Internal versus external laptop WiFi cards [mini pci card] [dell 9100]
Q: After a bizzare checkout error, my Dell 9100 was left without a mini-PCI Wi-Fi card. (No, I was not charged.)
In Instead, I have two options: the Intel 2200 Wireless Mini-PCI card ($ 45) and external (PCMICA) AirLink 108Mbps WiFi card, $ 20 at Outpost . com.
Althoguy I would use the connection for gaming, as most will be used in conjunction with the use of the Internet, and different protocols are often the rate down to levels 802.11g anyway, so there will be little difference in performance between the two cards. What I want to know is what is the performance hit I will use an external card reader? Ive heard that many cards can PCMICA signifigant CPU use while mPCI cards are a little better in this respect. There is also the issue of signal strength: The internal antenna is probably better than an antenna found something the size of a credit card. We have a D-Link 54Mbps router with an antenna replacement for a better signal, so maybe thats not a problem around the house, but Im a fan of Warchalking and plan to suck all the free bandwidth can I get from unsuspecting chain 0.
-Head Cheese restaurants.
Re:I'm using a PCMCIA wi-fi card and it's working flawlessly. However, the PCMCIA slot does get rather hot after a while due to the card. Not sure if it's wi-fi related or a default behaviour when using a PCMCIA card.
Re:Originally posted by: guy
Anyone?
This might be your problem:
but I am a fan of warchalking and intend on sucking up all the free bandwith I can from unsuspecting chain restaurants.
You won't generally, and thankfully, get alot of help around here with those kinds of comments.
With all due respect, using bandwith provided for the use of customers (like myself) to download Half-Life mods and America's Army is hardly an illegal activity. For those of us wth poky internet connections, this can be a lifesaver. (cable is only running at 320 kbps, not the paid-for 2mbps. Charter is covered by fine print, go figure.) I have no intention of hacking into anyone's computer-I merely want to be able to use the connection for an hour or two without either being chased out of the cofeeshop. This may be a slightly different meaning of Warchalking, and althoguy taking an unfair share of bandwith is hardly a nice thing to do, it's nowhere in the same category as emptying some old lady's bank account.
-Cheesehead.
Re:I still use a 802.11b PCMCIA card because it's Prism2 based and I know it has excellent Linux support and I can keep using it with any notebook with a PCMCIA slot. Even with the card at max throguyput the CPU usage never gets up to even 10% on my 3Ghz notebook.
Re:[i] Anyone?
This might be your problem:
but I am a fan of warchalking and intend on sucking up all the free bandwith I can from unsuspecting chain restaurants.
You won't generally, and thankfully, get alot of help around here with those kinds of comments.
Re:Originally posted by: Cheesehead
The internal antenna is likely superior to an antenna found in something the size of a credit card.
-Cheesehead.
This isn't always true. There are many notebooks that have known issues with the signal strength on their built-in cards. Some Alienware notebooks were notorious for this.
If you're interested in a PCMCIA card with a port for an external antenna, look into Orinoco gold cards. Some require a bit of…modification…to work, but they're definitely great performers.
Re:Does anyone know where to get an external antenna for PCMICA cards, or how to solder one on?
(okay, this is a lame excuse for a bump….)
Related posts
Tags: dell 9100, mini pci card