you wrong win. It's been a while since I networked Win98 and we all jumped on a bandwagon. What info do you get if you go to Start> Run... and type winipcfg? As I recall you have to pull down an arrow to choose the network adapter you want to see. But does that give you the correct IP address and DNS numbers?
  • wingreenwingreen
    edited December 2006
    No need to apologise - I'm grateful that you're giving me hope!
    Did as you suggested (boy, am I learning stuff!) and sem to get the right information (although I stand to be corrected):
    Adapter Address: 00-14-6C-DF-91
    IP Address: 192.168.0.3
    Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
    Default Gateway: 192.168.0.1

    This information (other than Adapter Address is same as my AMtek Lan card information - although, of course (?!), the IP address ends in 0.2, rather than 0.3

    (Not sure if its relevant but the drop down for two PPP adapters has zeros for IP and subnet mask and blank for default gateway).

    How are we doing?!
  • mtroxmtrox Minnesota
    edited December 2006
    wingreen wrote:
    How are we doing?!

    You're doing great. I'm lame. I thought that would give us DNS info.

    All of the IP addresses on your little network with start with 192.168.0. The only difference between them will be the last number so that is right. In fact since you have two network adapaters in your computer you will have two numbers.

    The problem is that I wonder if you are getting good DNS numbers and I thought winipcfg told us that. I don't remember how we looked that up in Win 98. Anyone?

    In the mean time, we can go around DNS. If you just type 216.109.118.66 in a browser address bar (no www stuff, nothing, just the IP address) you should go to yahoo without DNS. If that works, we've got a DNS problem. If not, it's probably another issue and we can forget the whole how-do-I-find-DNS-on-Win98 thing.
  • wingreenwingreen
    edited December 2006
    Nope, can't get to yahoo using that reference. I can when my Lan is wired up - but can't if I'm just on wireless.
    What worries me (rightly?) is that, although my router seems to know my wireless exists (Device Name is Unknown but the IP address is the one for my wireless adapter) and the utility that comes with the wireless adapter seems to see that the wireless signal from the router exits, I can't even get the wireless adapter to "connect" with the router (never mind the internet).
    Something spooky going on.
    I know there's probably an easy fix but damned if I can track it down.
  • mtroxmtrox Minnesota
    edited December 2006
    wingreen wrote:
    I can't even get the wireless adapter to "connect" with the router (never mind the internet).

    You're right, thats a more basic problem. I might have missed an earlier post but if you are only connected wirelessly, you should be able to plug 192.168.0.1 into a browser and get into your router. If you can't get to your router that way, you'll never get to yahoo any way you look at it.

    win, I'm out of ammo. I've been bad at helping you with some basic stuff in Win 98, I'd really be guessing and wasting both of our time to try to get Win 98 to connect through that USB wireless.

    By the way, this is Win 98 SE isn't it? I recalled that USB support didn't come till that version....and checked the Netgear site for the WG111U and the package they have you download is only for SE.
  • wingreenwingreen
    edited December 2006
    OK. Thanks mtrox - I do appreciate your time in trying to help out. As you say, it seems much more fundamental. Let's hope someone passes by and has a eureka moment.
    If nothing else, I'm assuming this may be a problem others are experiencing so maybe, if it does get solved then others will benefit. If we can't solve it here...hell, where can we solve it?! lol
    BTW, yes it is Windows 98SE I'm using.
    Starting to think it may almost be a hardware problem....I have an old PC so maybe its something about the USB ports....?
    Ah well....I can always wait for Netgear Tech Support to get back to me yawn!
  • mtroxmtrox Minnesota
    edited December 2006
    wingreen wrote:
    Ah well....I can always wait for Netgear Tech Support to get back to me yawn!

    I paid $49 for Dell tech support yesterday....waited 60 minutes to get a guy who had to keep putting me on hold to talk to somebody else who had him suggest things that had already been ruled out if anyone had listened to what I had said.

    Good luck with the boys at Netgear.
  • nonstop301nonstop301 51° 27' 24.87" N // 0° 11' 38.91" W Member
    edited December 2006
    Hi again wingreen,

    I was hoping it wasn't going to be such a struggle after entering the correct DNS information.

    I don't think it's possible to find your DNS number on google though. It's provided for you by your ISP in the paperwork showing you the details of your account with them.

    If you still have no success, then you can connect your computer to the router using the ethernet cable and check the properties of the TCP/IP protocol the ethernet adapter is using. Your wireless adapter will work when you use the same information for it.

    I also have to ask whether you have WPA or WEP security enabled for the wireless network becuase in that case you would have to configure the wireless adapter further in order to connect to the internet.
  • wingreenwingreen
    edited December 2006
    Thanks for your continuing comments (and happy Christmas!). Just an update (and in case it helps anyone else who has hit problems) - Netgear did get back to me and, indeed, have been very helpful (although quite slow) and we finally fixed it! Essentially I disabled all hardware profiles for network adapters except the Netgear Wireless one, then uninstalled the Netgear software. then re-installed the Netgear set-up again, closed down computer, plugged in adapter, then restarted. It went through the driver update (asking for a file from my Wondows 98SE CD) and - eureka! - it now works! No idea what made the difference, but am just checking with netgear whether I can now re-enable the hardware profiles (I had Fast Ethernet adapter, Dial up adapter, Dial up #2 VPN support, Microsoft VPN Adapter and, of course, the Netgear wireless adapter).
    Thanks for your help!
    Who knows, I'll probably be back before you know it cos now I'm going to tackle setting up a network! happy days!
  • nonstop301nonstop301 51° 27' 24.87" N // 0° 11' 38.91" W Member
    edited December 2006
    It's good to see you have the wireless adapter working now wiingreen. Enabling the other network adapters shouldn't cause any conflicts (I hope :)) and configuring your network will be somewhat easier. Keep that Windows 98SE CD handy because it will always be necessary when you initially setup folder sharing and other network parameters in Windows 98 :)
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