Thinkpads Forum

I have X220, 1x1 11b/g/n Wireless LAN PCI Express Half Mini Card Adapter, is it worth buying this router:
http://www.amazon.com/RT-AC66U-Dual-Ban ... pd_cp_pc_2

or should I save my money and get this router:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008OU ... PDKIKX0DER

There are so many routers in the market, and all I want to do is make sure I don't pay more for something that won't work with my X220, I tend to transfer pictures and videos from my X220 to my hard drive that is connected to my HTPC.

Currently I barely see 1.5MB/sec when I transfer files. If speed can be improved, I don't mind connecting them directly to the router.
I would appreciate guidance/opinion on this.

Thanks.

What router are you using right now?

You might see an improvement simply upgrading your WLAN card, when I first got my X200s it had a 1x1 card, upgrading to an Intel 5300 made a world of difference for me.

I am using WRT54G.

The Intel 6300 card with the ASUS RT-AC66U router on the 5GHz band in N-mode will get you circa 400Mbps in the "vicinity" of the router.

The maximum i could get from the ThinkPad 1x1 card with a 450 mbps capable router was 150 mbps. The 2x2 ThinkPad card can get around 300 mbps.

hyde wrote:I am using WRT54G.

OK so before you even think about testing the performance of the existing card you'll need a new router...

My vote - if you want to spend the $$$ - goes to Asus 66. If you don't feel like parting with a buck and still getting decent performance check Engenius products.

lead_org wrote:The maximum i could get from the ThinkPad 1x1 card with a 450 mbps capable router was 150 mbps. The 2x2 ThinkPad card can get around 300 mbps.

That sounds very low...I'm getting 300Mbps with an ancient T60-era abgn (42T0825) with two antennae only, and 450Mbps with Apple's Airport in a FrankenPad, also with two antennae.

Can these new cards really be *that* bad?

I see that 66 is AC. I don't think we can take advantage of the 802.11ac regardless of which card we get on X220, is that correct?
If we are just going to use the 450mbps 802.11n, I found a Belkin at Costco for $99 and a Netgear for $129.
If you all think it is the thinkpad b/g/n, I can try to replace it with Intel.

Well, get the proper dual-band router first and see how it works with your current card.

The Engenius which I'm currently using is around $90 on NewEgg with free shipping...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... alParent=1

Thanks. I think I checked that engenius product out in the past, video looks very familiar!

hyde wrote:I have X220, 1x1 11b/g/n Wireless LAN PCI Express Half Mini Card Adapter, is it worth buying this router:
http://www.amazon.com/RT-AC66U-Dual-Ban ... pd_cp_pc_2

or should I save my money and get this router:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008OU ... PDKIKX0DER

There are so many routers in the market, and all I want to do is make sure I don't pay more for something that won't work with my X220, I tend to transfer pictures and videos from my X220 to my hard drive that is connected to my HTPC.

Currently I barely see 1.5MB/sec when I transfer files. If speed can be improved, I don't mind connecting them directly to the router.
I would appreciate guidance/opinion on this.

Thanks.

Before I give you recommendations, a little primer about 802.11n speeds.

802.11n as several speeds, as you are indeed aware. These are due to using varying numbers of streams. Each stream is capable of doing 150Mbps, and the standard specifies a choice of 1, 2, 3, and 4 streams each for Tx/Rx (transmit/receive). Before you ask, 4-stream N hasn't been put into a shipped product yet. These are listed in specs as MxN setups, where M is the number of Rx streams and N the number of Tx streams (could be the other way round, you hardly see asymmetric designs, but they do exist and I pass on them).

Now, you have a 1x1 card, which means a single-stream card, so a max of 150Mbps. In addition, you are only on the 2.4GHz band, which is often congested by other devices, so you see lower speeds. So, in order to properly upgrade your LAN, you'd need to upgrade both your router and your wifi card.

First, let's talk wifi cards: Due to the X220's design, the 3rd wifi antenna is placed where the webcam is, so if you have the webcam, get an intel 6205 chip, the best dual-stream, dual-band capable wifi card. If you don't have the webcam, get the intel 6300, even if you only get an dual-stream router, since it has an extra antenna, thus giving better range, and since its the top-end chip, will also tend to be from a higher-grade bin (ask/Google it) and should theoretically perform better. Note that you can always get the 6300 and connect only antennas 1 and 2 and it will work just like an intel 62xx - I've done it on an older laptop. I also eventually ducktaped a third antenna to said laptop, but I digress.

