When I first received the StarTech GAME511WB, I didn’t have very high expectations for the product. Like any good skeptic though, I soon learned that it actually went quite far beyond my expectations and what I’d seen in the specs. I’m not a huge fan of gaming, so I had to commandeer, er, enlist the assistance of a good friend with an available PS2 for testing the unit.

Overall, the configuration tool was very easy to use, I just attached the GAME511WB to a power source, and my computer’s network cable, and put the CD in. One major bonus with this product is the fact that it leaves no residue on your computer. It ran the configuration straight from the CD, and I managed to configure the adaptor just fine, with the exception of the WEP settings.

While the configuration was very simple, the WEP settings that I needed to feed into the Adaptor wouldn’t go. I believe that there was something wrong with the software, so I decided to go around it and just disable the WEP when I was performing the test. This raises the problem of security; I shouldn’t have to disable my security in order to play a game online, so this is something that certainly needs to be fixed by a firmware update, or the next revision of the unit.

The initial reaction that I got when I opened the box was, “Gee this thing is smaller than I thought it would be.” The antenna was a bit small for my liking, but I like those 4-bar signals for whatever I’m doing on my wireless connection. Despite the urge to throw the smallish antenna out of the test, I decided to go with it and see how it worked. To my amazement, it actually worked very well. I did, for the sake of comparison, swap the detachable antenna out with an enormous antenna that I use for stationary things, and it performed at the same level as the smaller one.

Once I was at the top secret test facility (a.k.a. my friend’s house) all I had to do was plug the unit in and off I went, or so was the plan. We had some problems with the configuration of his wireless network, I later learned that it had never been used before. I am lead to believe that these problems were not the fault of the adaptor, but in order to keep things fair, we had to fiddle with the settings of his access point until it drove me mad.

Once the network detected the presence of the GAME511WB, it was smooth sailing, the PS2 recognized the unit instantly, and there was minimal configuration ( we had to reset it and make sure that the Ethernet adaptor, attached to the PS2, was setup like it was on a wired network ).

When I got home, I decided to try something different, since the unit is called the GAME511WB, I wondered (for about ten seconds) what the ‘WB’ was. I suddenly realized that I might be able to use it as a wireless bridge. Alas, I was able to, but only at the cost of disabling my WEP settings. I can’t do this because my Dad’s a lawyer, and needs some security. Perhaps, in the near future, they will release a patch or upgrade for this flaw, and I’ll be able to use it for a wireless bridge.

In the end, I would higly reccomed this product to anybody who’s looking for a gaming adaptor on the cheaper and more versatile sides of the spectrum. Once StarTech works out that one kink, it’s sure to be a hit throughout the masses. With the progression of the wireless market I would be sure to have something like this on hand.

In addition, I have the following recommendations for StarTech:

1. fix the WEP issue for the security freaks
2. why not make a 802.11g version?

This product is available for purchase at the follwing places: PC Connection, buy.com, and Computers 4 Sure