need wireless card: netgear, belkin or linksys

[rhdb52]

hey everyone,

im going to be setting up a wireless network at my house, and need to decide on a wireless card. i havent gotten the router yet, but need some opinions on pricing/cards.

ive been looking at some ads in paper and found out i can get (probably goin with the "g" or "super g", and also PCI over USB):

linksys wireless super-g card: 49.99 AR
belkin super g wireless card: 29.99 AR
belkin g wireless card: 19.99 AR
netgear super g wireless card: 39.99 AR

now im pretty sure (correct me if im wrong), that the linksys cards and routers are known for the quality and being the best, but is it worth the extra money to ($20+) to get it, or would the belkin g be fine? also, im probbaly only getting a 802.11g router (also need help deciding if i should go belkin g for $30, or linkysys for $60)

thanks for the help

[mbossman2]

it is always best to match the card with the access point (manufacturer-wise). The best performance and support is done that way.

IE
Linksys card to Linksys AP/wireless router
Netgear card to Netgear AP/wireless router

[HellFish]

Make sure you check out www.newegg.com. They usually give sweet rebates on networking stuff.

I have a network in my house with all Netgear products. I havent had any problems and would higly recommend them.

[glc]

1. PCI is preferable to USB in my opinion. Installation is more involved with PCI but it's generally a more reliable connection (and you can add a high gain antenna if needed), and unless you have USB 2.0, you will not get full "G" speeds, USB 1.1 tops out at around 12 mbps.

2. Concur with brand matching, it's less hassles in the long run.

3. Linksys "G" is very good (stay away from their current "B" stuff, it has some nasty issues), as is D-Link, which I am currently selling the most. I won't touch Belkin with a 10 foot pole and I never cared for Netgear although a lot of people swear by it. Another brand to look at is SMC.