Buy Now...
The maximum dimensions of this adapter
are 8x5x2.5cm and there is then a short fixed USB cable of 36cm that
can be plugged into any USB port.
The top has a single LED that lights
when a connection is made to a router. This means that your older
notebook can connect to the LAN and therefore also to the Internet. Of
course you may well have already gone the wireless network way using a
PCMCIA card and wireless router but this is an alternative.
There are also many PC's out there
where the warranty would be voided by opening the case and therefore if
it does not have a 10/100 card already then again the Belkin USB 10/100
Ethernet Adapter comes into it's own.
You attach the device into any USB port
and Windows asks for a driver this is supplied on a CD-ROM and then I
found a reboot was needed. Once restarted the connection is there and
you can either connect to the Internet immediately or should you have a
working network add this device as another port on the network.
For anyone new to networking there are
three main advantages, first more than one person can be connected to
the Internet via a single connection provided you have a router. Second
files and folders can be shared without having to carry a pen drive or
other portable storage device from one PC or notebook to another.
Finally and perhaps the most compelling you can share a printer between
PC's.
For anyone whose networking skills are
less than brilliant the 52 page A5 manual has a wealth of information
that could kill the odd myth or three. While everything it mentions is
basic it is well laid out and there are plenty of illustrations to
guide the novice user.
In fact it is possible to create an Ad
Hoc network by just connecting two PC's or notebooks and a crossover
cable (also mentioned in the manual) this could also have it's use here
as that older piece of kit gets an extra useful life.
One word of warning while I managed to
connect a recent notebook and a PC using a crossover cable I could not
connect an older notebook using the same crossover cable into the USB
10/100 Ethernet Adapter this demanded a patch cable to make it work.
Not sure why but as patch cables seem to be the same price as cross
over cables be sure you get what you need.
This is an alternative, in some of my
tests it was slightly less flexible but as stated if you can't or don't
want to open the PC case this works, if you have a notebook it is
cheaper than a PCMCIA card. The stated price at www.dabs.com/uk is £16.05 quite reasonable considering it's a product to solve a problem.
http://www.dabs.com/uk/Search2/Product+Details.htm?quicklinx=2V3F&searchphrase=belkin%20f5d5050uk
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