LF: PCMCIA Wi-Fi w/external SMA connector

I've been flipping through some of the posts in this forum on the
subject, and must compliment those of you who have undertaken the
soldering route to attach antennas to PCMCIA and USB NIC's. Certainly
a fun way to spend a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. ;-)

Myself, if possible, I'd like to avoid that route until the simple
option is explored. Essentially, as per the title, I'm just after a
PCMCIA wi-fi NIC with an external SMA connector so I can attach a D-
Link +7dbi antenna to it. I have the same antenna attached to one of
my wi-fi access points, and the goal is to be able to hit that signal
from the coffee shop down the road. I can hit the pub down the road
just fine, however, that's not going to help me get much work done.
LOL!

So, if anyone has a good list of Wi-Fi cards on the market that will
support an SMA antenna, could you please toss me a recommendation or
two.

TIA,

Paul

On 11 Feb 2007 08:04:49 -0800, "Paul Mathieu" <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote in <(E-Mail Removed). com>:

>I've been flipping through some of the posts in this forum on the
>subject, and must compliment those of you who have undertaken the
>soldering route to attach antennas to PCMCIA and USB NIC's. Certainly
>a fun way to spend a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. ;-)
>
>Myself, if possible, I'd like to avoid that route until the simple
>option is explored. Essentially, as per the title, I'm just after a
>PCMCIA wi-fi NIC with an external SMA connector so I can attach a D-
>Link +7dbi antenna to it. I have the same antenna attached to one of
>my wi-fi access points, and the goal is to be able to hit that signal
>from the coffee shop down the road. I can hit the pub down the road
>just fine, however, that's not going to help me get much work done.
>LOL!
>
>So, if anyone has a good list of Wi-Fi cards on the market that will
>support an SMA antenna, could you please toss me a recommendation or
>two.

Buffalo Wireless-G 125 High-Speed Notebook Adapter WLI-CB-G54S
<http://www.buffalotech.com/products/wireless/wireless-g-125-high-speed/wireless-g-125-high-speed-notebook-adapter/>

--
Best regards, FAQ for Wireless Internet: <http://Wireless.wikia.com>
John Navas FAQ for Wi-Fi: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi>
Wi-Fi How To: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_HowTo>
Fixes to Wi-Fi Problems: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_Fixes>

"Paul Mathieu" <(E-Mail Removed)> hath wroth:

>I've been flipping through some of the posts in this forum on the
>subject, and must compliment those of you who have undertaken the
>soldering route to attach antennas to PCMCIA and USB NIC's. Certainly
>a fun way to spend a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. ;-)

Those are from pre-ROHS solder. The new and un-improved unleaded
solder is really awful to work with. Sniff.... I miss my lead.

>Myself, if possible, I'd like to avoid that route until the simple
>option is explored.

Y'er no fun. Soldering is easy. You need someone to show you how, a
really good iron, some new tips, a tip cleaner, and some e-Waste
circuit boards to practice upon. Some burn grease, band-aids, and gas
mask might also be helpful. After a few days of practice, you'll be
ready to attack the real thing.

>Essentially, as per the title, I'm just after a
>PCMCIA wi-fi NIC with an external SMA connector so I can attach a D-
>Link +7dbi antenna to it.

If it were that easy, it would be no fun. There are several cards
that have external connectors. There are a variety of manufacturers
with cards that have external connectors:
<http://www.buffalo-technology.com/products/product-detail.php?productid=119&categoryid=28>
<http://www.teletronics.com/WLCardshigh.html>
<http://www.demarctech.com/products/reliawave-rwz/reliawave-rwz-200mw-prism2-5-pcmcia-card.html>
<http://www.ubnt.com/super_range_cardbus.php4>
etc. There are others. In general, the "high power" PCMCIA cards all
have external antenna connectors. However, don't assume that all the
connectors are the same. They vary by manufactory. You'll need a
"pigtail" adapter to a standard connector such as an SMA, TNC, or
Type-N.

>I have the same antenna attached to one of
>my wi-fi access points, and the goal is to be able to hit that signal
>from the coffee shop down the road. I can hit the pub down the road
>just fine, however, that's not going to help me get much work done.

Use a directional antenna, not the cheap 2dBi omni found on the access
points.

>So, if anyone has a good list of Wi-Fi cards on the market that will
>support an SMA antenna, could you please toss me a recommendation or
>two.

I've only used the Buffalo card on a customers system. It worked well
enough on Windoze XP, but I've done no real testing and only with the
internal 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

Easy..Not a card..But 5 foot USB data cable
lets you orient the R.F. No obstructions..2 Miles..piece of cake.
http://www.mwave.com/mwave/viewprodu...dapterssection.

John, Jeff, Jack...

Thanks for the feedback. I've started looking into the Buffalo cards
per your comments. From what I see on the 54gHP card the SMA
connector looks like the one I'll need. Have checked some stores in
town for stock but no go; will probably either have my wholeseller
order one in or break down and buy from Tiger Direct. Looks like it's
goin to run me ~$60.00 which seems fair.

