A few days ago I bought a new router and a PCI card for my desktop computer just to avoid wiring from hell.
The router is a Linksys WRT54GL and it works great!
The PCI-card on the other hand (ZyXEL G-302) works like shirt!
Problem 1: I can't even connect when I use Zyxel's own drivers, (G-302 v3_6.00). But the chip on the card is apparently a Realtek 8185 and that's the driver Win7 64bit uses as default, so i downloaded the latest from Realteks site. The card installs fine using these drivers, however....
Problem 2: The signal strength is quite useless, and strangely enough it never goes beyond 11mbit (windows own speed rating). To compare i have a HP laptop with an Intel 3945ABG, which is standing about 1meter from the desktop computer and it works great, which somewhat excludes interference and long distances.
I also tried placing the router approximately 5m from the desktop comp with a clear view and it varied between 5.5 and 11mbit. Where is stands now, I get no signal at all, even though the laptop is working perfectly.
What is the deal with the Zyxel drivers, shouldn't they be preffered over Realteks?
Could be that they do not have full support for Win7. But since the card installs fine when I run the Realtek drivers and still works like shirt I'm starting to believe that the card is simply broken or just plain worthless.
Problem 3: What card should i buy?
The more I read the more confused I get! It seems to be really difficult to find a good wireless PCI card.
My criteria are:
- Prefferably a PCI card since i've read that USB versions tend to get overswamped when you use a lot of connections.
- D-Link and Zyxel aren't a choice because of the amount of problems i've had with both brands.
- Must be able to use WPA2 and that rules out Linksys WMP54GS :/
Intel 4965ABG looks like a great card but it's only avaliable in mini-pci. Are there any downsides using a mini-pci to pci adapter?
A lot of questions and I'm sorry if I posted in the wrong section, i just wanted you guys to have the full story!
The router is a Linksys WRT54GL and it works great!
The PCI-card on the other hand (ZyXEL G-302) works like shirt!
Problem 1: I can't even connect when I use Zyxel's own drivers, (G-302 v3_6.00). But the chip on the card is apparently a Realtek 8185 and that's the driver Win7 64bit uses as default, so i downloaded the latest from Realteks site. The card installs fine using these drivers, however....
Problem 2: The signal strength is quite useless, and strangely enough it never goes beyond 11mbit (windows own speed rating). To compare i have a HP laptop with an Intel 3945ABG, which is standing about 1meter from the desktop computer and it works great, which somewhat excludes interference and long distances.
I also tried placing the router approximately 5m from the desktop comp with a clear view and it varied between 5.5 and 11mbit. Where is stands now, I get no signal at all, even though the laptop is working perfectly.
What is the deal with the Zyxel drivers, shouldn't they be preffered over Realteks?
Could be that they do not have full support for Win7. But since the card installs fine when I run the Realtek drivers and still works like shirt I'm starting to believe that the card is simply broken or just plain worthless.
Problem 3: What card should i buy?
The more I read the more confused I get! It seems to be really difficult to find a good wireless PCI card.
My criteria are:
- Prefferably a PCI card since i've read that USB versions tend to get overswamped when you use a lot of connections.
- D-Link and Zyxel aren't a choice because of the amount of problems i've had with both brands.
- Must be able to use WPA2 and that rules out Linksys WMP54GS :/
Intel 4965ABG looks like a great card but it's only avaliable in mini-pci. Are there any downsides using a mini-pci to pci adapter?
A lot of questions and I'm sorry if I posted in the wrong section, i just wanted you guys to have the full story!
