Netgear WG511NA Wireless G Pc Card

The NETGEAR WG511 Wireless-G PC Card offers: 802.11g wireless networking capability. Backwards compatibility with 802.11b wireless networks. 128-bit WEP encryption for extra security.

An antenna is built in for portability. View larger.

Fast and Secure
The NETGEAR WG511 supports the 802.11g protocol standard for speeds up to 54 Mbps and a longer range than previous-generation 802.11b adapters. With a good connection, you'll notice the difference right away as you'll be able to stream high-quality music without any hiccups and load videos much faster. Downloading files is up to five times faster than it was with 802.11b. Since 802.11g is also interoperable with 802.11b, you don't have to worry about whether or not you'll get a connection at specific airports and hotspots; the WG111US will automatically detect the network and allow you to connect to it at the highest speed possible.

The adapter supports 40/64-bit and 128-bit WEP encryption for security so you don't have to worry about anyone eavesdropping on your emails or stealing your passwords. The included software makes managing different WEP passwords a breeze as you can set up different profiles for each location you frequent, saving yourself the trouble of having to type in encryption keys each time you connect to a hotspot you've already used.

The NETGEAR WG511 Wireless-G PC Card is backed by a 1-year warranty.

What's in the Box
WG511 Wireless-G PC Card, setup CD, installation guide, warranty/support information card.


Product Description
Freedom of movement and flexibility of access - NETGEAR's 54 Mbps Wireless PC Card gives you both in spades! Designed to the 802.11g draft specification, this versatile PC card offers speeds up to nearly five times faster than widely deployed IEEE 802.11b wireless networks found in homes, businesses, and public wireless hotspots around the globe.

This versatile PC card works with either wireless standard, 802.11b or 802.11g, to keep you connected today and tomorrow. Put it in your notebook PC and no matter where you are, at home, at the office, at the airport or in other public access areas, this versatile adapter automatically selects the best connection available, giving you constant access to corporate resources, e-mail, and the Internet. Use it to quickly network employees, saving the time and expense of Ethernet cabling. Easy to set up and use, it auto-selects the best available connection and adapts the settings to match. NETGEAR's intuitive Install Wizard makes driver installation a cinch. And with up to 128-bit WEP encryption, you can rest assured that your wireless network communications are private.

Main Features

There are a couple of things to keep in mind when using this card. 1) If you're running XP, Windows will try to "take over" and run your network for you -- it will install its own driver, run the card, etc. I HIGHLY recommend that you install the card using the configuration CD (or by getting the latest firmware from the website) rather than letting Windows install the drivers itself. Your XP software likely won't have the latest drivers. Also, I even more highly recommend NOT allowing Windows to manage the connection -- if you click on "my connections" and then "wireless connection status" you should have a box saying something like, "Allow Windows to manage connection" -- UNCHECK THIS BOX. Let the card manage its own connection -- it performs much better.

2) If you or anyone living within a few hundred feet of you uses a 2.4 Ghz cordless phone, particularly an older one, you could get interference. It turned out my phone was interfering with everyone's connection and causing frequent drops. If you get frequent drops when you first use the card, don't blame the card until you've asked everyone living close to you to try to a different channel for their 2.4 Ghz phone. Once I did this, everything cleared up and I've had outstanding service since then.


In short terms - Simple, reliable and fast!!   July 4, 2003
23 out of 24 found this review helpful

I prepared myself for trouble after reading some of the horror stories in regards to setting up wireless networks, but was pleasant surprised. I first hooked up the NetGear WGR614 router to our DSL modem (no configuration needed. The WGR614 wireless router is a DHCP server to your network and client to the ISP so it manages hooking your network together and then al of it to the web automatically). After the router was up and running with my PC, I installed this card with the simple and brief descriptions included on my wifes laptop and it automatically linked to the wireless access point of the router. The whole affair took about 15 minutes without any configuration need. This set up is TRULY plug-and-play.....a day later I had our computers hooked into a nice little home-LAN with print and file sharing on Windows XP. Connection speed varies and is only at 100% in the same room and close to the router. However we still have fully sufficient connection speed on the deck and in the basement office of my wife. Even at 50% connection, the g-standard network transfers at 15 to 20 Mbps....fast enough and way faster than the b-standard at only 10Mbps. Besides, the Netgear equipment is small and has an excellent design and not as flashy as the competition. RECOMMENDED !!


This setup rocks...   September 7, 2003
19 out of 20 found this review helpful

Well, I started out buying a Linksys wireless B router and notebook card. I bought Linksys because of brand recognition and I figured having both the router and card from the same manufacturer would yield the best results. After setting them up, the reception was horrible. My download speeds over my cable modem from my laptop were worse than dialup speeds. I promptly packed them up and sent it back. I read similar reviews for both the Netgear products and Linksys that had good and bad results. Many of the reviewers with bad results recommended the competing products. Anyways, with the rebates offered for the Netgear setup, it was gonna cost me a few more dollars, but it was a wireless G setup instead. So, I took the chance and ordered this card with the WGR614 router. Setup was a breeze and the signal and speed are phenomenal. I was starting to think that I might have to move the router around the house for a better signal, but it works superbly in the same location the Linksys router couldn't. Yeeha!


Very impressed Mac user   September 21, 2003
10 out of 10 found this review helpful

My network at home is primarily made up of Macs connected to an Apple Airport Extreme Base Station. But when it came time to get my Dell laptop connected wirelessly I read a few reviews here and then picked up the Netgear WG511. Within minutes, I had the software installed and the WG511 PC card reading my Airport network. Just remember that the AirPort's built-in security system, called WEP, works in a different way under the Mac OS and other systems. On a Mac you just enter the password that you set up the for the network, but on a PC in order to set up a Network security you need to use the hexadecimal password for the Airport. To find out what your hex password is run the AirPort Admin Utility and click the Password icon at the top of the configuration window.