D-Link DWL-650 Wireless Cardbus Adapter, 802.11b, 11Mbps | 
| Brand: D-Link
List Price: $49.99
Buy New: $22.95
You Save: $27.04 (54%)
New (1) Used (5) Refurbished (1) from $22.95
Rating:  150 reviews
Sales Rank: 14025
Platforms: Windows Nt, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows Nt 3.5, Windows Nt 4, Windows Nt 5, Windows Me, Windows Xp, Windows 2000 Server, Windows
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Network Interface: PC Card
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2
Dimensions (in): 4.8 x 0.8 x 6.8
MPN: DWL-650
Model: DWL-650
UPC: 790069228407
EAN: 0790069228407
ASIN: B000051SHL
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: Shipped in 24 hrs from Dallas, TX
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| Features:
| • | Data transfer rates up to 11 Mbps | | • | Fully compatible with 802.11b products | | • | Plug and Play | | • | 128-bit WEP data encryption for a secure wireless network | | • | 3-year limited warranty |
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Product Description
The D-Link DWL-650 is an IEEE 802.11b compliant PC Card Type-II 11Mbps wireless LAN adapter. The DWL-650 will operate in 2.4 GHz Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) for wireless networks in the home or office environment. It is designed to operate in 3.3V or 5.0V DC slots. In addition, the DWL-650 uses a 64/128-bit WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) Encryption for a secure network connection. The D-Link DWL-650 can operate in either Ad-Hoc mode (Peer-to-Peer networking without access point) or Infrastructure mode (Peer-to-Peer networking using an access point). In Infrastructure mode, the DWL-650 can be connected to a broadband residential gateway or a DSL/Cable modem for high-speed wireless Internet access on the existing network. The DWL-650 can transmit data at 11, 5.5, 2 or 1 Mbps per channel. The DWL-650 transmit rate values can be manually selected for Auto Select 1 or 2 Mbps, Fixed 1 Mbps, Fixed 11 Mbps, Fixed 2 Mbps, Fixed 5.5 Mbps and Fully Auto. The DWL-650 has full mobility and seamless roaming from cell to cell as well as across access points.
Amazon.com Product Description
A notebook computer is all about portability, so why should your network cable keep you tethered to one place? The D-Link DWL-650 PC card Type-II 11 Mbps 802.11b wireless LAN adapter, known as the D-Link Air for short, gives you back your mobility, letting you connect to your home or office wireless network from whichever desk (or couch) you happen to be at. Plus, as wireless networks continue spreading to hotels, airports, and even coffee shops, it will help you keep connected no matter how far you travel.The DWL-650 installed easily, as a PCMCIA card should. We just ran the setup program from the included CD and plugged the card into an empty Type-II slot on our notebook PC. Windows XP immediately recognized the card and installed the drivers. Then, using the D-Link configuration utility, we configured it for our specific LAN. Once connected to the LAN, the little green LED on the end of the card stopped blinking, telling us we were good to go. The printed manual and online help gave helpful guidance on getting the card installed and connecting to our network. As we tested our wireless setup, we reveled in the freedom the D-Link Air gave us. Using it in a two-story house, we were able to go from room to room, never losing our Internet connection. We even could go outside on the patio and browse the Web from a chaise lounge. Of course, the card worked equally well in an office environment, letting us take our notebook from the conference room to the lunchroom without losing our network connection. In general, we found that the construction of the walls between the wireless card and the access point had as much to do with reception quality as did distance. So, for instance, if you're separated from the access point by several thick walls, reception will be much poorer than if a glass partition is all that separates you. The manufacturer suggests a range of up to 328 feet indoors and up to 984 feet outdoors, and we found that to be a decent approximation of the maximum range you can expect. The D-Link control utility has a graphical status bar that shows the wireless signal strength, so it's easy to know when you've wandered too far. At 11 Mbps, the speed's plenty fast for most uses, like browsing the Web, accessing a file server, updating a database, etc. You can also configure it to transmit at slower speeds, depending on your network environment. The card supports both 64-bit and 128-bit WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) encryption, a vital feature that keeps your communications secret. The D-Link Air will keep you well-connected whether at work, at home, or through a public WiFi (wireless fidelity) network at places like an airport or coffee shop. Since it's a PCMCIA card, it's easy to swap in and out if you need to use a wired connection in some places and wireless in others. Bottom line, if you have a notebook PC and have access to wireless capabilities, you'll love the freedom of movement this little card delivers. --Ken Feinstein Pros: - Easy installation
- Uses IEEE 802.11b standard for broad compatibility with wireless networks
- Supports 64-bit and 128-bit encryption
- Good range
Cons:- Not as fast as a 100 Mbps Fast Ethernet wired connection
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| Customer Reviews: Read 145 more reviews...
