The 1.3 by 3.0 inch Novatel Wireless V640, the first Express Card for the Verizon Wireless Broadband Access EV-DO network, performs on a par with much larger (2.1- by 3.4-inch) PC Card versions like the Editors’ Choice Kyocera KPC650. More important for many, it works in ExpressCard/34 slots such as those in new Apple, ASUS, Dell, HP, and Lenovo laptops. The card uses the same VZAccess Manager software as Verizon’s other EV-DO cards.

In an ASUS laptop, the V640 more than held its own against the KPC650 (installed in a Toshiba Qosmio) when the signal was moderate to strong. But for areas with a weak signal, you may want to pick up an external antenna. I was also easily able to install the V640 in a MacBook Pro after loading the drivers.

As the first EV-DO PC ExpressCard for laptops, the V640 represents a greatly needed upgrade option. Novatel Wireless is working to get the card out on Sprint. Dell sells an identical card, at the same price, for its laptops. But those who don’t own Dells can get online fast with the V640.

Based on Atheros Communications’s Xspan draft 802.11n technology, Belkin’s N1 Wireless Router and N1 Wireless Notebook Card are easily the most attractive of the gear. At the front of the glossy, black N1 Wireless Router is a series of glowing blue LED indicators that provide a clear and understandable view of the router’s connection status. The display indicates when wired and wireless clients are present, if wireless security is enabled, and whether the router can communicate with the Internet.

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Wireless Internet connection is a must have for most users these days. There are many Wi-Fi hotspots around town and most homes would have installed wireless routers. But Wi-Fi, as we now know it, does have limitations, notably a relatively short distance and speed ceilings. A new standard, 802.11n, which promises greater range and higher speed, is emerging. However, there is as yet no agreement on specifications for a common standard.

Linksys, a division of Cisco Systems, has come up with two products, a Wi-Fi router and a PC card, based on 802.11n draft specifications. The WRT300N Wireless-N Broadband router and the WPC300N Wireless-N Notebook Adapter promise up to 12 times the throughput of Wireless-G and 4 times the range. Testing of this combo on a PC laptop confirms that surfing speeds are descernibly faster.

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Belkin’s contribution to the wireless router world is larger than most. It’s a chunky, silverblack plastic brick. The device is still a better choice for wall mounting than the 3Com OfficeConnect: cables plug into the bottom of the unit and an angled display face means that the LEDs are still visible from a distance. There are two antenna, which swivel around in all directions to help you receive the best possible signal, but they’re not detachable. This means that you can’t easily replace them if you’d like something better.

Belkin has followed the 3Com installation plan, limiting your printed documentation to a single quick installation sheet. Yet as before, if you’re a newcomer to networking then you’re going to need a little more help or maybe a lot. Fortunately, there’s a 94-page PDF manual provided on the CD with more in-depth advice, although beginners may still need help from their ISP to set up the ADSL connection properly.

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Pair a NetGear RangeMax 240 Wireless router with its WPNT511 Card-Bus PC Card client and you’re in for quite a shock. The pair breaks wired networking’s lock on 100-Mbps transfers. On the tests, at distances up to 120 feet the two even beat the stunningly fast Linksys SRX 400 and its laptop adapter. The router/PC Card combination hits more than 103 Mbps at 10 feet, exceeding the throughput of wired Fast Ethernet. In fact, data transfer is a remarkable 95.3 Mbps at 60 feet—still on a par with Fast Ethernet.

Even at 160 feet, throughput is 22.4 Mbps significantly faster than with any wireless technology. Netgear didn’t sacrifice ease of use or features for speed, though. The bundled software and the router’s Web-based configuration interface are both intuitive. And the hardware packs in all the features you would expect; port forwarding and triggering, VPN pass-through, dynamic DNS, service blocking, UPnP, and many more.

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The NetGear WG111US 54 Mbps Wireless USB 2.0 Adapter featured a more flexible design that worked well for both desktops and
notebooks.

Also, WG111 supports 802.11g, making it backward-compatible with 802.11b. It measures just 0.6 x 3.72 x 1.19 inches, weighs just 1.13 ounces, and almost looks like a USB flash drive. The WG111 can plug directly into a USB port, so it’s much more convenient than the Linksys WUSB54G to use with any notebook.

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The Linksys WUSB54G Wireless-G USB Adapter is a compact 802.11g USB adapter measuring just 0.91 inches high x 3.58 inches wide x 2.8 inches deep , and it weighs just 2.82 ounces. 802.11g can, theoretically at least, reach speeds of 54Mbps (megabits per second), and it’s backward-compatible with older and slower 802.11b (which has a top speed of 11Mbps).
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