X201 Wi-Fi Card(s) Questions

[raydabruce]

My X201 will arrive with the "ThinkPad b/g/n Wireless" card. Having since read that this is not such a great Wi-Fi card, I'm wondering if I have the following options:
1. Put the 6200 card from my T410 in it; or
2. Install the Intel Wi-Fi Link1000 (b/g/draft-n) card that I kept from a dead Acer laptop.

My X201 is coming with the 3x3 screen. Does anyone foresee any problems with compatibility or installation?
I don't know if the Intel 1000 card will be any better than the "Thinkpad" card, but I've had pretty good luck with the Intel cards and I think the ThinkPad card is either an Atheros or Broadcom card.
One of my concerns is Linux compatibility (driver support).
Any and all thoughts welcome.

[Harryc]

I think you'll have better luck with #1, and the 6200 is an Intel card that uses 2 antennas.

[raydabruce]

I think you'll have better luck with #1, and the 6200 is an Intel card that uses 2 antennas.

Yes, that's what someone told me elsewhere. Apparently it won't take the Wi-Fi Link1000 card since it's not a "ThinkPad branded" card. At least, not without a BIOS hack and this isn't worth the trouble and risk of that.

I'll swap the cards and probably sell the T410 with the ThinkPad card installed in it. I know I'm going to prefer the X201 due to size/portability and the 9-cell battery. I'm looking forward to NOT carrying an AC adapter around all the time.

[ThinkRob]

Yes, that's what someone told me elsewhere. Apparently it won't take the Wi-Fi Link1000 card since it's not a "ThinkPad branded" card. At least, not without a BIOS hack and this isn't worth the trouble and risk of that.

Honestly, I think the "risk" and "trouble" of a BIOS flash is vastly overstated. I've never, ever, ever seen or heard of a BIOS flash -- modified or otherwise -- result in a bricked machine

As far as the difficulty goes: it's dead simple. You burn a CD. You put the CD in the drive. You boot the machine and follow the instructions (i.e. you do the exact same procedure as is specified in the documentation for official BIOS updates.

[raydabruce]

As far as the difficulty goes: it's dead simple. You burn a CD. You put the CD in the drive. You boot the machine and follow the instructions (i.e. you do the exact same procedure as is specified in the documentation for official BIOS updates.

Yes, I've done many BIOS flashes using the mode you describe (except I usually use a bootable flash drive) but it was always for a manufacturer's update. I'm not willing to risk voiding my 3-yr Onsite Warranty just so I can use an "unapproved" wi-fi card that's not all that great anyway. I'd just as soon buy another 6200 or a 6300 and install it.

So, yeah, not worth the risk and the trouble, to me.

[ZaZ]

Having since read that this is not such a great Wi-Fi card

Why don't you wait until you get it to see if it meets your needs before you decide it's bad?

[ThinkRob]

Yes, I've done many BIOS flashes using the mode you describe (except I usually use a bootable flash drive) but it was always for a manufacturer's update. I'm not willing to risk voiding my 3-yr Onsite Warranty just so I can use an "unapproved" wi-fi card that's not all that great anyway. I'd just as soon buy another 6200 or a 6300 and install it.

So, yeah, not worth the risk and the trouble, to me.

Fair point.

I've been a lot more daring with my warrantied machines on the basis that, if a BIOS upgrade did brick my ThinkPad, the techs would have no way of knowing that short of popping the EEPROM off the planar and checksumming the contents -- something that I doubt that they'll do.

If you want a good card that has solid Linux support and won't trigger the BIOS's hissy fit, I'd recommend FRU 43Y6465. It's an Atheros-based card that works perfectly under Linux (I've used it with Debian and Fedora with no problems.) It's quite cheap too -- I found one on eBay for $20 including shipping. The only drawback is that it's not n-capable. That may or may not be a problem for you. I've never run into an n-only network, so I was fine with it, but obviously YMMV...

[bill bolton]

I've never, ever, ever seen or heard of a BIOS flash -- modified or otherwise -- result in a bricked machine

None the less, some users have reported, here and in the Lenovo Forum, that their Thinkpads have become unusable during/following a BIOS flash.

This risk is, IMO, very small, but it does happen with just about any device that has a flashable boot component.

Cheers,

Bill B.

[ThinkRob]

None the less, some users have reported, here and in the Lenovo Forum, that their Thinkpads have become unusable during/following a BIOS flash.

This risk is, IMO, very small, but it does happen with just about any device that has a flashable boot component.

Indeed. Personally, I've only ever bricked a single "flashable" device (an NSLU2) when the power died during a flash. (And even then, technically it wasn't bricked since it was really just a case of me being too lazy to break out the JTAG cables...)

[raydabruce]

Sorry, but the whole thread is pretty much moot now anyway. I got the X201 and the included card works just fine. I'm not going to do any swapping or tinkering with it. The little one is mostly just for web-surfing anyway -- I don't need dual-band, high-speed "N" for that. The 6200 in the T410 will work fine for file xfers, etc. that benefit from the faster speeds.