Belkin Wireless G Plus MIMO Notebook Card

Belkin's new Wireless G Plus MIMO Notebook Card adapter proves that newer is not necessarily better. In our tests, it offered slower maximum and mixed-mode throughput than its older counterpart, the Belkin Pre-N PC Card; it also achieved less than half of the Pre-N PC Card's speed at long range. The G Plus MIMO line (including a companion router) is part of Belkin's push to span the divide between plain-vanilla 802.11g devices and the first generation of (expensive) MIMO devices, both in terms of performance and price. The Wireless G Plus MIMO Card's performance almost overshadows its other enticing elements, which include simple setup, a comprehensive configuration utility, WPA and VPN support, and an unlimited warranty. Our advice: stick with the slightly more expensive Pre-N PC Card (and companion Pre-N router), which provides all these benefits plus better overall performance.

From a design standpoint, the Wireless G Plus MIMO Card resembles many Wi-Fi PC Card adapters. Three-quarters of the card disappears inside your laptop's PCMCIA slot. The remaining quarter, which houses the wireless antenna, protrudes about an inch outside the slot. The protruding bit features two very small, green status lights; one blinks on and off when the card is searching for available wireless networks, while the other lights up when you've connected to one of those networks.

The Wireless G Plus MIMO Card installs as easily as most wireless PC Card adapters. It ships with well-organized hard-copy installation and user guides that feature lots of helpful screen shots and explanations of wireless topics. The installation guide prompts you to pop the included CD into your laptop's drive and click the Install Software option in the onscreen menu. The CD takes over from there, loading the requisite drivers and the configuration utility. A more full-featured take on Windows XP's Zero Config tool, the utility displays pertinent information about the wireless networks in the area, such as SSID, MAC address, security type (if any), channel, signal strength, and MIMO support. You can also use the tool to configure and store profiles for the wireless networks you use most, inputting associated WEP or WPA keys where applicable. Lastly, the card won't conflict with any VPN programs running on your portable. Hide Review