Hi,
Does someone here have experience of suggestion for adding WLAN (Wifi) to a ThinkCentre M90 USFF (Ultra Small Form Factor) tiny laptop?
It has a free PCI (parallel) slot ; I believe which is likely 32-bit PCI 2.3. However, I can not find any PCI (not PCI-E) wireless card.
32-bit PCI offers theorical bandwidth of 133 Mo/s.
Then, I assume the two possible options are:
- USB 2.0 Wifi Adapter key, probably the easiest to set up but will it have acceptable bandwidth for everyday web browsing ?
- a RJ45 to Wifi Access Point (WAP), which will likely be harder to configure
Wireless USB 2.0 offers in theory 400 Mbit/s at a distance of 3 m and 112 Mbit/s at 10 m.
I assume real bandwidth would be slower. Furthermore the router is on another floor and certainly distant about 15 meters.
So, I assume this model of ThinkCenter can hardly access Internet at reasonable speed through WiFi, and should stay with RJ45 Ethernet connection.
Thank your for your suggestions.
Take a look at our
ThinkPads.com HOME PAGE
For those who might want to contribute to the blog, start here: Editors Alley Topic
Then contact Bill with a Private Message
ThinkPads.com HOME PAGE
For those who might want to contribute to the blog, start here: Editors Alley Topic
Then contact Bill with a Private Message
WiFi on a tiny ThinkCentre M90 USFF with USB 2.0 and PCI?
-
- Freshman Member
- Posts: 70
- Joined: Mon Apr 30, 2012 2:26 pm
- Location: Carouge, Genève, Suisse
-
- Admin Emeritus
- Posts: 23837
- Joined: Mon Sep 18, 2006 5:17 am
- Location: Loch Garman, Éire
Re: WiFi on a tiny ThinkCentre M90 USFF with USB 2.0 and PCI?
Lovely day for a Guinness! (The Real Black Stuff)
Re: WiFi on a tiny ThinkCentre M90 USFF with USB 2.0 and PCI?
They are not as common nowadays, but they do exist. AR9220-chipset based solutions, for example. Others as well.thinktwice wrote: ↑Fri Oct 22, 2021 6:24 amIt has a free PCI (parallel) slot ; I believe which is likely 32-bit PCI 2.3. However, I can not find any PCI (not PCI-E) wireless card.
It's not about this model of ThinkCenter. WiFi is always prone to interference, significant speed drops as a function of distance and obstacles, and huge differences between theoretical maximum and actual speeds. The interface is rarely the culprit.thinktwice wrote: ↑Fri Oct 22, 2021 6:24 amWireless USB 2.0 offers in theory 400 Mbit/s at a distance of 3 m and 112 Mbit/s at 10 m.
I assume real bandwidth would be slower. Furthermore the router is on another floor and certainly distant about 15 meters.
So, I assume this model of ThinkCenter can hardly access Internet at reasonable speed through WiFi, and should stay with RJ45 Ethernet connection.
But for an adequate browsing experience, you don't really need more than 30Mbps, unless you stream 4K video all the time in parallel to file downloads (A single 4K stream typically requires ~25Mbps, according to latest data I've seen). And what is your bandwidth you buy from your ISP anyway?
Thinkpad 25 (20K7), T490 (20N3), Yoga 14 (20FY), T430s (IPS FHD + Classic Keyboard), X220 4291-4BG
X61 7673-V2V, T60 2007-QPG, T42 2373-F7G, X32 (IPS Screen), A31p w/ Ultrabay Numpad
X61 7673-V2V, T60 2007-QPG, T42 2373-F7G, X32 (IPS Screen), A31p w/ Ultrabay Numpad
-
- Senior ThinkPadder
- Posts: 3848
- Joined: Mon May 28, 2012 5:49 am
- Location: Metro Manila, Philippines
Re: WiFi on a tiny ThinkCentre M90 USFF with USB 2.0 and PCI?
