This page is a list of common hardware products you will find in the consumer market, and comments on how well the products work (or rather do not work) with Linux. If you are a member of this website, you can add any device you have used on your system, and information about Linux compatibility with these devices.
Wireless Network Adapters
Linksys Compact-G USB Adapter (WUSB54GC)
- Ralink RT73 Chipset
- $48.94 at Wal-Mart
- Linux compatible: Yes
You can configure this network adapter through a native Linux rt73 driver or the rt73usb (Ralink) driver. You must be sure to install the rt73.bin firmware file, usually in /etc/firmware or /etc/firmware/kernel version before you plug in the USB adapter for the firmware driver to properly load.
You can also configure the network adapter through ndiswrapper and the Linksys supplied drivers on the CD-ROM.
Note: NetworkManager currently does not work with the rt73 or the rt73usb driver. I would advise you to use a distribution where you can manually configure the network adapter using the wlan0 interface. Be sure to type iwconfig to verify that the network adapter has been detected.
Netgear USB network adapter W111V3
- $39.99 at Radio Shack
- Linux Compatible: No
The ndiswrapper driver does configure the network card. However, it refuses to connect to any Wi-Fi hotspots due to the missing firmware files not supplied on the vendor CD. **Avoid this for Linux use **
