Linksys by Cisco WMP54G Wireless-G PCI Adapter

I've had this wireless card for a year, and began having intermittent problems (extremely slow speed, connection issues) with it over the past few months. But now, the card is unusable. It easily recognizes my router at full strength, but is unable to connect to it. I've tried reinstalling drivers, used different drivers, used the default windows tool for handling wireless connections, fiddled with the router and antenna, and changed and checked the settings countless times. All of my other wireless devices work fine, so my router is not having problems. Googling the various error messages returns many hits, but no solutions.

I am completely disappointed, this card is relatively new, but has shown consistent problems throughout its lifetime. Not only that, but the issues are common with this card, with little support from Linksys (the last driver update was in 2005).

The card works flawless, but you will need to get the driver from the manufacture of the chip and not lynksys.

You can also try using Windows Vista it may work for some people. Once you have the right driver, it will work with no down time. There is no reason that this hardware does not work with Windows 7. But since Cisco Lynksys have decided that they want to sell you the latest more expensive card its up to you to make it work.

For those people looking for a PCI card working with Linux: This card is fully supported by Linux Ubuntu 9.10.

I was totally surprised that the card was immediately recognized by my Ubuntu 9.10 distribution and after adding the encryption key the card was ready to be used. Very easy and smooth integration.

I bought this to hook up my 'old' desktop to my linksys wireless network at home. Installation took 5 minutes and I am up and running flawlessly. I have XP and this product, like my linksys router, works great.

Installation was very simple; Windows Vista Ultimate installed drivers for this card on its own. I've had this card about two months now and it has worked perfect.

First of all, I reviewed this item once already in January and Amazon did not post my review. Secondly: What you see is not what you get. The product description of this item and the main product image that displays when the item is viewed shows and describes a card that would fit a desktop, ie a 3" or 1/2 high PCI slot. What is actually shipped is a card that will only fit a tower or full-height slot. According to Linksys technical support, the picture and description are of an earlier version of this item that is now longer being produced. In order to get a wireless adapter card that will fit a half-high slot you need to get a different model, the WMP600N. Third, when I contacted Amazon customer service about the misleading product information, the customer service rep was very unhelpful, only finally conceding that Amazon would accept a return of the items (I had ordered two). But when the return form arrived in the email, I was informed that I had to pay the return shipping charges as "the return was not the result of our error", "our" meaning Amazon. So whose fault was it? It was either the third party vendor who posted the misleading and inaccurate picture and description, or it was Amazon, who did not vet the information and still, to this day, despite being informed that the picture and information are inaccurate, has the same information posted for this item. I no longer trust Amazon and will not purchase any more technology products from Amazon.

I typically do not like giving bad reviews but since Amazon keeps sending email reminders about reviewing purchased products then here we go: great price, very fast shipping, great packaging, arrived in perfect condition. Installed but Windows XP would not recognize that adapter is present, had to "force" XP to recognize there is a card in there by doing a manual install. Then of course a yellow exclamation mark shows up so tried various drivers: from the ones provided on the Linksys CD to the Linksys.com online v4.1 to the ones from Ralink, nothing worked.

I did read the reviews prior to purchasing this item but since I had worked in tech support and have been using Linksys for years I figured "Ehh, it'll be fine, I'll figure a way to make it work." I guess I'll figure it out eventually but for now this Linksys adapter is an expensive dust collector.

Thank you for your time.

I purchased this for an older second computer that didn't have wireless networking capabilitiy. Installed in minutes, works great.

I bought this because my old Linksys wireless PCI-Adapter didn't support WPA encryption and lucky for me when I start looking for it Amazon had it on a 25.99 deal, which was a steal.

The card works just like you would expect it. Make sure the antenna points up in order to get the most networks, including your home network, to show up. Even if you are new to computers, this card can be easily installed. I recommend that you put connect the card to your motherboard, and when you boot Windows and you see the New Hardware wizard, put the CD that is included in your CD drive and then have the Windows New Hardware Wizard find the "drivers automatically." This way, the wizard pulls it from the CD and you don't have to install the annoying Linksys software.

In case you're wondering what the software does, it simply shows you the strength of your signal, let's you connect to networks, and allows you to disable wireless until next reboot. Windows does all this already, so the software becomes a hassle and unnecessary.

But as I said, the card works just as you would expect it. Nothing more, nothing less.

I thought that it would be a universal adapter and my computer ports are all on the left side of this right sided adaptor. Would have been nice to know that it wasn't universal.

I followed the advice of another reviewer here and installed the card without installing the software first. This was a mistake. The card was not detected. I installed the software and then I had to take the card out, boot up, shut down, and put it back in before it was detected. At that point everything was automatic. Using Windows XP. The reception is great. Much better than the Netgear WRT311 I was using.

