Seeking recommendations for best PCMCIA WiFi Card

[stduc]

A friend has asked me to recommend the "best" PCMCIA WiFi card he can buy to use with a laptop running XP Pro SP2.

His spec is:-

Connect to any permitted network. 802.11a b g e - whatever on 2.4 or 5GHz. Must handle WEP and WPA (all flavours)

He wants to be able to connect to hotspots in cafe's airports etc, at home and the office and at customer sites (he's a salesman)

My spec is

Must have an easy user interface that tells him in "english" what is available and if a password is needed and if the network is encrypted and if so how - i.e. WEP or WPA.
Must be easy & quick to search for available networks. Must be easy to supply credentials & join.

This is because he is not particularly IT savvy. Also neither of us is WiFi savvy either.

I have done some research and am thinking this one looks good. But without getting it I have no knowledge of the software it comes with.

Dlink DWL-AG660 Tri band CardBus/PC Card 802.11a/b/g wireless adapter

Opinions.advice solicited with my thanks in advance.


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When I was single I looked for miss right. When I married her I discovered her first name was always.

 

[paparazi]

I've used both these brands but not this new improved standard (I understand they are very good)
Netgear and Belkin PCMCIA adapters are amongst the best and provide a pretty straight forward and easily understood interface.
These are their latest wireless n models which cover most connection options, they are obviously "backward compatible" with your requirements and then some.

http://www.netgear.com/Products/Ada...essAdapters/WN511B.aspx?detail=Specifications

http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=273544#

Martin

We like members to GIVE and not just TAKE.
Participate and help others.

 

[dglienna]

I like DLINK, but any brand name should allow WEP encryption, and most allow WPA. This is important if you have your own router, but is a nice option.

Also, XP has a good WIFI interface. It should be easy to connect to any hotspot in the area.

-David
2006 Microsoft Most Valueable Professional (MVP)
2006 Dell Certified System Professional (CSP)

 

[ArizonaGeek]

As long as you get a named brand (Linksys, Dlink, Netgear, Belkin etc) card and as long as it can do 802.11 B,G and N you should be ahead of the game and shouldn't have any problem. I think they are all user friendly, I mean they are put out to the mass public after all.

I don't know of anyone using N networks right now but in the next year or so you'll start to see more and more creep up. Good luck!

Cheers
Rob