Wifi cards- 2 out of 3 ain't bad?

[sgmidf]

I want to upgrade my T420s Thinkpad b/g/n card to either an Intel 6205 or 6250. I've seen these cards for sale, but they may have 3 antenna connectors and the T420s has only 2. Is it OK to only use the 2 side antennas and skip the center on the card?
Also, what are these "engineering samples" that I see on EBAY?
Thanks

[lead_org]

Intel 6205 only uses 2 antennas, it is only 6300 that can use 3 antennas (although you can use only two).

[sgmidf]

Thanks. I just wanted to be sure that I COULD use 2/3 without causing problems. Can anyone shed light on the "Engineering Samples"? Do they work OK?

[andy2000]

Thanks. I just wanted to be sure that I COULD use 2/3 without causing problems. Can anyone shed light on the "Engineering Samples"? Do they work OK?

It's fine to only connect two antennas. While the third does help, you can still get good N performance with only 2 antennas. I have a 6250 N+Wimax that only has two antenna jacks, and I can't complain.

Engineering samples are fine for wi-fi, but wimax won't work on an engineering sample because it doesn't have a valid security code. Beware of relabeled engineering samples on ebay. My first 6250 looked real, but wi-max wouldn't connect, and peeling back the sticker revealed "ES" on the chip, and a QXXX code where the model number should have been.

Even for wi-fi only, I wouldn't buy an ES unless it was significantly cheaper since you're not necessarily getting final hardware, and there's no chance of support from Intel.

Won't there be an 1802 error if you buy a non-Lenovo branded card? I'm not aware of a workaround for the T410 and newer.

[sgmidf]

Well i found an Intel 6205 on Ebay for $30 and bought it. Although it looks OK (no 'engineering sample' and the correct FRU number) I installed it, it tried to install drivers but failed. There's no indication in device manager that the hardware is installed. The seller won't take it back despite having a 7 day return.

Does anyone know where there's a picture of the front ad back of a legitimate card so I can see if this is a fake? In the future, no more computer part purchases on EBAY for me.
Thanks

[andy2000]

Well i found an Intel 6205 on Ebay for $30 and bought it. Although it looks OK (no 'engineering sample' and the correct FRU number) I installed it, it tried to install drivers but failed. There's no indication in device manager that the hardware is installed. The seller won't take it back despite having a 7 day return.

Does anyone know where there's a picture of the front ad back of a legitimate card so I can see if this is a fake? In the future, no more computer part purchases on EBAY for me.
Thanks

Even an engineering sample should be detected, you just won't be able to connect to Wi-Max. It may be a BIOS white list error. Older Thinkpads gave an error at POST, but the T420 may just disable it. You can always file a claim with Paypal, and you'll almost certainly get a refund.

[emtee3511]

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