What is a good wireless card for an older WinXP laptop

My older WinXP laptop with a PCMCIA slot has no wireless capability.

I'd like to add a card but from experience, I know my signal is weak in my
house due to multiple levels from the basement to the second floor.

Is there a good strong, not too expensive PCMCIA wireless card you'd
recommend that I can purchase on the Internet?

Erica Eshoo <(E-Mail Removed)> hath wroth:

>My older WinXP laptop with a PCMCIA slot has no wireless capability.

Ok, no model number. Why make it easy?

"Older" might mean a laptop that only has a 16 bit PCMCIA slot, but
that's probably too old. If the PCMCIA card doesn't fit in the slot,
it's a 16 bit slot.

>I'd like to add a card but from experience, I know my signal is weak in my
>house due to multiple levels from the basement to the second floor.

Fine. In that case, you need a PCMCIA wireless card with an external
antenna connector. If it's too weak, just add an antenna.

>Is there a good strong, not too expensive PCMCIA wireless card you'd
>recommend that I can purchase on the Internet?

WLI-CB-G54HP
<http://www.buffalotech.com/products/wireless/wireless-g-mimo-performance/wireless-g-mimo-performance-notebook-adapter/>
About $50:
<http://www.google.com/products?hl=en&q=WLI-CB-G54HP>
The card has an external antenna connector, which might be handy.
I have two of these and they work well enough. The range is nothing
spectacular, but if you want PCMCIA, it's good enough. For more
range, look into external antennas, or wireless devices with an
integral directional antenna.

--
Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

On Wed, 07 Nov 2007 22:58:35 -0800, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

>>My older WinXP laptop with a PCMCIA slot has no wireless capability.
> Ok, no model number. Why make it easy?
Sorry about not giving enough details. I didn't know it matters.
IBM Thinkpad T23

> WLI-CB-G54HP
> <http://www.buffalotech.com/products/wireless/wireless-g-mimo-performance/wireless-g-mimo-performance-notebook-adapter/>
> About $50:
That's an OK price, so if it's strong, I'll try it.

> For more range, look into external antennas, or wireless devices
> with an integral directional antenna.
Where do the "external antennas" plug into a laptop if not through the
PCMCIA port?

On Wed, 07 Nov 2007 22:58:35 -0800, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
> WLI-CB-G54HP
> <http://www.buffalotech.com/products/wireless/wireless-g-mimo-performance/wireless-g-mimo-performance-notebook-adapter/>
> About $50:

Looks like a lawsuit.

In article <(E-Mail Removed)>,
Jeff Liebermann <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>Erica Eshoo <(E-Mail Removed)> hath wroth:
>
>>My older WinXP laptop with a PCMCIA slot has no wireless capability.
>
>Ok, no model number. Why make it easy?
>
>"Older" might mean a laptop that only has a 16 bit PCMCIA slot, but
>that's probably too old. If the PCMCIA card doesn't fit in the slot,
>it's a 16 bit slot.
>
>>I'd like to add a card but from experience, I know my signal is weak in my
>>house due to multiple levels from the basement to the second floor.
>
>Fine. In that case, you need a PCMCIA wireless card with an external
>antenna connector. If it's too weak, just add an antenna.



Consider a USB WiFi adapter. I've put one on a USB externder cable as
far as 30 ft long to get a clear shot with the AP.

Even 3 ft can get it hiogh up amd maybe get a better signal.

Erica Eshoo <(E-Mail Removed)> hath wroth:

>On Wed, 07 Nov 2007 22:58:35 -0800, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
>
>>>My older WinXP laptop with a PCMCIA slot has no wireless capability.
>> Ok, no model number. Why make it easy?

>Sorry about not giving enough details. I didn't know it matters.
>IBM Thinkpad T23

Yes, it matters. The T23 has an internal MiniPCI wireless card.
Unfortunately, the stock card is usually a combination wireless and
modem, or modem and ethernet. If you have no card installed, there's
room for a MiniPCI card, and you have the internal antenna connectors,
methinks you should consider this possibility. Don't get the stock
card as it's 802.11b only and you get something that does 802.11b/g.
I'm not sure what to recommend for a MiniPCI wireless card. I kinda
like the Atheros based chipsets.

Internal antenna installation:
<http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~itxsx/website/diy.htm>

If not, the specs show that the PCMCIA connector can handle a Cardbus
card, so just about anything will work.

>> WLI-CB-G54HP
>> <http://www.buffalotech.com/products/wireless/wireless-g-mimo-performance/wireless-g-mimo-performance-notebook-adapter/>
>> About $50:

>That's an OK price, so if it's strong, I'll try it.

