T42: Upgrading 2200BG - Which Card?

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adamlau · #1 Post by **adamlau** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 2:16 am

41N2990 New! Intel PRO/Wireless 2915ABG Mini-PCI Adapter
31P9101 ThinkPad 11a/b/g Wireless CardBus Adapter
73P4301 ThinkPad 11a/b/g Wireless LAN Mini-PCI Adapter II (US)
31P9701 ThinkPad a/b/g Wireless LAN Mini-PCI Adapter

Which card is best in terms of compatibility and performace and why the price differences between cards? Features appear very similar...

#2 Post by **bill bolton** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 3:04 am

Unless you need 802.11a, why bother? The 2200bg works fine!

Cheers,

Bill

adamlau · #3 Post by **adamlau** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 10:22 am

Unfortunately, our office is replete with 900MHz and 2.5 GHz cordless phones. Fortunately, we have A/G wireless...

#4 Post by **jdhurst** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 10:31 am

As Bill points out the Intel cards do work (finally

). But if you have to change the card anyway to get A, then my recommendation is to use the IBM card. I have the oldest in the list and it works fine. The newer II card should work as well unless anyone says otherwise. ... JD Hurst

hoya · #5 Post by **hoya** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 1:45 pm

I agree with jdhurst: my T43 with the ThinkPad 11a/b/g II card is able to find 17 base stations, while my Intel 2200 card can 'only' find 8!

FYI - 802.11b AND 802.11g both work on the 2.4GHz frequency, so I would recommend either 1) switching to 900MHz or 5.8GHz cordless phones, or 2) keeping your existing cordless phones and switching over to an 802.11a network, which operates at 5.8GHz.

I went through this dilemma and ultimately decided to upgrade to Uniden 5.8GHz cordless phones and keep my 802.11g MIMO network.

Biker2679 · #6 Post by **Biker2679** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 1:55 pm

Just so you know, I just compared the IBM Wifi II and the Intel 2200 about a week ago in some very unscientific testing. I found them pretty comparable, but I found that the 2200 had a bit more range than the Wifi II. However, you will find some people coming to the opposite conclusion, so it might vary based on the particular AP's you are connecting to.

adamlau · #7 Post by **adamlau** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 9:28 pm

Great...In that case, why IBM over Intel? What is the diff in branding?

hoya · #8 Post by **hoya** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 9:49 pm

the IBM card is made by Atheros (make of Super G branded products), while the 2200bg and 2915abg cards are made by Intel.

adamlau · #9 Post by **adamlau** » Thu Sep 29, 2005 10:51 pm

1. What advantage does Mini-PCI II provide over Mini-PCI I (if any)?
2. Why the price diff between 73P4301 vs. (the older) 31P9701? Is the 31P9701 a better (more features, better range, etc...) card?

Great support guys...I am almost ready to make a purchase...

ctbenski · #10 Post by **ctbenski** » Fri Sep 30, 2005 2:32 am

These cards differ by the chipset: Atheros AR5001X+ (newer one in the II card) vs Atheros AR5004 (the older one) chipset. I was unable to find diferences in their specs though. As for price, please look at this thread:
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... erence+ibm

ctbenski · #11 Post by **ctbenski** » Fri Sep 30, 2005 2:37 am

You may want to look here as well:
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=6241

T42: Upgrading 2200BG - Which Card?

T42: Upgrading 2200BG - Which Card?

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