 Not Suitable for the Road Warrior June 26, 2002
28 out of 30 found this review helpful
If all you want to do is use your laptop on the front porch, or in an unwired office at work, this adapter may be fine. But if you were lured into wireless by the promise of high speed internet access in airports, hotels, coffee shops and such, it is virtually worthless. To connect to a network, the DWL-650 must be specifically configured to have the same SSID (identifying name) as the network. That is fine if you only connect to one network and you know its SSID. It is a nuisance if you want to connect to several networks and have to reconfigure each time. It is fatal, however, if you want to connect to a strange network and do not know the SSID. Networks that are intended to be open to the public use "broadcast SSID" to send the network ID over the airwaves. Adapters that can receive broadcast SSID can then automatically configure themselves to log on. The DWL-650 cannot do that, and there are plenty of other comparably priced adapters that can.
 bad range January 17, 2001
20 out of 28 found this review helpful
I recently bought two dlink cards; the pc card version and the pci version to create a point-point wireless LAN. I was very disappointed with the short range; much below the advertised 50-100m. I had a lot of trouble getting the PCI card to work in my PC. Eventually I had to use a different motherboard since win2000 would freeze right after bootup if the PCI card was installed. Even when I got everything up and running I found that the range inside the house was very bad. I was getting absolutely no connectivity at 100 feet (33m) through walls. The advertised range is upto 100m (330 feet) indoors.I ended up returning both cards. Wasted time and effort... do not recommend a purchase unless all you want is connectivity within a 70 foot area.
 I'm truly impressed! January 24, 2001
13 out of 14 found this review helpful
I admit, I'm an engineer by heart, a web/app developer by trade, and a network hobbist (no MCSE's in my plans). However, I do own a small business. I develop web/app solutions for my customers. So when one of them wanted to install their LAN using wireless, I was a bit skeptical. I was leaning toward CAT-5, but he insisted on wireless because he thouht it would be cool. HE WAS RIGHT! He has a small office with only a few workstations, but plans are for more users with laptops. The range is suprising good and installation was a snap. Using Win2k Server and Win98 Clients. Now that the price has dropped, I'm thinking about re(un)wiring my office!!!
 Performs as Stated and Easy to Install March 20, 2001
13 out of 13 found this review helpful
This PCMCIA card was very easy to install and I was able to configure it in about 5-10 minutes. It Performs just as well as it is supposed to and I am happy to have found that it is truely 802.11b compliant.A friend of mine has a wireless network at his home also and with a little settings change and a reboot I was able to connect to his computers. Recommended to anyone who has a laptop and access to a Wireless network, or will soon have access to a wireless netowrk.
No Good for windows XP December 17, 2001
Rob (New Jersey)
13 out of 16 found this review helpful
Certainly not my best purchase, recently.
The linksys was out of stock, so I bought the D-link.
I've nothing bad to say about the company in general, but buying this card for windows XP was a mistake.**Some** reference to XP should've been made in the packaging, and a more obvious link to the drivers should be made on their web site. I'm using the card now, but it took a bit of investigative work to find the new driver and install it correctly AND Win XP is now giving me an occasional error when it restarts. Also, complains when I try to return to a hardwire connection (even though I reboot in between).
Perhaps there's a reason why they've (D-link) not yet received the Microsoft XP seal of approval.
I'm sure there are better cards to be found.
Our home has 8 computers, a few of which we built from components; we're serious computer users, yet I just spent a half a day getting this new card to play nicely with XP, and I'm not sure I've succeeded.
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