Microsoft's Easy Wi-Fi

This wireless networking package's hand-holding approach makes setup easy.

Sure, wi-fi networking is appealing: Being untethered is very convenient. But setting Wi-Fi up is no picnic.

I've tried installing a number of wireless 802.11b base stations and notebook adapter cards with varying success, and sometimes it takes hours of fiddling with a slew of Properties menus. Now along comes Microsoft's Wireless-G product line, which adheres to the faster 802.11g Wi-Fi standard and is backward-compatible with 802.11b equipment. (The Wireless-G line includes the $109 Wireless Base Station MN-700; the $85 Wireless Notebook Adapter MN-720; the $85 Wireless PCI Adapter MN-730; the $139 Xbox Wireless Adapter MN-740, which connects the popular game console to the Internet; and the $179 Wireless Notebook Kit MN-820.)

Operating on the assumption that installation hassles have been the major obstacle to mass adoption of Wi-Fi, Microsoft has created an intelligent, take-you-by-the-hand, automated install software setup wizard. Using shipping versions of the base station with the notebook adapter and the associated software that works with Windows 98 or later versions, I set up my own wireless network in less than 10 minutes. Tasks that had stopped me cold in the past--configuring IP addresses, setting up file sharing, or creating a security password--were now seamlessly handled in the background.

On the downside, I found that even with a strong signal, I would lose a connection to the Web periodically. And if you are using another brand of adapter card on one or more PCs, you have to manually insert the Wi-Fi Protected Access security protocol or authentication password (just a cut-and-paste process).

Solid hardware and well-designed software--now that's the way Wi-Fi should be.

Microsoft Wireless Base Station MN-700

Well-designed, no-brainer software; solid Wi-Fi hardware. Price when reviewed: $109, adapter cards $85Current prices (if available)