R40 2681-CEU has no wifi antennas?

[chenimen]

I just got my hands on a R40 2681-CEU and purchased a wireless mini-pci card to install but once I opened the sucker up I found that there are no antennas to connect it to! Now I only get wireless signal if I'm *ehem* 2ft from the access point

I can't return the miniPCI card so here is my question:

Can I get wireless antennas installed on? Is it worth it or should I just go buy a PCMCIA card instead (I don't really want to do this b/c I don't wanna use up unnecessary system resources)?

Cheers

[chenimen]

It's confirmed that the R40 2681-CEU model does not have wifi antennas according to the hardware manual (matrix on page 134).

ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mo ... 3n6183.pdf

Has anyone had experience using aftermarket antennas (like the ones found on ebay) on their systems? How well do they perform? Would I be better off using PCMCIA instead?

Cheers

[ctcheung]

I would suggest you to get a PCMCIA instead of mini pci card as you need to buy a used antenna which cost you US$10, or more. You can get the pcmcia more or less this price and it is easier to install. Secondly if you have a combo card inside, you may lose the function of the modem after installed the wifi mini-pci card.

[bontistic]

If you're concerned about which one is easiest and cheapest to do, probably the PCCard is the way to go for you.

But if you're concerned about not having something sticking out from the side of your laptop or increasing overall value and know how to use a screwdriver and possibly some other hand tools, I'd say get the antennas, the maintenance manual and start installing.

ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/mo ... 3n6183.pdf

Also, as long as you're using wireless, it WILL use a lot of resources.

[chenimen]

I would prefer to use the Mini PCI option because A) I already have the card and B) I don't really want to have something sticking out the side. Also, I thought another benefit for using Mini PCI is that it uses less resources than PCMCIA... but maybe I'm wrong here (could've gotten it mixed up with USB?). I've also heard that internal antennas get better signal strength than PCMCIA cards too.

I'll prolly search around locally to see if I can get my hands on some antennas so I can save on shipping but will prolly have to resort to online. I have extensive experience with working on desktops and after reviewing the maintenance manual it seems to be a walk in the park (famous last words of course)

Wish me luck! Will post an update on my install experiences if I ever get to tracking down those elusive aftermarket antennas!

Thanks for everyone's input
Cheers!