Home > Consumer Reviews > Linksys WUSB11 Wireless-B USB Network Adapter v4

Make sure you are purchasing the 2.6 or 2.8 version, 3.0 and 4.0 will not work with TIVO units. Amazon does not clearly list the different versions.

Alright people, I'm not affiliated with Linksys, there are kids out there that have more answers than the Linksys technical support. But I did get this WUSB11 to work with XP automatically, even with my access point's SSID being disabled. So whoever is saying that it doesn't work with XP... at least try this out. It works, I've done it, I'm running WinXP, the WUSB11 sees and connects to my non-SSID-broadcasing access point automatically at every cold boot and restart. Who knows, maybe this will make you XP users wanna buy this product. (It does have better range than the Netgear MA101.)

First of all, install the WUSB11 like linksys says. Make sure your WUSB11 works first. Turn on your AP's SSID broadcasting, turn off WEP, just to see if everything is working fine. Return the POS if its DOA. If it does work, turn your AP's security back on, obviously.

I'm sure you know about WinXP's Wireless Zero Configuration service/utility, and how its the heart of the WUSB11's compatibility problem. Quite simply, if your AP is not broadcasting an SSID, WinXP will have a fitz about not seeing you non-SSID-broadcasting AP, unless you refresh a couple of times. Refreshing is a pain in the neck, and isn't inherently obvious to someone like your non-techie parents.

So why not disable WZC? Click Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services > Wireless Zero Configuration, then change the Startup type to "disabled". Restart the computer.

"BLAH BLAH BLAH, I've done that, it doesn't work, you're a nut, BLAH BLAH BLAH." Now take the standpoint of installing this thing from a Windows 2000 perspective. "Hmm... I guess I have to somehow install the linksys utility that is included in the setup CD that came with my WUSB11, that usually lets Windows 2000 users connect to an AP. But it doesn't work! I click on it, and the CD doesn't even autorun! What's the deal?"

This is what I did. Pop the WUSB11 CD into your CD drive, and explore it. For some reason, the setup.exe in the root folder of the CD won't run under XP, probably to avoid incompatibilities. Right click on the CD-ROM drive icon, and click "explore". Then navigate to the "Utilities" folder, and double-click on Setup.exe. This will install the Linksys Instant Wireless LAN Monitor. It will not alert you when the install is complete, but you should see it in your program files list when it is done.

Next, copy all the files except setup.exe from the D:\Utilies folder, into your C:\Program Files\WUSB11 WLAN Monitor folder. Copy the WLAN.in file from the CD's root folder into your C:\Program Files\WUSB11 WLAN Monitor folder. The Setup.exe didn't install everything you needed, so you have to put these files in manually, hence the copy and paste.

Next, set a shorcut of the Instant Wireless LAN monitor to your Startup folder in program files, so that the Instant Wireless LAN monitor starts up automatically when you boot up.

Restart for good measure.

When your computer boots up again, open the Instant Wireless LAN monitor, and you should be able to access a tab labeled "Profiles". That was the whole point of this mess. That profiles tab allows you to configure which SSID to connect to, WEP settings, etc. Enter all your AP's settings. Reboot for good measure?

Your WinXP machine should now use the Instant Wireless LAN monitor to automatically connect to your WAP at every boot.

If I missed something and it didn't, hopefully you get the jist of what I'm trying to do. Disable XP's WZC service, and use a 3rd party utility to connect to your WAP. In my case, I used the included Linksys utility, and it worked with some minor tweeking.

All in all, when I got everything working, the WUSB11 works fine. You will most likely lose throughput due to WEP constraints, thats just the nature of wireless. This wireless USB adapter is cheap compared to Orinoco's card ($100+), and performs better than Netgear's MA101. You just gotta know how to configure it.

Don't buy this if your are a TiVo Series 2 owner. Older versions of this adapter worked with TiVo but not the version 4.0 which you'll get from Amazon. You'll now be forced to order the WUSB12 which is $20 more expensive.

I purchased this to work with the BEFW11S4 Wireless Access Point & Cable/DSL Router w/4 Port Switch. It was very easy to install. Simply plug in this usb device, install the included software, type in the necessary info in the config window, and you're set! I gave it only 4 stars instead of 5 because I was not able to get the full 11mbps speed. I got at the most 3.5mpbs speed, and that's when I was only directly upstairs, approximately 20 feet away. Actually I'm not sure if the result was because of this, or the access point. But it does advertise 11mbps at 100ft indoors. I don't transfer files back and forth much between my desktop and server, so it's not too big of a deal. A plus is that there is no latency when I'm on the wireless network.

I ordered the WUSB11 to connect a TIVO system to my internet. I was sent version 4 of the WUSB11, which isn't compatible with any TIVO service number. How about telling us what version of these products you're selling?