Reviews for Linksys EtherFast USB200M Compact Network Adapter

Linksys EtherFast USB200M Compact Network Adapter

Strengths: Small and elegant

Weakness: Connector strength

The Linksys Compact USB 2.0 10/100 Network Adapter is a functional adapter that is appealingly small and elegant in design. It performs adequately. The only downside might occur with regular plugging/unplugging - the flip out connector may lose its "snap".

100% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Linksys EtherFast USB200M Compact Network Adapter

Strengths: Compact and easy to use. Everything you need comes in the box.

Weakness: Seems like connection to network cable is fragile and would be easy to break.

I purchased this adapter for use with my TiVo unit that unfortunately doesn't have an Ethernet jack. Installation was a breeze. Included in the box is a 4-inch USB cable extender you can use to place the adapter away from whatever you use it on. I would recommend using this, since when the adapter is plugged directly into a computer, for example, it puts quite a bit of strain on the USB port due to 2 inches of hardware sticking out as well as the tension from the Ethernet cord.

100% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Linksys EtherFast USB200M Compact Network Adapter

Strengths: Extremely easy to use. Just plug it in and it's good to go. No pesky drivers to fndind and install, it just works.

Weakness: The flap which opens up where the ethernet cable plugs in seems a bit flimsey and, if broken off, would make the device unusable.

Aside from the one weakness, this product is great. It even comes with a little extension cable in case the device itself is a little too bulky to plug directly in to a USB port. It's fast and easy to use, and since it is USB 2.0, you don't have to worry about your 100 MB LAN getting bottlenecked in a USB 1.1 11 MB/s connection!

100% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Linksys EtherFast USB200M Compact Network Adapter

Strengths: Speed of the connection verses wireless.

Weakness: none.

Wired is much more faster than wireless. I'm hooking this up to my TIVO box - 20 minute wireless downloads are now 2 minutes. I looked at using a wireless connection, but the interference of my 2.4Ghz phone is a factor - it causes me to loose connection when the phone is picked up. This is from a good and reliable company (linksys) and is supported on many different platforms.

100% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Linksys EtherFast USB200M Compact Network Adapter

Strengths: Simplicity

Weakness: none

Can't get much simpler than this. Plugged one end into the TiVo, plugged the network cable into the other end, presto - we're cooking with gas! Everything worked the first try without any problems.

100% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Linksys EtherFast USB200M Compact Network Adapter

Strengths: does exactly what described

Weakness: none

product does exactly what it's supposed to do. doesnt beat a regular lan card tho. sometimes falls out if not careful. no problems with it. seems to be working pretty good now. linksys stuff=good

86% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Linksys EtherFast USB200M Compact Network Adapter

Strengths: Small and very compact. I had it installed and running within minutes.

Weakness: none

Can either directly be plugged into the USB port or comes with a short USB cable if needed. Can't get much simpler than this.Everything worked the first try without any problems. Will not work on my DirecTivo unit. There is no setup support for network function.

83% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Linksys EtherFast USB200M Compact Network Adapter

Strengths: Small Compact, Easy To Install

Weakness: Flimsy Cat5 Connector

I purchased this to connect a TIVO to my wireless home network. It connected flawlessly without any setup and has worked great without any problems. The only concern I have about it is the flip out connector for the cat-5 cable. It's not very sturdy and the wire can pop out with a firm tug and might even break. This is probably not that big of a concern in most installations. It comes with a USB extension so it doesn't block nearby USB ports.

75% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Linksys EtherFast USB200M Compact Network Adapter

Strengths: Easy to connect and use, small, compact, lightweight.

Weakness: The CAT6 connector jack is flimsy but it hasn't broken off yet.

I used this adapter to connect my TIVO to my home network so that it could download program data rather than use the telephone line. The USB200M was immediately recognized by my TIVO and has worked flawlessly. I have not used this adapter with my computer, but I had a previous USB 1.0 version of this adapter and that worked well with my desktop computer.

67% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Linksys EtherFast USB200M Compact Network Adapter

Strengths: Faster TiVO MRV transfers

Weakness: None that I can see

Before I bought two of these, my two TiVo's were each using USB 1.1 ethernet adapters. Once I upgraded to these USB 2.0 ethernet adapters, my multi-room viewing transfer speeds increased by about 30%, even though TiVo hasn't enabled USB 2.0 at the software level yet. If and when they do, I'll expect even faster transfers.

60% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Linksys EtherFast USB200M Compact Network Adapter

Strengths: TiVo plug and play compatibility, reliability

Weakness: Flimsy connector

This is the best choice for Etherent wired adapters if you want to share programs on two series 2 TiVo's.

The connector seem flimsy, but I've had 2 of them working perfectly for many months. Once plugged in, they hold pretty well. In fact, mine have never come unplugged. They are extremely fast for transfers. Any show, no matter what the quality level, can be watched within just a few minutes of initiating a transfer.

33% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Linksys EtherFast USB200M Compact Network Adapter

Strengths: Great Product!! Easy to install/use! Usb 2.0!

Weakness: None

This is an all around great product! It is very easy to install. All you have to do is to plug the product into a USB port, insert the driver disk, wait for the drivers to load and install and your done! I am using windows Xp, and after I finished installing the network adapter it detected my network and I was on my way(other os's should do the same)!

33% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Linksys EtherFast USB200M Compact Network Adapter

Strengths: LOW PRICE!

Weakness: The ethernet connector IS flimsy

I also purchased this to connect a TIVO, but to my WIRED network. It replaced another adapter that worked intermittently (it seemed to get saturated and stop working). This one just plugged in to the back of the TiVo, and nothing more needed to be done. It has allowed transferring files between my 2 TiVo's reliably. It is true that the ethernet connector is flimsy, so if the cable is tugged on, it could easily break the connector. But given the low price and reliably, it's great!

0% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Linksys EtherFast USB200M Compact Network Adapter

Strengths: Awesome!! Zero-Configuration. I am using it for my Tivo Box!! Works Great!!

Weakness: None!!

The Linksys network adapter is the best. It can be used on older computers without ethernet ports or like me on my Tivo Box to connect to the internet and to my computer. Linksys products work amazingly and flawlessly. It is just perfect!

0% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Linksys EtherFast USB200M Compact Network Adapter

Strengths: Simlpe, easy to use.

Weakness: Cable connector seems a little weak.

Plugged it in, installed the drivers and it works great. It's a very easy to use and convenient network adapter. I do a lot of computer service and support. For those clients who do not have brodband internet at home this adapter makes upgrades and fixes much quicker as I don't have to manually install a PCI or ISA NIC each time and then uninstall it afterward.

0% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Linksys EtherFast USB200M Compact Network Adapter

Strengths: Small and very compact. I had it installed and running within minutes.

Weakness: None.

Can either directly be plugged into the USB port or comes with a short USB cable if needed. I am using the USB200M with a Series 2 Tivo to connect my Tivo into a home network. The USB200M allows me to transfer recorded programs between my two Series 2 Tivos quickly and without any problems.

0% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Linksys EtherFast USB200M Compact Network Adapter

Strengths: Ease of use; astetic quality; portibility; usb coupler

Weakness: cat 5 hinge seems weak

I bought this to connect my TiVo to my home network. It works flawlessly for this task: Just use this to connect the Tivo to a switch and you're off.

I really like the coupler that came with it, because it gave me more flexibility when hooking it up.

The only downside, as others have mentioned, is that the door holding the cat5 cable in seems a little flimsy. However, I haven't heard of it breaking, so if you're careful it should be fine.

0% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Linksys EtherFast USB200M Compact Network Adapter

Strengths: USB compatibility. USB 2.0 speed. compact size.

Weakness: none that I know of

Hi there. I just purchased one of these from MonarchTechnology.com. I needed it for a new Tivo for use with a broadband connection. Tivo only has USB ports on the rear of the machine and without RJ-45 jacks. The USB200M is a solution.

But I also have earlier experience with this Linksys product. Last winter I had to purchase this item because the Ethernet port did not work on an HP computer that I bought for my sister and her boyfriend. The USB200M handily did the job. No drivers necessary. Windows XP plug-n-play.

