Thinkpads Forum

I have a Thinkpad T60 and want to upgrade my wireless from the 802.11g. I have a USB 802.11n dongle but I'm always worried I'll break off the dongle. My model is the 2008 G4U. I read the prior posts about getting 42t0825 but will I need to install another antenna? The problem is at $50+, I may just buy a new laptop.

Or, can I use this Atheros AR9281 without having to install another antenna?

pretty sure you'll need the correct antenna..

uhmm, you can get a new laptop for $50.00 where..?

FYI, the 42T0825 is the Lenovo/Atheros abgn adapter that works perfectly in any T60. You do not need to install the third antenna. In my experience, the reception with two antennas works as well as two antennas with the non-N adapter, however, there may be additional reception/performance benefits to installing/using the third antenna.

With only two antennas available, just leave the middle (third) connector unused.

You can use non-Lenovo wifi adapters, but you will probably have to use third party modified BIOS to get the machine to work/boot up.

As of late, the 42T0825 adapters were selling on eBay in the $30 range. Not too bad and I'm typing this post on a T60 that is using one with two antennas! It's fast and I've yet to have one disconnect (whereas my Intel abg adapters would let go occasionally).

Thanks for the reply. I figure if I were going to spend any more money on my laptop, I might as well get a new laptop or tablet.

underclocker wrote:FYI, the 42T0825 is the Lenovo/Atheros abgn adapter that works perfectly in any T60. You do not need to install the third antenna. In my experience, the reception with two antennas works as well as two antennas with the non-N adapter, however, there may be additional reception/performance benefits to installing/using the third antenna.

With only two antennas available, just leave the middle (third) connector unused.

You can use non-Lenovo wifi adapters, but you will probably have to use third party modified BIOS to get the machine to work/boot up.

As of late, the 42T0825 adapters were selling on eBay in the $30 range. Not too bad and I'm typing this post on a T60 that is using one with two antennas! It's fast and I've yet to have one disconnect (whereas my Intel abg adapters would let go occasionally).

Is this true for a T60p and a T61 ?
Thanks!

EDIT:
Could someone link to the ideal drivers for this adapter too?

T61 uses a different set of wireless cards when compared to T60.

Standard for T61 was pretty much Intel 4965, while for T60 it was 3945.

4965 came as AG (with n-disabled) or AGN.

If you were running T60/p with 42T0825 abgn card, and XP, this would be the driver:

http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/downloa ... MIGR-70480

When will a T60-user experience any real-life benefit from this 802.11n WLAN interface (42T0825) over a standard 802.11g Atheros-based (e.g. 39T5578) T60 WLAN interface?

Assuming a user who is on a 4 Mbit/s ADSL-line, will he/she have any advantage of the "n"-card?

Johan

Prodeje79 wrote:Is this true for a T60p and a T61 ?

Absolutely. The 42T0825 was an option for some T61 models, just take a look at the T61 HMM. In fact, I've pulled one from a T61 to use in a T60.

Prodeje79 wrote:Could someone link to the ideal drivers for this adapter too?

Drivers are on the Lenovo T60, T61 and other models drivers pages. Win 7 may include these drivers internally.

Johan wrote:When will a T60-user experience any real-life benefit from this 802.11n WLAN interface (42T0825) over a standard 802.11g Atheros-based (e.g. 39T5578) T60 WLAN interface?

Assuming a user who is on a 4 Mbit/s ADSL-line, will he/she have any advantage of the "n"-card?

Johan

Quite a good point, Johan, but only when considering Internet access. In the U.S., you'd need the top tier of Verizon FIOS (50 Mbs) to justify an N adapter for Internet access alone.

However, as in my case, I use a home server to store & backup data, photos, music, etc. The difference in throughput between "G" and "N" is immediately noticeable for file transfers between laptops and a home server. For me, the upgrade to "N" is worthwhile.

Thanks all!!!!

ajkula66 wrote:4965 came as AG (with n-disabled) or AGN.

OK right, my specs screen says N disabled.....
Can I use it somehow?

Thanks!

You can not enable an N-disabled Intel 4965 adapter. However, with a T61, you can use either the Intel 4965 or the IBM/Atheros model discussed in this thread. The Intel model is less expensive and still quite good.