I will start off with saying that this unit works great but as with any of these wireless adapters there will be range limitations so keep that in mind about 100 feet or so

This card is very easy to install. It has great signal strength and is very easy to configure.

Everything worked as advertised: just followed the instructions in the box, and it was smooth sailing.

The adapter I received did not look like Amazon's picture, was a half-height card. No matter.

Requested one-day delivery and it was here in 24 hours; $17 extra. Very pleased.

Installation went perfectly and the card is working perfectly, BUT not until I uninstalled through all normal means (Control Panel Programs, Device Manager, etc.) all signs of previous Linksys programs and drivers. Then, with Regedit, did repeated 'finds' and removed (deleted) EVERY Linksys reference - keys and values, etc.

Then simply followed Linksys directions (Software first, then card) and all went without pause.

Was surprised that the network connections to Internet and other computers in the house were not affected in any way - all were present as before with the old 802.11b card as soon as entered the SSID and 64bit WEP (went to the right channel automatically).

Won't even say how many days I spent learning this procedure with another card (which I now think would have worked just fine if I had known what I know now).

I don't think there is any way of installing a new different wireless adapter card without going through the steps I outline above. I guess Linksys is afraid of recommending any procedures involving modifications to the Registry, but I see no choice.

I've had to re-setup twice, in the past month, but it's easy enough to do, and I don't know whether that was caused by the adapter or my modem/router, which has its own problems.

My experience with this card is while repairing and updating a 2006 Dell Dimension 3000 (after a reformat and complete reinstall of all original XP software.) It worked with Service Pack 2. When I installed Service Pack 3 I immediately began to get an error message on boot: "Access violation at address 004074CD in module 'WMP54GSv1_1.exe'. Read of address 00000368". This is a reference to the driver for the model I had: WMP54GS. Went to Dell site and did a reinstall of Wireless drivers recommended for this system. No improvement. When I tried to use the Windows uninstall utility to uninstall this driver, the UNINSTALL LOCKED UP AT 30%. No wanting to abort, I looked at the task manager and discovered a new task running -- "Aegis protocol - installation". I suspect this was initiated by the Linksys driver. (Other than the OS there is almost nothing on my system.) I deleted this task and the uninstall unlocked and went forward. After rebooting the "Access violation..." error disappeared. I now have connectivity to my wireless network but it is not nearly as good as the connectivity from my Dell laptop. (Connection tends to break much more frequently.) I am ommitting the extensive research I did (many people are having the "Access violation" problem with this card under a variety of circumstances) and the extremely polite but totally useless chat session I had with a Linksys representative in India, who immediately told me that this product was no longer supported and so they could not tell me whether it worked with SP3 or not unless I was willing to pay for support.

Cisco is an excellent company. I have two Linksys routers I am very happy with but I think the technology of this card is too long in the tooth.

I don't care that there are numerous dire warnings in the instructions and packaging that the software should be installed first. Don't do it.

If you don't believe ME, then do yourself a favor and Google around first.

Linksys/Cisco wants you to install the full-blown (and buggy) management software package first, then power down, then install the hardware, then power up. Vast testimonies on the Web suggest that doing so will cause hardware malfunction and/or mis-installation.

Instead, the correct approach is to first power down, then install the hardware, then power up and then let Windows recognize the device as new hardware. Then Windows will ask for the CD and install ONLY the core drivers needed (and not the buggy management software).

I just did it that way (under a clean install of WinXP Pro, Service Pack 2, no updates). Thirty seconds after I inserted the CD on request, I was finished and advised of wireless networks available via a balloon pop-up out of the tray.

You can manage the device and its settings using Windows via the path: Start, Settings, Control Panel, System Properties, Hardware (tab), Device Manager (button), Network Adapters (folder) .... instead of using LinkSys/Cisco's buggy software.

Some posters stated that this is actually the solution that Linksys Tech Support staff offered when called about installation problems.

Other than that glitch, the device is entirely recommended. This is the second one I own. The first one is a version 1.0 card I've been running for years with nary a hitch (It marries to a Linksys/Cisco WRT54G Router Version 2.0, the older black-and-blue version with twin rabbit ears popping up out of the back ... not the newer black spaceship-styled version).

I "fine-tuned" the hardware/software settings using a piece of idiot-proof freeware (TCPOptimizer) that analyzes current settings and makes changes to, well, optimize them. The process vastly improved my speed/throughput/performance. Just be sure to back up the registry and create a restore point before you run TCPOptimizer, on the off-chance something goes wrong.