One thing to keep in mind here with this model is that it's USB 2.0. This isn't important if you're only seeking to share an Internet connection. USB 1.1's specs of 1.5-2.5 mbs bandwidth will suffice for that. But if you want to share the full potential of your lan (likely 100 mbs), you'll need USB 2.0. That's where this device is necessary.

It's also compact in size as not to be a nuissance. It won't get in the way inside an audio rack or on a desk or tower mount.

All in all, it gets the job done.

Highly recommended!

Yours, Brad.

0% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Linksys EtherFast USB200M Compact Network Adapter

This item is exactely what I was needing to get my home network set up the way I was wanting it. It was easy to install and set up.

0% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Linksys EtherFast USB200M Compact Network Adapter

Strengths: Plug In, Install Driver, Use I was also still able to use the Nic on my computer after unplugging it from my Comp

Weakness: Plastic feels a little weak, I would suggest it stays in a place that won't move a lot and where the cord deffinately will not be tripped over.

I tested the Nic in my Tivo, worked right away like a charm. I then tested to make sure it still worked in my computer afterwards and it did with no problems. You need a Driver for the computer (included on CD for Win98, ME, 2000, XP). The Tivo does not need a Driver.

0% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Linksys EtherFast USB200M Compact Network Adapter

Strengths: Nice, compact, easy to use.

Weakness: None

I bought two of these to connect my TiVo units together. They are connected to a Linksys switch on my network. Everything seems to be working just fine.

0% of readers found this review helpful. Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Problems

Strengths: It works.

Weakness: RJ45 connection fails.

This device worked OK, although I am not sure how high the through-put is. I had it for almost two months and had only disconnected it once. The last time I disconnected it, the RJ45 connector was more difficult to remove than I remember it was the first time, and then the cable would not latch. It would latch but as soon as the cable flexed a little it would pop back out. In the process of trying to get it to latch the little door broke. Linksys says they do not repair them and it was not covered by warranty so I threw away $30+. I would not recommend purchase as the RJ45 connection is very flimsy.

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Compact USB 2.0 10/100 Network Adapter

Strengths: compact

Weakness: very flimsy, broke after 2 uses. The thin metal door hinges came off the plastic posts in the second use, making it useable.

The product is too flimsy use with a ethernet cable. It is not reliable. It has a major design problem with flimsy door breaking after only 2 uses leaving the user without connection.

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Linksys EtherFast USB200M Compact Network Adapter

Strengths: Easy Set-Up

Weakness: Pop Open RJ45 jack might not hold up long term.

I purchased this to connect my Series 2 TiVo box to my home network. I chose wired because at this time it is still faster than wireless and less complicated to set up and more secure.

Little did I know! This Linksys adapter was the simplest thing I have ever set up. I plugged the Ethernet CAT5 cable into it and it into the USB port on the TiVo box. Then connected the other end of the Ethernet CAT5 cable to the switch in my basement, and BANG! TiVo did the rest. I even used the "Test Connection" from TiVo's menu and it worked first time. Then I told the TiVo to connect to the service and it worked first time.

It doesn't get any simpler than that.

As for the apparently flimsy pop-out RJ45 jack, it will sit untouched behind my TiVo box so I am not worried about it at all.

If you need to connect your TiVo to your home network, buy this, you won't be sorry.

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Linksys EtherFast USB200M Compact Network Adapter

Strengths: Great device for hooking the Tivo up! I plugged it in and was up and running. I also got it at a great price.

Weakness: The closure where you connect your line is not very sturdy.

Good buy for the price. I purchased this off of ecost.com $23.39. I bought this because it was recommended by Tivo. If I were Linksys, I would reconfigure the LAN connection. Make it more sturdy or make it plug directly into the back/side of the nic. But for the price you can't beat it!

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?

Linksys EtherFast USB200M Compact Network Adapter

Strengths: Drivers from CD-ROM are tiny and would fit on a floppy. Installation is quick and easy. Low price, major brand and 1-year warranty.

Weakness: As others have noted, the fold-open network connector seems flimsy and does not inspire great confidence. It's not immediately clear at what angle the RJ-45 plug must be pressed into the opening.

Included 7" dongle (USB extension cable) makes for convenient installation in a computer with back-panel USB. I also like having a cap for the USB plug. Not all of these adapters do.

Did you find it helpful or unhelpful?