Now, on to routers: There are realistically only 2 router classes I'd consider buying: N600 and AC1750, both dual band, the N600 being dual-stream and the AC1750 being a full triple-stream 802.11ac router. Now for specific recommendations:

For the N600 case, I'd go for a WNDR3700, and the AC1750, an Asus RT-AC66U. Personally, I'm a fan of the WNDR3700: its core configuration (CPU, RAM, ethernet switch) is very close, if not identical to the higher end R6300 (Netgear's AC1750 router), while being substantially cheaper, especially since you are unlikely to ever need more than 300Mbps over wifi. Then again, I plug my X220 Tablet via some CAT-6 cabling when I'm at my desk, so I may not be the best judge here...

The Asus RT-AC66 is currently the best AC router on the market according to smallnetbuilder, so its a good investment, but don't be afraid of the lower speeds: do your big transfers over wired ethernet and 300Mbps is more than good enough, especially since both N600 routers and AC1750 routers are essentially all equipped with gigabit ethernet.

ZeDestructor wrote: The Asus RT-AC66 is currently the best AC router on the market according to smallnetbuilder, so its a good investment, but don't be afraid of the lower speeds: do your big transfers over wired ethernet and 300Mbps is more than good enough, especially since both N600 routers and AC1750 routers are essentially all equipped with gigabit ethernet.

Thanks for all you posted above, great explanation and make a lot of sense. I had my eye on AC66 for a while but never going on sale kept me from buying it (and of course not being able to take full advantage of it).


I have a webcam, so I guess 3x3 is not an option. I can go with 6205, is this what you are referring to: http://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-Lenovo-Thin ... 3a812eb9cb It has two connectors for antenna, will I need to fabricate antenna wires for it? Or is it OK as is?

I am getting tired of the slow wifi, I just noticed I have been getting bottleneck'ed and internet was slow due to wifi. I ran a speed test on my wired computer and came up 32mbps while thinkpad constantly got 12mbps. I hooked it up to ethernet, and 32+ was the result. So I definitely need to go up to 802.11n asap. Yes, for large file transfers I will still use ethernet, but it was painful even when all I wanted to is stream movies or copy some pictures back and forth. Just sluggish...

I was at Costco and they had a Netgear N900 for $120 and Belkin AC900 for $90

Since I won't have AC card anytime soon and won't be able to use 3x3 due to webcam, instead of Asus AC66 what would you say is the best way to go? I understand 5ghz doesn't have a good range, and for that I am willing to move my router closer to living room, which will also help with transfers via ethernet when needed. I can also eliminate having to buy another switch (currently on 100mbps) by bringing router closer to HTPC.

hyde wrote:Thanks for all you posted above, great explanation and make a lot of sense. I had my eye on AC66 for a while but never going on sale kept me from buying it (and of course not being able to take full advantage of it).


I have a webcam, so I guess 3x3 is not an option. I can go with 6205, is this what you are referring to: http://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-Lenovo-Thin ... 3a812eb9cb It has two connectors for antenna, will I need to fabricate antenna wires for it? Or is it OK as is?

I am getting tired of the slow wifi, I just noticed I have been getting bottleneck'ed and internet was slow due to wifi. I ran a speed test on my wired computer and came up 32mbps while thinkpad constantly got 12mbps. I hooked it up to ethernet, and 32+ was the result. So I definitely need to go up to 802.11n asap. Yes, for large file transfers I will still use ethernet, but it was painful even when all I wanted to is stream movies or copy some pictures back and forth. Just sluggish...

I was at Costco and they had a Netgear N900 for $120 and Belkin AC900 for $90

Since I won't have AC card anytime soon and won't be able to use 3x3 due to webcam, instead of Asus AC66 what would you say is the best way to go? I understand 5ghz doesn't have a good range, and for that I am willing to move my router closer to living room, which will also help with transfers via ethernet when needed. I can also eliminate having to buy another switch (currently on 100mbps) by bringing router closer to HTPC.

That is indeed the correct card. No rewiring is needed: Lenovo has already got it all in place. Check out the Hardware Maintenance Manual from the support site and have a read, because Lenovo has the wifi card underneath the keyboard as opposed to beneath the bottom panel like my Dell Latitudes. Best dismantle it properly the first time .

