Cisco-Linksys WUSB54GC Compact Wireless-G USB Adapter

I am a Windows 7 64-bit user and there are only a few choices to choose from if you want to go wireless because of compatibility issues. This wireless usb device is one of the compatible ones but definitely not the best choice because of its limited range (which I am aware of). But how limited is limited? I live in a very small apartment, my living room is probably around 250 sq.ft and my wireless router is stationed within it. My PC is located about 13 feet from the router and they can clearly see each other. When I first used this device, I plugged it into one of the usb ports at the back of the pc. Excited, I powered the pc on to check my connectivity, the connection was flawless except for one thing, my internet became so damn slow. I have an 8Mbps service and it's only registering 512Kbps. So I said to myself it couldn't be the wireless usb's fault because it is practically next to the router. What I did next was move the wireless usb to the front usb port. Lo and behold, my internet connection went back to normal.So there you go, this device has short range issues and demands wide-open space. No biggie if you live in a small apartment like me.

The image displayed above is not what they send you. That model in the photo is actually the WUSB54GSC with SpeedBoost model. What you DO get is the WUSB54GC, as indicated, which is a black usb model. You can confirm this on the linksys website, as there are two versions of this.I was a bit let down by how I was deceived, however the product works great. For Windows 7 users, you have to manually download drivers from the linksys website, as the drivers on the cd it comes with do not work for the Windows 7 operating system. Somewhat of a hassle, but after successfully installing the drivers, it becomes plug and play thereafter anytime you use it.Signal strength is great; I'm using it right now and have no problems. All in all a great product for the price, but I wish they'd change that image to the correct one, as to not deceive future customers.

I would lower this review to two stars if I could. I am not sure whether I need our Fast User Switching -- I spent so much time trying to get the adaptor to work with our router's wireless security, that I didn't notice that the welcome screen was gone. But also, if you go to Linksys' site, it gives you instructions for installing the drivers which are totally different from the included instructions (which you can also download). One says to install the software first, the other says to plug the adaptor in first. It shouldn't remove functionality without warning, just to install a USB driver. I think the wireless bridge is safer, because it connects with an ethernet cable and doesn't install anything.I bought two of these for my kids' computers because I didn't want to deal with the WET54G. The WET54G is a wireless bridge which would need to sit on top of each computer, each one would need to be plugged in, and it would consume power. The USB adaptor plugs in or hangs from a supplied USB cord (make sure you get the one with a cord).You are instructed to insert the CD and install the software prior to plugging the device in the USB port. Then it connects to your router's wireless. The problem is that the software is not capable of dealing with the router's security, so you don't get assigned an address -- and it doesn't work when you assign yourself one. I have a WRT54G and I am only using WEP 64-bit, so it shouldn't be this hard.After fooling around with this for two days, I realized that the router has a button you can press to easily set up the security. This worked, but the software got stuck at "scanning 50%". When I closed the software, I was back where I started. Fortunately, the software's tray icon allows you to use Windows wireless zero (the built in wireless). It immediately asked me to choose a network and input the key. THAT WAS IT. THE STUPID LINKSYS SOFTWARE could not handle something that simple.The USB adapter is fine -- install the drivers and switch to Windows and you will be fine (SO FAR - one post complained about bad memory leaks). Oh, and when the software tray icon disappears and you can't find it anywhere in All Programs, just look in C:\Program Files and double-click on the executable. Sheesh, these guys should stick to hardware.

As you might expect from the shape, you have to watch out and make sure you don't knock it out of your USB port, because obviously, it sticks out. However, this thing works great! I'm connected within a couple of seconds after I plug it in. Speed and range are good. I'm using it with Windows 8, but I did have to install the driver manually. And get this - I left it in my shirt pocket when I did laundry... it's just fine.It only went through the washer. I don't know if it would have survived the dryer. But after it came out of the washer, I soaked it for one minute in distilled water, and then rinsed twice with distilled water (that's a trick I learned that sometimes rescues water damaged electronics). It still works great. It's a very nice little adapter.EDIT: A few days after I wrote this review, My laptop was knocked over and landed right on the adapter. The outer casing came off, and the inner card was exposed, the USB connection was bent sideways - pretty much what I expected. What I didn't expect was that I could just bend the USB connection back, snap the casing back on, plug it in, and go back to amazon.com to update this review. AWESOME.EDIT 2: OK, eventually, I knocked and bent it again, and then later, my son basically stepped on it and bent it to the point of breaking some of the connections. And yes, eventually, you definitely can break this thing - rather permanently. It should be treated with care... So I bought another one. I've kept it a little better protected.

Brand new item as described, in perfect condition!! Shipping was average.Thanks!