Too good to be true?

[gusl]

This wireless card for desktops is selling for $5. I'm really hesitating to buy it, especially since the cheapest such thing I could find at the mall was $70... at 3 different stores.

Comments

[gwillen.livejournal.com]

It is probably legitimate, but a $35 mail-in rebate will likely be very time-consuming to collect.

[peamasii.livejournal.com]

Go for it. They usually go for about $20 or so in most stores.

[ekorber.livejournal.com]

I have a USB wireless adapter for desktops that you can buy for $30. It is only supported under Windows (which is why I can't use it).

[gustavolacerda.livejournal.com]

Well, I can get that one for $5 + shipping. Besides, I'm planning to Ubuntufy my life.

OTOH, the desktop computer is likely to stay Windows for a couple of months, and it would be super-convenient to buy yours, with the certainty that it works, etc. So maybe we can work something out.

[ekorber.livejournal.com]

I have this. I have never used it, so you should be just as sure/unsure that it works as you would be of one bought from a store. It was $45 when I got it. They appear to be going for about $20 plus shipping on ebay, so I revise my offer to $20.

[gustavolacerda.livejournal.com]

Does this work as a wireless card for my desktop computer? Would I plug it in with a cable?

[gaspaheangea.livejournal.com]

and it probably requires ndiswrapper with a bizarre kernel module illegal in Japan.

[gustavolacerda.livejournal.com]

Do rebates come with a specific time period?

I think the reason they exist is because many people forget to mail them in.

[ekorber.livejournal.com]

It is a wireless USB adapter. It includes a cable that you plug into a USB port on your computer.

[gustavolacerda.livejournal.com]

How about this: let's test it. If it works, I buy it for $20.
I suspect there might be too many walls between router and adapter.

[tiedyedave]

Besides, I'm planning to Ubuntufy my life.

Careful with wireless cards! Wireless support under Ubuntu has been a disaster for at least the past two releases. There are only a very few such cards that will work out of the box, or even anything close to out of the box. You may ultimately be constrained by compatibility, not price.

[bhudson.livejournal.com]

The rebates are an invention of Kafka's overactive imagination come to life. Sometimes they pay, but often they find a triviality (possibly one that doesn't exist) on which to refuse payment. Or they conveniently lose the paperwork.

[jbouwens.livejournal.com]

No kidding. I just installed Ubuntu on my laptop two days ago and have yet to get WiFi to work!