Thinkpads Forum

What does it take to make this happen. What about on a machine with a WWAN adapter?

Chuck, you've got it ALL mixed up.

WWAN generally means a cell phone data connection, using a data plan from the cell phone carrier.

USB is a hardwired connector on the computer, there's nothing wireless about it and it ain't gonna happen.

Wireless generally is used to mean WiFi.

Now, if you found a Wifi device that accepted USB connections AND had software to support connecting them to a computer...by all means come back and tell us about it. As the engineers say, given enough horsepower even a brick s**thouse can fly.

Why on earth you'd want to do it, is a wholoe other problem.

hellosailor wrote:Chuck, you've got it ALL mixed up.

WWAN generally means a cell phone data connection, using a data plan from the cell phone carrier.

USB is a hardwired connector on the computer, there's nothing wireless about it and it ain't gonna happen.

Wireless generally is used to mean WiFi.

Now, if you found a Wifi device that accepted USB connections AND had software to support connecting them to a computer...by all means come back and tell us about it. As the engineers say, given enough horsepower even a brick s**thouse can fly.

Why on earth you'd want to do it, is a wholoe other problem.

Actually, you're the one who's a bit mixed up. You're right about the WWAN, but there is a Wireless USB protocol:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_USB
It came default with the early T61p's, and was configurable for later ones. However, there are very few devices on the market that use it.

chuckenheimer wrote:What does it take to make this happen. What about on a machine with a WWAN adapter?

This...

Whaddayaknow, another stillborn protocol and oddball gizmo. I've never seen them in the flesh or on the shelves, much less in print.

I suspect Bluetooth blew them off the market, in practical terms.

DAH,

I was talking about 42T0885 and whether there is room for it AND the WWAN adapter.

@hellosailor - WUSB is reported to be blowing WLAN and Bluetooth off the market.

chuckenheimer wrote:DAH,

I was talking about 42T0885 and whether there is room for it AND the WWAN adapter.

@hellosailor - WUSB is reported to be blowing WLAN and Bluetooth off the market.

On those units that support it (15.4-inch widescreens ~ 6463, 6464, 6465, 6466, 6467, 6478, 6471, 6457, 6458, 6459, 6460, 6461, 6462, and 6470) there is a special mini PCI Express1/2 size slot dedicated for it as I recall.

DAH wrote:On those units that support it (15.4-inch widescreens ~ 6463, 6464, 6465, 6466, 6467, 6478, 6471, 6457, 6458, 6459, 6460, 6461, 6462, and 6470) there is a special mini PCI Express1/2 size slot dedicated for it as I recall.

Afraid there's not much assistance out there or at Lenovo but I think it uses the UWB antenna and the software I've already d/l'd. If it's just the matter of purchasing the hardware, I'd like to do so (wasn't offered when I made my purchase) but am also concerned about the BIOS whitelist 1802 issue, too.

Just out of curiosity, what accessories support UWB? (other than the Thinkpad, I've never seen it advertised anywhere)

basketb wrote:Just out of curiosity, what accessories support UWB? (other than the Thinkpad, I've never seen it advertised anywhere)

Basically you'll need the hub that I linked to above. You can then plug most USB devices into the hub and it operates just as if you plugged it into the T6Xp. It does NOT support most video USB devices, as well as some audio devices.

hellosailor wrote:Whaddayaknow, another stillborn protocol and oddball gizmo. I've never seen them in the flesh or on the shelves, much less in print.

Wireless USB is designed to replace or supplement the current computer peripheral connections, both wired and wireless. We are only in the first year of WUSB's life cycle, and these things take time. You need to have the interfaces before you can make peripherals for it. Equipment makers are not going to make products for a market that has only a handful of users.

hellosailor wrote:I suspect Bluetooth blew them off the market, in practical terms.

Bluetooth was by no means an instant hit. Ericsson released the first mobile phone with Bluetooth in 2000. It took about 3 years before Bluetooth was a common feature on high end mobile phones and PDA's. It was not before 2004-2005 when reasonably priced peripherals (mostly headsets) and Bluetooth interfaces for computers hit the market.

Wireless USB docks! Toshiba has one for their R400.

DAH wrote:

basketb wrote:Just out of curiosity, what accessories support UWB? (other than the Thinkpad, I've never seen it advertised anywhere)

Basically you'll need the hub that I linked to above. You can then plug most USB devices into the hub and it operates just as if you plugged it into the T6Xp. It does NOT support most video USB devices, as well as some audio devices.

While neat, this seems to me like a technical solution looking for a problem to solve.

Problem:
Many users and many vendors have lots of (now legacy) USB devices out there, especially including mice and keyboards. And they've all got BlueTooth Envy.

Solution? Give 'em Yet Another Box to buy, to let them go wireless with all the legacy gear. That'll work.

Heck, when IRDA was a standard doesn't anyone remember running out to buy an IRDA printer adapter cord, so you could use your printer wirelessly? <VBG>

Seriously though...I see this as a kludge to accomodate legacy wires in a wireless world, but one that could be put to very good use. Heck, it will make USB printers into WiFi printers, and that would be good enough--if I didn't have to buy another TRANSMITTER to plug into my computer. At that point, I've already got BT and might as well just put in a BT stick at the other end.

But who knows. Wasn't it DEC who told their own people "Yeah, but who's gonna want their own computer on their own desk?" <G>

Bluetooth is slow, painfully slow with big files. Think Network Attached Storage. That 1 TB drive attached to your notebook wirelessly but fast, faster than that Wireless n connection.