Progress on X61 hot handrest under Linux.

[X61-Stand]

I installed Opensuse 11.4 on my X61t and managed to tweak the driver for the centrino wifi card to enable power management on. This was based on someone else's fix previously listed (can't take full credit). Now that the power management is on, I have been playing with various tweaks. It works a little better but it's still pretty hot.

http://forums.opensuse.org/english/get- ... ost2346382

If anyone thinks they'd like to try some tweaks, read through the iwconfig documentation and make your suggestions. I'll let you know how it works. I've recently been trying
iwconfig wlan0 power timeout 100U
iwconfig wlan0 power txpower 1mW

It's better but still pretty hot.

I'd like to just remove this card and use a USB wifi solution. I think it's just a problem of the wifi radio frequencies coupling pretty well to the water in your hand. Can anyone suggest a USB wifi replacement that works under linux?

[sportfreak]

This module is one of the smallest ones out there .. that either dont overheat nor overheat (again)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6833315091

Drivers on the Edimax site only work with 32 bit. If you are running linux 64 you need to get the drivers from the Realtek site (chip manufacturer) search rtl8192cu.

I have this one paired up with my x61 when docked in as my HTPC .. left it running for months widout rebooting and NO heat issues .. let me know if this helps ..

[X61-Stand]

Wow, that is small. I ended going with something called the Black Knight. It's huge but mostly gets the job done. It starts kernel panic in Ubuntu if you resume from sleep where the wireless driver was enabled at the time. It's probably an Ubuntu issue, though. Too bad I didn't buy that one.

[sportfreak]

oh well too late .. next time someone is looking for a small/best/feasible solution for USB wireless, this thread should be a wee bit helpful i suppose ..

[kamaleon]

This module is one of the smallest ones out there ...

omg are you kidding me ? Didn't even realize this sort of stuff existed! How good does this thing actually work?

[sportfreak]

well its good for everything
like i mentioned earlier, i use this when my X61 is docked in as an HTPC .. and trust me has never let me down ..
i mean what else do we want .. linux compatible .. doesnt get hot .. and even used in battery mode, definitely consumes less power, and hence more battery and dont forget that price ...
a one-in-a-while awesome product ..

[kamaleon]

sounds too good to be true... the question is how well does it pick up and handle wifi compared to intel's mini pci card?

[sportfreak]

the only thing i vouch for, is its always connected .. i move my laptop around the house .. in the backyard .. etc etc., never dropped a connection .. i mean is there any other way i can test .. the intel card had dropped my wifi connection many times while streaming netflix while sitting down in the backyard, but would eventually connect .. never had that issue with this guy piggybacking ..