Once you have a decent radio, the range is totally dependent on the
antenna. In the case of the PCMCIA card, the side of the antenna is
important. Bigger really is generally better.

>> For more range, look into external antennas, or wireless devices
>> with an integral directional antenna.

>Where do the "external antennas" plug into a laptop if not through the
>PCMCIA port?

There's a rubber plug at the end of the Buffalo card. Underneath is
an "Orinoco" or "MC Card" connector. You buy a "pigtail" coax cable
that adapts this connector to whatever external directional antenna
you find useful.

--
Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

Erica Eshoo <(E-Mail Removed)> hath wroth:

>Where do the "external antennas" plug into a laptop if not through the
>PCMCIA port?

MC Card to RP-SMA pigtail for $8.
<http://wirelessgardenstore.com/detail.aspx?ID=296>

--
Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

Jeff Liebermann <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> Erica Eshoo <(E-Mail Removed)> hath wroth:
>
> >My older WinXP laptop with a PCMCIA slot has no wireless capability.
>
> Ok, no model number. Why make it easy?
>
> "Older" might mean a laptop that only has a 16 bit PCMCIA slot, but
> that's probably too old. If the PCMCIA card doesn't fit in the slot,
> it's a 16 bit slot.

It's the voltage, not the bus width. The keying will stop a 3.3 Volt
card going into a 5 Volt only slot.

The OP has a T23 (so do I). He can use any newer card (f.ex a 3.3 Volt
ZyXEL AG-120).

I'm not sure if the T23 supports 5 Volt cards, it'll go in though. The
OP should check the Thinkwiki site in that case.

Another solution could be a game adapter like the Belkin F5D7330
Wireless Ethernet Bridge. It plugs into the RJ45 port and has external
antennas.

The OP may also try tweaking his AP to improve the signal on the floors
above and below by setting the antennas on the AP at an angle - say 45
degrees to compensate for signal polarisation.


--
"Well, opinions are like assholes. Everybody has one."

(E-Mail Removed) (Axel Hammerschmidt) hath wroth:

>It's the voltage, not the bus width. The keying will stop a 3.3 Volt
>card going into a 5 Volt only slot.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PC_card>
"The notch on the left hand front of the device is slightly
shallower on a CardBus device, so a 32-bit device cannot be
plugged into a slot that can only accept 16-bit devices.
Most new slots are compatible with both CardBus and the
original 16-bit PC Card devices."

I've run into this problem with older laptops many times. I have a
supply of old Orinoco (16bit) cards for these laptops. However, the
T23 has a PC Card slot and will take both 16 and 32 bit.

>The OP may also try tweaking his AP to improve the signal on the floors
>above and below by setting the antennas on the AP at an angle - say 45
>degrees to compensate for signal polarisation.

I've had little luck with adjusting the position of relatively low
gain antennas, such as those found on most wireless access points.
With only 2dBi of gain, the pattern is almost hemispherical.
Reflectors and external antennas work much better. So does
repositioning the wireless router.

--
Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

Jeff Liebermann <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> (E-Mail Removed) (Axel Hammerschmidt) hath wroth:
>
> >It's the voltage, not the bus width. The keying will stop a 3.3 Volt
> >card going into a 5 Volt only slot.
>
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PC_card>
> "The notch on the left hand front of the device is slightly
> shallower on a CardBus device, so a 32-bit device cannot be
> plugged into a slot that can only accept 16-bit devices.
> Most new slots are compatible with both CardBus and the
> original 16-bit PC Card devices."

The device her is the card. The left hand is looking down. No mention of
voltage. So much for Wikipedia.

These type of 32 bit wireless adapters have a narrow copper strip along
the top of the card at the end where it connects.

> I've run into this problem with older laptops many times. I have a
> supply of old Orinoco (16bit) cards for these laptops. However, the
> T23 has a PC Card slot and will take both 16 and 32 bit.

The exception proves the rule.

My Orinoco Silver card is 5 Volt only, has a deep notch and no copper
strip. It's a 16 bit, runs on 5 Volt. It will plug into both a shallow
notched and a deep notched slot.

My D-Link DWL-650+ card is 3.3 Volt only, has a shallow notch and a
copper strip. It says on the label, that it's a 32 bit card. It will
only plug into a shallow notched slot.

However. My no-name Gericom card (power rating on the label) is both 3.3
and 5 Volt, it has a deep notch and a copper strip. So it's 32 bit and
runs with either 3.3 or 5 Volt and will plug into both a shallow notched
and a deep notched slot.

I do not have access to a 16 bit slot, therefor I cannot tell if the
Gericom card works in a 16 bit slot, but it will certainly fit into one
physically.

The FCC ID is PANWL1102.


--
"Well, opinions are like assholes. Everybody has one."