Wireless for R30

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r2d2 · #1 Post by **r2d2** » Sat Feb 23, 2008 11:34 pm

I want to make some mods in my R30 like putting in a wifi card. Can this be done on an R30? I know I need a wifi card mini pci, would any mini pci wifi card work (ex. 2200bg)? Also i may need the wires that make up for antenna (i do not know the term for this sorry). Where can I buy this? Is this available from any computer store or i can only find this online?

ajkula66 · #2 Post by **ajkula66** » Sun Feb 24, 2008 12:33 am

You may want to search around the forum for some of these answers, since people around here have been installing antennas in next to every ThinkPad imaginable...your best bet would be to find a dead R30 with integrated wi-fi on eBay and just swap the lids.

Google is your friend. And so is "search" option on eBay.

These machines originally shipped with the same wireless b/modem combo card as did T23 and A31. Be prepared to hack the BIOS if you're intent on using any other card. That being said, Intel 2200BG has the best chance of working in that machine altogether.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

r2d2 · #3 Post by **r2d2** » Sun Feb 24, 2008 2:08 am

George thanks for the reply. I have a 2200bg already but i noticed that the antennas on eBay has a sort of metal at the other end, the end that goes into the lcd frame. i am having second thoughts because i do not have any idea if it willl fit. that is also the reason why i ask if it is just available in any computer store because i want to see it for real

.

My R30 has current BIOS but i do not know anything about hacking it so i might just leave it as it is and pray that the 2200bg would work which i believe it will.

Thanks again.

#4 Post by **underclocker** » Sun Feb 24, 2008 8:46 am

R30's can be upgraded to internal wireless (and those with existing internal wireless can be upgraded to G). I've done it both ways.

See this link --> http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=46495

And this link --> http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=56658

And why not this one --> http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=56730

Good luck.

awong · #5 Post by **awong** » Mon Feb 25, 2008 2:20 am

not sure if the r30 will have the same issue, but I get really lower signal compared to a pcmcia card with internal wifi on my r31, enough to see my home network, but cant see anything past my house unlike my pcmcia

virge · #6 Post by **virge** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 3:05 pm

awong: Where did you mount the antennas? I have a R30 with the 13.3" LCD and there is plenty of room in the lid (don't know about the 14.1" though) for the antennas so I mounted them there. Reception the same as on my T41 with factory antennas.

Andy

awong · #7 Post by **awong** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 1:08 pm

I have them mounted inside the lid but my antennas arent long enough so its more in the middle of the lid corner sides

r2d2 · #8 Post by **r2d2** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 1:32 am

awong... i tried it on my R31 (swapped net. cards with R30 because i always hang using wireless) but I still get a system hang after a few minutes of use. I thought at first I was overheating but it only happens when i use wireless.

any ideas why is this so? RAM reqs? or just a problematic 2200bg? I have read 2200bg has problems but only due to a certain driver release. I am using the one from IBM website but I still crash. Is it my antenna perhaps?

kajencik · #9 Post by **kajencik** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 5:37 am

Hello, am I getting it right? both laptops crashes after a while when you put the 2200bg but without it works fine? I don't think this is a driver issue, I have faulty 2100b which in my R40 caused every minute interrupt storm causing the laptop stopped responding for a second or two, quite anoying, and it randomly keeps loosing signal in my R40e, after I fitted other miniPCI's there is no problem, so I recommend to get a new one, they are quite el cheapo nowadays.

awong · #10 Post by **awong** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 10:28 am

thats the issue I've had with both the 2200bg and 2915abg, I've tried messing with the IRQ settings, and taking less components off and it just still froze, it was very unpredictable. I've put an atheros wifi on it and on linux havent had any issues, I havent had a chance to try it on windows yet.

r2d2 · #11 Post by **r2d2** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 11:30 am

yes both hang when i use 2200bg and i have two 2200bg (one spare lying around) but i still crash even if i use the spare 2200bg. so i think 2200bg has a problem.

i still cannot really put a finger on it as it hangs after some time of use. with the first 2200bg, i was using it for 30 or so minutes already. when i used my spare, it did not even take 5 minutes then it froze.

i will try atheros as i think it is well recommended here.

by the way, any specific atheros minipci that would work 'well' with my R3x?

awong · #12 Post by **awong** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 11:34 am

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-802-11g-Wireles ... dZViewItem
that one worked for me in linux

r2d2 · #13 Post by **r2d2** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 11:55 am

thanks... would this also work?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... :IT&ih=002

awong · #14 Post by **awong** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 4:39 pm

it should work, I have an ar5212 and no problems. I think the thinkpads that didnt come with any internal wireless dont have the bios lock, as an HP broadcom worked on my r31.

r2d2 · #15 Post by **r2d2** » Sun Mar 09, 2008 12:24 am

Comrades... i think i know what is causing the freeze/hang. I noticed whatever WiFi mini pci card i use, it seems to overheat. I can surf the net for hours when wired to my router but can only last 30minutes to an hour if i do wifi.

Has anyone experienced this? Or is this even possible?

awong · #16 Post by **awong** » Sun Mar 09, 2008 12:56 am

I do notice it gets hot, but it doesnt explain why with an atheros I can surf all day and not have locking up issues, maybe if there is a way to tell if the intel runs hotter than the atheros. I tried it with the cover open but it didnt make a difference

r2d2 · #17 Post by **r2d2** » Sun Mar 09, 2008 2:09 am

awong... i got the card being sold in eBay (the one in the link you posted previously). it runs ok but it also heats up and i get a hang still. the only difference is that this time i can use it longer at least longer than with 2200bg.

by the way.. are you using atheros with linux or with XP? i use XP and am planning to run PClinuxOS just to test if it is OS related.

awong · #18 Post by **awong** » Sun Mar 09, 2008 12:46 pm

I am using ubuntu on my r31, try it on linux, it might not freeze, I think the last time I used windows in a non virtual enviornment on my r31 I remember had some weird error so I could not get it to work on xp. But I dont have an extra hd to test it out. All I know is it seems linux doesnt cause the card to lock up,

r2d2 · #19 Post by **r2d2** » Sun Mar 09, 2008 12:56 pm

Andrew, thanks for the reply. I am running live CD for PCLinuxOS and I am running for like 10mins or so. I am testing now with multiple windows and see what happens.

[more than an hour later....]

still running in linux. trying back with XP.

r2d2 · #20 Post by **r2d2** » Sun Mar 09, 2008 10:56 pm

Andrew... somehow I still get freezes on XP but not on Linux. This is just strange. Oh well, might as well run linux in this Thinkpad.

awong · #21 Post by **awong** » Mon Mar 10, 2008 11:23 am

yeah this is really strange, not sure whats happening on the windows side to cause it to lock up. You tried windows 2000?

What about a wireless B card minipci similar to what the r31 with internal wifi had?

Not sure about broadcom cards, which I want to try, I only tried it on linux for a few minutes since I took it off a friends HP. But getting it setup and working correctly in linux was more hassle than the atheros (ndiswrapper, and connecting to open networks like a library had issues in ubuntu)

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