WFC-12 Problems

tdangle · 02-27-03, 11:40 AM

I bought this card a month and a half ago and have had no problems till last night. Most of the time when you plug the card in it is seen as a unrecongized device. If you twist it slightly or reinsert it it may start to work, but then shortly loses communication with the PPC.

I had orginally bought a Netgear which didn't work at all. CF cards out of my camera seem to work just fine in the PPC.

Any ideas?

trossi · 02-27-03, 01:31 PM

Know this one well!!!

Send the WCF12 back to Linksys for replacement....

I had the same issues and here is my take on the matter:

Basically, the WCF12 was incorrectly molded in a batch linksys had made. It was molded too wide. When you insert the card into the axim, it slowly exerts sideways force to the circuit board inside and eventually breaks the connection to the antenna and other circuitry.

Anyway, sent mine back and the one they sent me as a replacement fits MUCH better. Haven't had an issue for months now. The old card did exactly what you described, showed up as unrecognized card. Plus if I twisted it , it would sometimes work...

Call up Linksys and request an RMA right away...

Tony

tdangle · 02-27-03, 01:56 PM

Thanks,
I will contact them tonight, and get a replacement. I know what you mean, it was very tight fitting at first but seemed to get looser as time went on.

skyhawk21 · 03-05-03, 11:49 PM

HELP got a wfc12 card for my brand new axim arriving tomorow and i want to know if it is one of the ones out of the bad batch? is there a way to verify this please let me know, also what was the serial of these bad cards?

tdangle · 03-06-03, 12:06 AM

Ended up not being able to get a RMA and replacement, because my proof of purchase went bye-bye. Didn't make any difference that I had got a rebate from Linksys! I have to send a copy of my proof of purchase with the defective unit. anyway SN is MCE102801031. I went back to Best Buy to purchase another and they don't carry the card anymore. They had a couple of other brands, Dlink and a couple I have never heard of. About 1/2 of the cards they had on the rack were open packages (returned). Didn't look good.

I deceided to order a Dell card. It was cheaper than anything Best Buy had. I figured if I had a problem it is a Dell card in a Dell computer.

skyhawk21 · 03-06-03, 12:14 AM

tdangle: When did you purchase your wcf12 card? and from where? My serial # is : MCE102B05311 A way higher number than your serial number. Do you think that the problem is fixed by now?

Harley · 03-06-03, 08:09 AM

Skyhawk - My SN is: MCE102B04041 and have no problems at all - the fit is not tight and it has been very reliable.

skyhawk21 · 03-06-03, 10:54 AM

thanks harley! how is the signal quality on the wcf12 with the axim? is it a good combo to war drive with?

BxBoy · 03-06-03, 09:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by skyhawk21
thanks harley! how is the signal quality on the wcf12 with the axim? is it a good combo to war drive with?

for me i've never had any problems with my wcf12, the signal link was good (either with power save mode on or off). As for war driving, it's pretty good also, it was able to pickup signals in nearby areas.

03-07-03, 06:46 PM

Good info on experiences with the WCF12. Mine is
#MCE102B07114 and it's working perfectly, so the problem must be before 4400 I'd guess.

I only use the WiFi around my home wireless network. Silly quesion, but what is war driving? Is is golfing with George W.?

I don't want to miss anything, since I'm WiFi enabled already.

Thanks,
Larry

jda5id · 03-07-03, 07:27 PM

Wardriving is the "hobby" of driving (or walking) around with a WiFi network card trying to sniff out unsecured WiFi networks. Of course, this is more useful in a city environment like NYC or San Francisco where there may be dozens of APs within a short distance, but even on my little vanilla surburban street I found three different WiFi networks (none open) just walking down to my mailbox.

People are amassing lists of these open WiFi networks so they can find "free" places to get online. Of course, there are plenty of people that say this is a form of hacking and theft of service, but that is up to you to decide.

I find the whole WiFi movement to be amazing, especially the notion of stitching together a mesh of low-cost/free network service that avoids the machinations of the cable companies and telcos. Very exciting stuff...

03-07-03, 07:57 PM

Thanks, jda5id, that makes sense. I know Starbucks is in the T-Mobile network, so that doesn't help me very much, but there are lists of Cafe's and Hotels that have different services. One is called "Public" and I wonder if it really is Public. I'll have to give it a shot and see.

Thanks again,
Larry

Rustle · 03-08-03, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jda5id
Of course, there are plenty of people that say this is a form of hacking and theft of service, but that is up to you to decide.

jda5id, I agree with everything you say about wireless being cool stuff, except for the quote above. The argument I've heard most often is that someone who doesn't bother to secure their network is asking to be hacked. I agree with the silliness of not securing properly--people should know to protect themselves. But it's not reasonable to say that it's an individual decision on whether or not this is okay. If a bank leaves their vault open, is it okay for me to walk in and take the money? I don't think so.

Since I don't have a bandwidth limit, I wouldn't care if someone used my wireless router to access the Internet. However, I once got a freakishly large bill for Internet services, because someone stole my password (I still don't know how) and used my dial-up account for hours on end. That's a pretty similar situation to war driving, and it's theft. I'd also be upset if someone was scanning the files on my PC. That's an invasion of privacy.

Theres' a simple acid test: if you're inclined to hide the fact that you're connecting to someone's network from that person, are you acting ethically? Alternatively, would you want someone hooking into your network and hiding it from you?

Russ

tdangle · 03-09-03, 01:02 AM

Skyhawk21: I purchased my card at Best Buy Dec 27, 02. I hope you have good luck with yours!

I would have no problem buying another Linksys card, but deceided to purchase the Dell unit only because this time I won't have to keep track of a receipt and both the PDA and CF card are made (or at least labeled such) by the same manufacturer, so if I have any future problems they don't have to much ground to not take care of any problems.

I agree about war driving being a form of theft. Even if it is not specifically against any laws, unless you have been invited to use the network bandwidth it is theft. I use both encryption and mac address control, so hopefully mine is fairly secure.

Blazen · 03-22-03, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tdangle
Ended up not being able to get a RMA and replacement, because my proof of purchase went bye-bye. Didn't make any difference that I had got a rebate from Linksys! I have to send a copy of my proof of purchase with the defective unit. anyway SN is MCE102801031. I went back to Best Buy to purchase another and they don't carry the card anymore. They had a couple of other brands, Dlink and a couple I have never heard of. About 1/2 of the cards they had on the rack were open packages (returned). Didn't look good.

I deceided to order a Dell card. It was cheaper than anything Best Buy had. I figured if I had a problem it is a Dell card in a Dell computer.

They cannot require a proof of purchase, as they haven't manufactured the card for more than a year! You can argue this and should.

The warranty is for a full year, the manufacturing date has been less than a year. - IE, it's warrantable.