Which WiFi for T520

T400/410/420 and T500/510/520 series specific matters only
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mdclow
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Which WiFi for T520

#1 Post by mdclow » Fri Dec 09, 2011 9:10 pm

I am planing my purchase of a T520 (1600 x 900 & Nvidia GPU). Which of the Wifi options should I get? I have no idea of the features/performance of any of them.

ThinkPad b/g/n
Intel Centrino Wireless-N 1000
Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 (2x2 AGN)
Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 (3x3 AGN)
Intel Centrino Advanced-N + WiMAX 6250
Michael Clow


ThinkPad T530 2359-CTO: i7-3520M (up to 3.60 GHz) 16GB RAM, 250GB Samsung 840 SSD, 15.6" 1600 x 900 LED, NVIDIA NVS 5400M Graphics with Optimus Technology

ThinkPad T60: 8744-5BU T7200(2GHz), 4GB RAM, 256GB Crucial C-300 SSD HD, 15.4in 1680x1050 LCD

ZaZ
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Re: Which WiFi for T520

#2 Post by ZaZ » Sat Dec 10, 2011 3:18 am

I went with the ThinkPad card mainly cause I'm cheap. It's a Realtek card. I mainly just use it for internet purposes and for that it works fine. I'd say the 6250 card only has value if you plan to use WiMax.
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wolfman
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Re: Which WiFi for T520

#3 Post by wolfman » Sat Dec 10, 2011 8:14 am

I went with the Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 (3x3 AGN). I also am cheap (according to my wife) but prefer to label myself as frugal. :lol: I also have plaster walls in the house and wanted to ensure good signal on my deck, which is the farthest point from my router. The 6300 works hands down better than any previous wifi card in any of my personal Thinkpads or work Thinkpads. It's probably a less than $40 option - I'd personally consider it money well spent.
Thinkpad T420 | Core i-5 2520M | 16gb RAM | 120gb Intel 520 SSD + 750gb 7200 RPM | 6300 N | Ubuntu 12.04 x64
Desktop: AMD FX-8350 (8 cores) | 32gb ECC RAM | 240gb Intel 530 SSD + 1tb 7200 RPM | Ubuntu 14.04 x64 | HP ZR24w
Previous Thinkpads: A21m, R40, X61, T410

EOMtp
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Re: Which WiFi for T520

#4 Post by EOMtp » Sat Dec 10, 2011 10:12 am

wolfman wrote:The 6300 works hands down better than any previous wifi card in any of my personal Thinkpads or work Thinkpads.
+1.

sir_synthsalot
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Re: Which WiFi for T520

#5 Post by sir_synthsalot » Sat Dec 10, 2011 1:45 pm

I know it's not exactly a scientific test but I got an extra bar on my home network upgrading from the Realtek card to the 6300. It also detects more networks with the 6300 card. Because the 6300 uses 3 antennas and the Realtek card only 1 I think you do get better signal. I'm not sure what other performance differences there are.
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Re: Which WiFi for T520

#6 Post by WA2SI » Wed Dec 14, 2011 4:14 am

I have a W520 w/the 6300 card. Hands down the best reception I've ever experienced on any of my machines. Good luck and enjoy.

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mdclow
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Re: Which WiFi for T520

#7 Post by mdclow » Wed Dec 14, 2011 9:53 pm

Thanks for the info. To me it looks like the 6300 is the way to go.
Michael Clow


ThinkPad T530 2359-CTO: i7-3520M (up to 3.60 GHz) 16GB RAM, 250GB Samsung 840 SSD, 15.6" 1600 x 900 LED, NVIDIA NVS 5400M Graphics with Optimus Technology

ThinkPad T60: 8744-5BU T7200(2GHz), 4GB RAM, 256GB Crucial C-300 SSD HD, 15.4in 1680x1050 LCD

mixz1
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Re: Which WiFi for T520

#8 Post by mixz1 » Thu Dec 15, 2011 8:54 am

WA2SI wrote:I have a W520 w/the 6300 card. Hands down the best reception I've ever experienced on any of my machines. Good luck and enjoy.

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk
I can agree with that. I have never had the reception I'm enjoying with this T520 and the 6300 card.
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T520 W7 Pro 8 GB memory
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Re: Which WiFi for T520

#9 Post by SaberX » Thu Dec 15, 2011 7:38 pm

sir_synthsalot wrote: Because the 6300 uses 3 antennas and the Realtek card only 1 I think you do get better signal. I'm not sure what other performance differences there are.
My buddy just got the T420s with the lowest wi fi card, the realtek card. It does have 3 antennas on it with 3 wires connected to it.
It's very poor card for wi fi.My buddy is looking at getting the Intel 6300-N.

On another note, i just got a T410 with wi fi intel 6200-N card and it's great.It picks up wireless singles that that other laptops could not...

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sysiphus
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Re: Which WiFi for T520

#10 Post by sysiphus » Tue Dec 20, 2011 1:11 am

I'm extremely happy with my 6205, but the 6300 is notably better under the right conditions (my buddy has an otherwise-matching T520 with 6300). The 6205 is still way better than what most computers have.
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sir_synthsalot
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Re: Which WiFi for T520

#11 Post by sir_synthsalot » Tue Dec 20, 2011 11:04 am

SaberX wrote:My buddy just got the T420s with the lowest wi fi card, the realtek card. It does have 3 antennas on it with 3 wires connected to it.
It's very poor card for wi fi.My buddy is looking at getting the Intel 6300-N.

On another note, i just got a T410 with wi fi intel 6200-N card and it's great.It picks up wireless singles that that other laptops could not...
My Realtek card had only two connectors but I think when people say it uses 3 antenas that refers to MIMO technology and not the physical number of antenas. The Realtek card is 1x2 MIMO and the Intel 6300 card is 3x3 MIMO.
I'M DONE WITH THINKPADS, JUST DONE!!!

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Re: Which WiFi for T520

#12 Post by EOMtp » Thu Dec 22, 2011 1:35 pm

SaberX wrote:... intel 6200-N card and it's great.It picks up wireless singles ...
Remarkable Intel technology -- my previous card picked up only signals!

chairsky
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Re: Which WiFi for T520

#13 Post by chairsky » Sun Dec 25, 2011 6:07 am

Thinkpad BGN is even better at signal capturing compared with 6205N according to my experience.
And WIDI/mywifi is pretty lousy at least in my instance.
You don't have to pay extra money for a worse card.

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