By the way, the pictures for this product are incorrect. They are pictures of an earlier version, where the card was "taller." Amaz. is currently (09/2009) shipping version 4.1 of this product and the card is not very tall at all. I'll upload a current pix here shortly.

Smooth transaction. Excellent product. Had to inactivate "hybernation" in order to prevent computer shut-downs, but once this was done there were no more problems. Connection is very stable and fast. Very satisfied.

I installed the wireless card on a 32bit Windows 7 RC1 installation. OS detected the card just fine and it connects to my wireless network without a problem. I have some issues with the location of my base station so I get a ok signal so speeds are mid G range.

Works great. Eliminated drilling and wiring from one floor to other. Faster enough to work. Easier to install. Like the product. Thanks to Amazon for the good price and free shipping!.

Good product and well taken care of by the supplier - we got a modem in one of the boxes but they sent us a new one as soon as i phoned them about the problem.

Installed this product in a computer that has been in use for 9 yrs. The instructions for this OS. I found to be a little disjointed but with careful choices was up and running in short time. It works wonderfully and was very glad that I made this selection. But for my OS. instructions I would have given it five stars and I'm sure it would be an excellent pick for more modern versions of Windows as well.

Just received new wireless-g pci adapter. Signal strength is excellent for my home application. This computer is located 50' from the router (other end of the house) and it works like a charm. The install had a twist. There are two sets of instructions: one for vista and one for xp. I have xp so followed them carefully (not difficult at all). But, though I had a good signal, I also immediately received an error message. Called Linksys immediately. Got thru in seconds. They asked me to remove the software, turn off the computer, and uninstall the adapter. Then, re-install the adapter and turn the computer on. The computer immediately recognized the adapter but needed drivers. I was instructed to put the software cd in the computer. When I did that the computer automatically found the drivers, loaded them and asked for my WEP info. Once that was entered, it has worked great. So, if you are running xp, do NOT load the software first like the instructions tell you. Install the adapter, turn on the system and then put the cd in for Windows to find your drivers. If you are worried about it, install the adapter and call Linksys first. You'll be working in no time. Enjoy.

My son had no trouble instaling this. It did req. him moving the router around a little in the other room. to get a good signal.

This card worked for about 3 weeks then quit. I'm experienced at setting up networks and did everything possible to resurrect this card, short of shaking chicken feathers over it while dancing a jig. As per message that popped up on the Linksys screen, "you are connected to the access point, but the internet can't be found." I was connected, but could not go on the internet! HUH? A rather odd message, since that is what most people would like to do with a network card. If you go on the Linksys forums, you will see MANY people with the exact same problem. Shame on Linksys for putting forth such a piece of junk. I wasted two days of my life trying to get this thing running again. I'm off to buy from Hawking.

For a part time geek like me, it's always a little challenging adding networked devices to my wireless set up. But that's not the product's fault. Arrived quickly in great condition and within a couple of hours, had it going. The desktop I installed it in is only a few walls and about 25 ft away but the signal strength is always 98+%. Very satisfied and I would recommend to anyone.

This was my first time going wireless and this product made it really easy. I'm two rooms away from the router and I get an excellent signal. Product was delivered fast so i'd definitely recommend.

I bought the adapter for use with my new Dell Inspiron 530S (slim line)computer. It would not fit into the slot provided. I returned it to Amazon and bought one from Dell that was designed to fit either a standard slot or the slim one. I guess that the whole unit was bigger and could not be sent with two different plates to fit either slot.

I bought the wireless adapter for my son's computer, since I didn't have an easy way to connect it to my router. This adapter was easy to install and worked the first time. I've always had excellent luck with Linksys.

card worked great on first try. I am using it in a computer located upstairs from the router (about 50' away) and still recieve strong signal.

I just purchased this for an HP desktop with Vista. Before turning on my cpu for the first time, I installed it in the PCI slot and put the driver disc into the cd slot. It started working instantly once the cpu started up and I was online in no time, all I had to do was enter my router password. I get a great signal, fast speed with my Linksys G router. No worries here.

Product worked great right from the get go. Installation was a snap and our wireless router was picked up by the PC. Good signal ... then again the PC is only two rooms (about 30 feet) away from the router.

I thought this would be a simple install as I have done this before on two other computers. However, the software refused to recognize the hardware after repeated attempts. Finally, I called Linksys. Two hours later I put it back in the box and shipped it back. I will never buy another linksys product until they improve their software and get skilled customer service. BTW the phone connection over two oceans is terrible. Good luck buying this product if you do. Never again for me.