As for ac support, Intel silently added this baby and are already selling to OEMs: http://ark.intel.com/products/75439/Int ... ss-AC-7260 . Should be majorly out around the Haswell launch and availability should pick up together with Haswell machines as returns happen and production ramps up.

I tend to avoid Belkin hardware: I don't like their firmware, and their thinking that soldering antenna cables to motherboards is a good idea. As I said above, the WNDR3700 (Netgear N600) s my default router, but depending on the price difference between it and the WNDR4500 (Netgear N900), the WNDR4500 may well end up as a better bargain.

For your worries about 5GHz not having therange: don't worry too much about it: the reduced congestion willl probably have a greater effect than the reduced range, ymmv, as usual. Secondly, Intel cards are well-regarded for a good reason: they're the best out there, and oftentimes, give a boost to range from the better components.

You should get a switch if you need the ports in another room though. the Netgear GS108/GS108E/GS108T (and related GS105 and GS116) are good switches, I own a GS108E myself, and not too expensive. A godsend if you have a bunch of networked gear in your living room/office/computer room: no matter how you cut it, wired still trumps wireless, as my housemate proves everyday when he play LoL.

Thanks.
I will run a comparison right away on routers and see if N900 is much more expensive or similar, then go with it, since it is Costco, I can't go wrong with their warranty/return policy, although I see that it is cheaper on Amazon today. If N600 is considerably cheaper (I see it around 79 mark at newegg), I might as well go with it.

In the office we use GS108 and those things are awesome, thank god I never experienced any problems, and speed is excellent even when some of the workstations we have are 100mbps. I have two of these chained, and I will have to get another one soon.

I will also look for a better listing or a better place to buy the card, ebay seems to be "as is" or "no warranty", any ideas? When my keyboard failed, I was able to replace it myself. Same with something else, I forgot what, that required me to access the behind the keyboard, it wasn't a fun experience, I know what you mean..

I wanted to try before I buy the new router, so I just tested a buffalo Nfiniti router by setting it to N only, my Thinkpad cannot connect to the router anymore.
After setting the router to N-Only, is there anything I need to do on my laptop? It rejects the connection immediately after I select the SSID and hit connect.

hyde wrote:I wanted to try before I buy the new router, so I just tested a buffalo Nfiniti router by setting it to N only, my Thinkpad cannot connect to the router anymore.
After setting the router to N-Only, is there anything I need to do on my laptop? It rejects the connection immediately after I select the SSID and hit connect.

Check your encryption settings: N requires WPA2-AES encryption to work

Also check your wifi card settings: it may be set to b/g-only mode as well.

ZeDestructor wrote: Check your encryption settings: N requires WPA2-AES encryption to work

Also check your wifi card settings: it may be set to b/g-only mode as well.

Thank you.


You were right about encryption, although I was not getting faster speeds.
Anyway, I bought a Netgear router today. I went with Netgear's AC1450 which has 450mbps at 2.4Ghz + 975mbps at 5Ghz

In the router 2.4Ghz is set as NETGEAR99 (b/g/n) and 5Ghz is set as NETGREAR99-5G (a/n/ac).
From my Thinkpad, I only detect NETGEAR99, I don't see the other one as available (as you [ZeDestructor] mentioned above, I understand I can't see 5Ghz networks using the existing card).
Also, I checked, n is turned ON in the network card, unless there is somewhere else I should check? Ideally, I should now be getting 150mbps, but I am getting exactly half, 72mbps.





PS: Local seller did not have the Intel card in stock. I will re-order from ebay today.

I'm using netgear's WNDR4500 router with Intel's 6300 3x3 and within two meters from router I'm getting 450mbps.
In whole house getting ~ 270-360 mbps.
Outside on the garden then ~ 240 mbps.

Think that upgrade for Intel's 6300 or 5300 is worth it.

Can't wait to get my Intel card.
Why did you go with 5300 instead of 6205 or 6300?

It's alive..

Thank you all who took time to respond.



Bought the card from: http://www.ebay.com/itm/281087951228



However, around 22' with direct line of sight, the connection seem to hover between 150 - 250 - 300 mbps with no change to signal strength. When moving around to 50' away, it drops down significantly, with no apparent impact on signal quality. I remember 2.4ghz used to be exact opposite, signal would go down to 2-3 bars, but it would remain at 56mbps, with 5Ghz, it is opposite. Will need to get extenders or switch to my older router as bridge to use in the back rooms.