With respect to the soldering once again: I'm just looking to take the
simple route for this project. But Jeff your right, I should take a
run at it. I've played around with a kit from Radio Shack +/- 15yrs
ago, but never with any specific project in mind - mainly just used
the iron to do minor electronic repairs (and even those were hack
jobs). Will get in touch with the local electronics shop in my area
and see what equipment they have, as well see if I can get a copy of
"Soldering for Dummies" (or find a time when it's not busy and get one
of the kids/clerks to ante up some pointers) ;-)

I'll drop another line back in due course, after I get my hands on the
above mentioned card. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out
- i.e.: If the coffee shop crew think that I'm trying to crack into
the bank beside them, instead of just accessing my home connection.

~Cheers,

Paul


On Feb 11, 1:12 pm, Jeff Liebermann <j...@comix.santa-cruz.ca.us>
wrote:
> "Paul Mathieu" <afs_soluti...@yahoo.ca> hath wroth:
>
> >I've been flipping through some of the posts in this forum on the
> >subject, and must compliment those of you who have undertaken the
> >soldering route to attach antennas to PCMCIA and USB NIC's. Certainly
> >a fun way to spend a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. ;-)
>
> Those are from pre-ROHS solder. The new and un-improved unleaded
> solder is really awful to work with. Sniff.... I miss my lead.
>
> >Myself, if possible, I'd like to avoid that route until the simple
> >option is explored.
>
> Y'er no fun. Soldering is easy. You need someone to show you how, a
> really good iron, some new tips, a tip cleaner, and some e-Waste
> circuit boards to practice upon. Some burn grease, band-aids, and gas
> mask might also be helpful. After a few days of practice, you'll be
> ready to attack the real thing.
>
> >Essentially, as per the title, I'm just after a
> >PCMCIA wi-fi NIC with an external SMA connector so I can attach a D-
> >Link +7dbi antenna to it.
>
> If it were that easy, it would be no fun. There are several cards
> that have external connectors. There are a variety of manufacturers
> with cards that have external connectors:
> <http://www.buffalo-technology.com/products/product-detail.php?product...>
> <http://www.teletronics.com/WLCardshigh.html>
> <http://www.demarctech.com/products/reliawave-rwz/reliawave-rwz-200mw-...>
> <http://www.ubnt.com/super_range_cardbus.php4>
> etc. There are others. In general, the "high power" PCMCIA cards all
> have external antenna connectors. However, don't assume that all the
> connectors are the same. They vary by manufactory. You'll need a
> "pigtail" adapter to a standard connector such as an SMA, TNC, or
> Type-N.
>
> >I have the same antenna attached to one of
> >my wi-fi access points, and the goal is to be able to hit that signal
> >from the coffee shop down the road. I can hit the pub down the road
> >just fine, however, that's not going to help me get much work done.
>
> Use a directional antenna, not the cheap 2dBi omni found on the access
> points.
>
> >So, if anyone has a good list of Wi-Fi cards on the market that will
> >support an SMA antenna, could you please toss me a recommendation or
> >two.
>
> I've only used the Buffalo card on a customers system. It worked well
> enough on Windoze XP, but I've done no real testing and only with the
> internal antenna.
>
> --
> Jeff Liebermann j...@comix.santa-cruz.ca.us
> 150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
> Santa Cruz CA 95060http://802.11junk.com
> Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

On 11 Feb 2007 21:02:03 -0800, "Paul Mathieu" <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote in <(E-Mail Removed). com>:

>Thanks for the feedback. I've started looking into the Buffalo cards
>per your comments. From what I see on the 54gHP card the SMA
>connector looks like the one I'll need. Have checked some stores in
>town for stock but no go; will probably either have my wholeseller
>order one in or break down and buy from Tiger Direct. Looks like it's
>goin to run me ~$60.00 which seems fair.

$40 at Newegg.com, a much better reseller IMnsHO:
<http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16833162128>

--
Best regards, FAQ for Wireless Internet: <http://Wireless.wikia.com>
John Navas FAQ for Wi-Fi: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi>
Wi-Fi How To: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_HowTo>
Fixes to Wi-Fi Problems: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_Fixes>

On Feb 11, 12:43 pm, "Jack Daniels" <g...@mighty.co.za> wrote:
> Easy..Not a card..But 5 foot USB data cable
> lets you orient the R.F. No obstructions..2 Miles..piece of cake.http://www.mwave.com/mwave/viewproduct.asp?

I second that. USB is worth considering as well as PCMCIA. This
product has more antenna, less amp than the above. With an external RP-
SMA jack, it lends itself to really high gain directionals if needed.

http://www.air802.com/product.php?pr...cat=411&page=1

Overall adavantage over a pcmcia card is: zero cable loss, no pigtail
between antenna and jack. Works on any pc, laptop or desktop.