I work in asset recovery for an IT recycling facility. This is a desired 54g WNA that i see all the time in end-of-life equipment recently recycled. I snap these up wholesale when I can for resale and re-market them, as they are workhorses when properly installed.

I purchased this WMP54G for a 2008 Christmas Gift for my brother. It was mid-January before I could install it for him. Worst wireless card I've ever installed and used, and I've installed and used a lot of them! Installation was straight forward; however, an icon appears for a Wireless Network Monitor. Click on it and nothing happens! Why click? The card wasn't finding any networks, and yet 2 laptop computers and a Brother Multi-Function printer with built in wireless networking capability could find the network and connect just fine! The two laptops could find my brother's network and other neighboring networks immediately on bootup. About 10 minutes after bootup, the Linksys WMP54G card in the desktop computer could find only my brother's network, would connect, and then frequently drop the connection. The first weekend in February I went to my brother's home and removed the software and hardware for the Linksys card and replaced them with a D-Link DWL-G510 Wireless G PCI Desktop Adapter. Worked like a dream immediately. Pulled in several neighboring networks; connected to my brother's network within a second or two of bootup, and has not dropped a connection! Here's a link to the D-Link card I used. D-Link DWL-G510 Wireless PCI Adapter, 802.11g, 54 Mbps

Installed the WMP54G adapter per the instructions and Vista-based PC would not recognize the adapter. Returned it to Amazon and bought the USB adapter which worked fine.

Although the UI looks slick, their start-up software didn't work for my Dell box. It wasn't obvious how to connect to an unbroadcasted SSID, for example, if I just followed the "next" buttons per their brief instructional sheet. Then for whatever reason it failed to get a DCHP "handshake" that supposedly sets up everything like an IP and gateway and subnet masks and so forth. I gave up and relinquished control to the XP Lan manager, typed in the SSID, WEP key, and the thing worked after about 10 seconds. In contrast, just to give a perspective, my Netgear wireless adapter worked fine without going through all this. Moral of the story, if any, is probably these guys should just stick to firmware and leave the software to Microsoft.

This is my second Linksys WMP54G. The first one works great, so why not stick with something you trust?
Easy installation,fairly user friendly software. The router is one floor, and two walls away, and the lowest connect speed has been 86%, but that is rare. I can expect mid 90s to 100%.
The only down side I have seen is that the location of the antenna is usually in the way of some other installed device hookup ... but that is easy to cope with, it swivels. A remote antenna would solve the problem easily.
I found Amazon's price on this unit was excellent after a bit of comparative shopping.
Buy one they work.

I've used a couple of generic wireless cards and found them troublesome, with sporadic difficulty connecting to my wireless hub. This Linksys card has worked perfectly, first time and every time. I recommend it.

Installed in a desktop PC running Ubuntu 8.10 without a problem. Simply installed and turned the power on. Runs at full G link speed with WAP security. This is the way things should work. However, do miss days past when tinkering was required to get things to work.

right out of the box, installed it in my system. I never bothered using the drivers that came along with it and used the one on the website. Works well and have been using for 2 weeks.

I received this adapter for my extra desktop and easily installed the card and had it working within 10 minutes.

Works just as expected for a wireless-G adapter. Keep in mind this is a wireless-G (and without MIMO of course) and if you're thinking of upgrading to wireless-N anytime soon, it may be best to look for a more advanced adapter (wireless-N with MIMO). The one I bought is now used by a 10 year old, off in a back bedroom, connecting to an inexpensive Linksys wireless-N router in the livingroom, to play games online. The kid says they have no glitches when playing. One could assume that more mature, heavier online gaming might require a more advanced adapter.

Very good product!
Use it ... IF NEEDED! Don't buy a good if it not essencial for your life!

This Linksys adapter worked as advertised. I like it and can recommend it to anyone wanting to have a home net sys.

Ever since Cisco bought Linksys, product quality has gone straight downhill. Manufacturing quality has gone all plastic, all lights, software and such is downscaled and up went the price. Thank you Cisco. I hope the CEO pf Ciso is enjoying his ill gotten gains.
the item never worked properly, and it seemed to be that you have to install the software first then install the item. then is struggles to get a signal and the fight is never worth the results

Easy to install. Works well. The antenna does not appear to be very "rugged" so be careful.

This product should not be under a picture of a wireless card that has an anntenae. Even though the description says no anntenae, it is misleading. And since you cannot purchase just an anntenae, it is essentially a paper weight.

I purchased a WMP54G for my parents computer to avoid running cable through their house. The first one worked well for about a year when it suddenly received no signal - acted like the antenna connection was bad - possibly due to rearrangement of cords, etc. behind the computer. A replacement card has worked flawlessly ever since from a second story office to wireless router in the basement.