We attached the antenna and fired up the Netgear WG311 to see the tray-icon immediately announce a strong connection. The card performed without issue at both close and distant ranges.
Installation was hassle free, and Netgear goes to the trouble of explaining that their drivers are undergoing evaluation by Microsoft for WHQL certification (this removes the 'Windows logo testing' warning). We also noted a warning that some versions of Windows may request original OS files to complete the WG311 installation.
There is no paper manual, but an installation guide is provided. The on-CD manual is comprehensive with instructions pertaining to different versions of Windows, but offers hardly any troubleshooting assistance. If you stumble into trouble with the WG311, some good news is that the card comes with a three-year warranty.