Home > Consumer Reviews > Belkin ME1001-USB Wireless USB 2.0 Adapter 802.11g

Easy to install and easy to use. Makes life a lot simpler by not having another cord for my desktop.

I've spent years dealing with a half-working wireless card, and when that finally died I was seeking a low-cost, high-functionality alternative. This is it. I just plugged this into my USB socket, inserted the CD for the software and *bam* instant hi-speed connectivity with a high signal and broad pick-up range, without random disconnects.

I bought this product for my desktop, which sits in a different room than my wireless router.

Pros:

1. easy to use. The software installation is quick and easy.
2. real plug and play

Cons:

1. little bit bulky. Can plug in USB port, but squeezy if neighboring port is used.
2. week signal reception, and frequent network drop because of this. When I put my laptop side-by-side with the desktop, the signal reception of the laptop is excellent, while that of the adapter is very week.
3. will not work on USB ports that are not directly wired to system. E.g. when plugged into USB ports on a keyboard, which is connected to desktop through USB, it complains not enough power.

Even though the bulk design and USB port issue are overcome-able, I would recommend buying an adapter with better signal reception.

The Windows on my my five year old HP Pavillion crashed. I had already purchased a newer laptop and the older one was used by the kids and, despite constant care and feeding, the older laptop gave up the ghost. After recovery efforts failed, I wiped the system and loaded Linux Ubuntu and realized the wireless card was not functioning. I did a little research and purchased the cheapest USB Wireless Adapter I could find. The factory instructions warned not to insert the device until after the start up disc was installed. Since I was not using Gate's Burdens (i.e. Windows), I just plug it in and the system immediately recognized the device, and after punching in the key code, I was up and running. The scary thing is that now my old, supposedly slower laptop, is now out performing my relatively new laptop in websurfing. I have not had issues with the Belkin device, it seems to work without a single glitz. I guess the difference in performance is in the operating system. Just remember you can load most flavors of Linux in a dual partition on your computer and give it a try. I do not belive you will be dissapointed.

This Wireless USB can't even reach 75 feet from one Gateway XP with 512gb to another. Both computers are in excellent condition and up to date, using a Linksys wireless router. The fastest connection speed? 18kbps. Zoom zoom zoom.

Do NOT waste your money on this. Get a brand name instead. I regret making this purchase and have learned a hard lesson.