Thinkpads Forum

I am currently have an X60s with 3945ABG. I am wondering if I can upgrade my wireless card to 4965AGN.
Is there any advantage for such an upgrade : better range and/or lower power consumption?
Any reply is much appreciated,

The BIOS of thinkpad X60s is not going to accept 4965AGN card.

XIII wrote:I am currently have an X60s with 3945ABG. I am wondering if I can upgrade my wireless card to 4965AGN.
Is there any advantage for such an upgrade ...

Yes, there is great advantage. It isn't so much an upgrade that one wants as it is to get rid of the Intel 3945ABG card. The Intel 4965AGN card suffers from none of the defficiencies of the 3945ABG, but -- as noted above -- the X60 BIOS will not permit that card.

However, you can change the intel 3945ABG card for the IBM/Thinkpad ABG (Atheros-based card) and you will get much better range and rock-solid connectivity. Everything you don't like about the 3945ABG will work perfectly with the IBM card.

Thanks for the reply, saving me the trouble of buying and fitting the 4965AGN into the X60s.

So, how hard is it to switch from the Intel card to the IBM card?

I am not very happy with my x60s Intel card. (It takes about 60+ seconds to find the default home hot-spot. Longer at a public wifi spot.) On the other hand the intel card in my x61s works great.

EOMtp wrote:However, you can change the intel 3945ABG card for the IBM/Thinkpad ABG (Atheros-based card) and you will get much better range and rock-solid connectivity.

I just installed an Atheros ABGN card in my T60 to achieve 802.11n connectivity.

On 802.11g, the Atheros card range and connectivity is noticeably poorer than with the Intel 3945ABG.

Cheers,

Bill B.

bill bolton wrote: I just installed an Atheros ABGN card in my T60 to achieve 802.11n connectivity.
On 802.11g, the Atheros card range and connectivity is noticeably poorer than with the Intel 3945ABG.

"Wrong" card in the context of this discussion. I did not say install an Atheros ABGN card, which is what you are referencing for comparison. I said install an IBM/Thinkpad Atheros ABG card. (Note: The Atheros ABG card is not just an ABGN card minus the N; it is a totally different card.)

However, you can change the intel 3945ABG card for the IBM/Thinkpad ABG (Atheros-based card) and you will get much better range and rock-solid connectivity. Everything you don't like about the 3945ABG will work perfectly with the IBM card.

I can vouch for this, as I did this on my T60 after suffering initially with the intel card.

EOMtp wrote:I did not say install an Atheros ABGN card

I know what you said, and made it clear that I was reporting on 802.11g performance.

Cheers,

Bill B.

I might be wrong, but I believe that you can't physically put a ABGN card into a laptop that was not designed for one. "N" connectivity requires a 3rd antenna while all "G" cards only have two. You could probably mod your laptop to accept the 3rd antenna, but the range won't be as good.

bill bolton wrote:I know what you said, and made it clear that I was reporting on 802.11g performance.

Bill, I suggest that it may be more confusing than helpful to people less knowledgeable than you when you report on the performance of a card which does not even fit the machine in question.

EOMtp wrote: on the performance of a card which does not even fit the machine in question.

The card fits and works "in the machine in question".

The message is that its an Atheros card and its 802.11g performance for me in a T60 is significantly below that of the Intel card it replaced.

bill bolton wrote:The card fits and works "in the machine in question". Exclamation Rolling Eyes

The message is that its an Atheros card and its 802.11g performance for me in a T60 is significantly below that of the Intel card it replaced.

All Atheros cards are not the same. You installed an Atheros card that does not even work in an X60s on your T60 and it worked worse than the Intel 3945ABG. That has no relevance to the fact that a different Atheros card which works in the X60s works better than the Intel 3945ABG.

I think it is customary that "the machine in question" refers to the topic being discussed, an X60s in this case, not a T60.

How about you fix your location profile NOW!