X61 WWAN, is it any use?

[Thinkpaddict]

I got a Thinkpad X61 with the Verizon WWAN, and I'd like to know if it's of any use to me. Can it be used for anything else but Verizon? Replaced with anything else? Heck, even a dedicated FM radio card would be nice.

My carrier is T-Mobile.

Thanks,

Thinkpaddict

[RealBlackStuff]

It's only the card itself, which needs Verizon to work.
You can buy universal cards like the Gobi 2000, which also has GPS in it.
Make sure it is unlocked!
You can put other cards in as well: http://www.sevenforums.com/overclocking ... p-mod.html

[Nprod]

You can probably get an unlocking service like DC Unlocker to unlock your card, but you'll have to pay something like 15-20$ for the service. Which model is it exactly? Most likely it's a Sierra Wireless card.

[Thinkpaddict]

@RealBlackStuff:
Thank you, that is perfect. I think a card with GPS capability like the Gobi 2000 would be a good choice for me. This wouldn't require any soldering though, would it? I'm a little confused by the link you posted, it looks like that would be to add an additional mini PCI-E slot or to adapt other types of cards?

@Nprod:
That's an interesting suggestion, thanks. I'll look into it. But it looks like the Gobi 2000 cards are around $20 too. And I don't know if the card in my X61 would have GSM capability, I guess it would just be CDMA. I haven't received this laptop yet.

[Nprod]

Yeah it's possible. First thing to do is check which card you have though. To install any newer card like the Gobi2000 you will need to flash the BIOS (Middleton). The factory BIOS contains a list of cards accepted by Lenovo, and putting anything else will be blocked unless you flash a modified one. Gobi2000's are found in X201's, but even if they are Lenovo-branded, the X61 BIOS is probably going to reject them.

No soldering is needed. Normally one has to make sure their X61 has a second PCI-e slot for the WAN card and a SIM card reader on the bottom next to the memory. But since your notebook already has WAN installed, you can be certain it has everything...

I flashed my X61T with Middleton BIOS, i'm using the Sierra MC8781 card and everything works perfectly. It also supports GPS, but i haven't been able to get a fix on any satellites. Have not tested it outdoors yet though...

[Thinkpaddict]

[...]
I flashed my X61T with Middleton BIOS, i'm using the Sierra MC8781 card and everything works perfectly. It also supports GPS, but i haven't been able to get a fix on any satellites. Have not tested it outdoors yet though...

Thank you, that's what I wanted to hear. My X61 should be here anytime soon, and then I can figure out what card it has.

I'll look up the Middleton BIOS to figure out what I need to do. Hopefully when the flash procedure is done properly there are no risks intrinsic to the BIOS itself capable of doing something bad to the computer.

[Thinkpaddict]

It looks like my X61 has a Sierra Wireless MC5725. The drivers weren't pre-installed, so I grabbed them from the Lenovo site. I didn't install any GPS program nor tried to figure out if there was any data coming out of the COM port. Based on preliminary information found online it looks like Verizon might have locked GPS functionality to be used with only its own software.

If I end up keeping this ThinkPad (waiting to hear from the seller about a supervisor password), I will probably swap out the card with a Gobi 2000, or maybe something to pick up FM based on RealBlackStuff's information.