I'm currently using a USB WiFi adapter (Archer T3U AC1300) inside my Thinkpad X220 because its WLAN slot died.
While the adapter is USB 3.0 capable, the X220 only has USB 2.0 ports (except for the i7 models with one USB 3.0 port on the left side next to the exhaust vent, and another wired to the docking connector).
From experience, it can take my home internet's 50 megabits/sec bandwidth with no issues, and do 100 megabits/sec WiFi to WiFi (on the same router) transfers via FTP (copying files between laptops). With one laptop plugged to the router's gigabit Ethernet port, FTP transfer speeds doubled to around 200 megabits/sec.
Note that the other laptop only has a WiFi N card with a max of 300 megabits/sec (it's another X220 with an Intel 6205 WiFi card).
If that's good enough for you, then a USB-based adapter will do fine.
PCI WiFi cards are very hard to find these days because PCI-based WiFi chips haven't been made in over a decade.
Also, you'll probably won't find a PCI WiFi AC card-- all the AC chips I've seen or heard of are PCIe-based.
A quick Amazon search yields this WiFi N dual-band PCI card: https://www.amazon.com/Bewinner-Wireles ... 07VV5TGDN/
While the adapter is USB 3.0 capable, the X220 only has USB 2.0 ports (except for the i7 models with one USB 3.0 port on the left side next to the exhaust vent, and another wired to the docking connector).
From experience, it can take my home internet's 50 megabits/sec bandwidth with no issues, and do 100 megabits/sec WiFi to WiFi (on the same router) transfers via FTP (copying files between laptops). With one laptop plugged to the router's gigabit Ethernet port, FTP transfer speeds doubled to around 200 megabits/sec.
Note that the other laptop only has a WiFi N card with a max of 300 megabits/sec (it's another X220 with an Intel 6205 WiFi card).
If that's good enough for you, then a USB-based adapter will do fine.
PCI WiFi cards are very hard to find these days because PCI-based WiFi chips haven't been made in over a decade.
Also, you'll probably won't find a PCI WiFi AC card-- all the AC chips I've seen or heard of are PCIe-based.
A quick Amazon search yields this WiFi N dual-band PCI card: https://www.amazon.com/Bewinner-Wireles ... 07VV5TGDN/
Planned Purchase: T480s i5-8350 FHD Touch
Impulse Buy: Thinkpad not named for safety reasons
RIP: X220 4291-C91 X61 7676-A24 760XD-U9E
Impulse Buy: Thinkpad not named for safety reasons
RIP: X220 4291-C91 X61 7676-A24 760XD-U9E
-
- Similar Topics
- Replies
- Views
- Last post
-
-
Wifi Card upgrade suggestions?
by babysheegoth » Thu Jan 11, 2024 1:32 pm » in ThinkPad T60/T61 Series - 11 Replies
- 5500 Views
-
Last post by axur-delmeria
Sun Feb 11, 2024 11:47 pm
-
-
-
t43 wifi doesnt work at all
by kapija » Sat Jan 20, 2024 9:50 am » in ThinkPad T40/T41/T42/T43 Series - 4 Replies
- 1135 Views
-
Last post by kapija
Fri Feb 23, 2024 7:29 am
-
-
-
Issue with Intel 6300 WiFi card in my T430
by sktn77a » Sun Feb 11, 2024 3:46 pm » in ThinkPad T430-T490 / T530-T590 Series - 8 Replies
- 1178 Views
-
Last post by RealBlackStuff
Fri Apr 19, 2024 12:45 am
-
-
-
W530 - WiFi module upgrade for 802.11AC / AX ?
by ac427 » Mon Mar 18, 2024 6:58 am » in ThinkPad W530/W540/W541/W550 Series - 4 Replies
- 596 Views
-
Last post by RealBlackStuff
Tue Mar 19, 2024 1:31 am
-
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 6 guests