Wireless confusion! Too many options, help please

I am new to wireless and need a card for my laptop. There are so many
claiming to have the ultimate range but which really does? I plan to use
the pcmcia card with an external antenna.

Which card has the longest range or packs the most power? I guess I need
to know which is the ultimate laptop card. I read that the UBIQUITI SRC
300mW is the best but cannot find any user opinions, or does Buffalo make
the best?

Please help as I can't afford to plunk down money for something I will
regret later. Thank you.

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(E-Mail Removed) hath wroth:

>I am new to wireless and need a card for my laptop. There are so many
>claiming to have the ultimate range but which really does? I plan to use
>the pcmcia card with an external antenna.

Ok, just the basics. Everyone lies about speed and range. What they
don't tell you is that for a given setup, speed and range are mutually
exclusive. If you're really close to the access point, you'll get
full speed (54Mbits/sec or whatever). If your at the extreme range
(about 300ft), you'll be lucky to get perhaps a 12Mbits/sec
connection. Thruput is about half the wireless connection speed.

External antennas will improve the situation considerably. 6dBi will
double your range. 12dBi will go 4 times farther. Putting an
external antenna on both ends will go even farther. See:
| http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/FAQ_for...k_Calculations
| http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/FAQ_for...ance_and_Speed

Increasing the transmit power also has an effect on range and speed.
The typical wireless card has a transmit power of about +17dBm. The
high power cards crank out perhaps +23dBm. That's an increase of 6dB
which is conveniently twice the range. However, note that you have to
have +23dBm transmit power at both ends of a link. If only on one
side, you won't hear the other side.

>Which card has the longest range or packs the most power? I guess I need
>to know which is the ultimate laptop card. I read that the UBIQUITI SRC
>300mW is the best but cannot find any user opinions, or does Buffalo make
>the best?

What's a user option? I don't understand.

I really don't know. I'm not a believer or practitioner in high power
at only one end of link. That's called an "alligator", an animal with
a big mouth, and small ears.

>Please help as I can't afford to plunk down money for something I will
>regret later. Thank you.

Suggestion. Spend your time and money on antennas and don't do the
high power thing unless both ends are high power.

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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