x30/31--adding internal wifi

[tom lightbody]

as Ray has photo-documented in case of t23s, the LCD housing is different betwixt the models with
internal wifi, and those without: you can't just plug in the mini-PCI card, hook up the existing
antenna, and yr good to go: no antenna

now how about the case of the x30? Those types listed as not having internal wifi say the
mini-PCI slot is "open"...but give no option to fill it: the listed IBM 11a/b/g Wireless CardBus
Adapter 31P9101 is (I suppose) a PCMCIA card.

the x31 looks a little different (still according to tawbook.pdf). The rather few types without
internal wireless say the mini-PCI slot is "open; wireless upg" then an option is listed 31P9701
Wireless MiniPCI adapter.

so from this dope, it looks like the x30s are in the same boat as the t23s, but that a wirelessless
x31 can be rendered wireless by popping in a mini-PCI card, the antenna already being there.

correct?

[Quattro]

it's a question of if they have antennas installed next to the LCD.

The X30 I had had an empty slot, and two disconnected wifi antennas. Install was very easy.

[rkawakami]

From a look at the tawbook and X3x HMM, it appears that the X30 systems which are said to be MiniPCI "open" in the tawbook, means that they shipped with the non-wireless lids. Therefore, there's no antennas to plug into a user-supplied MiniPCI WiFi card. Also in the tawbook, where is says "Wireless upg", it explicitly says that there are no antennas in the lid. Some X30s did ship with factory wireless already installed so if a system was received with antennas in place but no MiniPCI card, then I assume that it was removed for some reason OR the previous owner swapped the lids. A check of the type number at the Lenovo support page should reveal the original configuration.

For the X31s, they all appear to have shipped with the internal antennas in the lid so that any of those systems can be upgraded simply by popping in a proper (?) wireless card. I question "proper" since I don't know if the X31 has a whitelist of approved MiniPCI cards or not.

[mazzinia]

Yes, the x31 has a whitelist (that at the moment I don't remember).
The intel 2100bg and 2200bg are on it, by example, as for sure a couple of atheros based, a cisco, and one or two a/b/g minipci cards but obviously it's always linked to the part numbers (otherwise there's still the usual bios hack)