Access Conn 4.0, Drivers, Verizon EVDO, 108MB and Misc

[jsteele]

Earlier this week I upgraded the WLAN drivers for my 802.11a/b/g card (model II) with an eye to trying to get 108MB with my D-Link DI-784 router. I uninstalled the Access Connection 3.71 as it had been recommended that the 108 speed would not work with Access connection but would using Windows internal WLAN management.

Using Windows management made no difference and hte highest selectable speed showed as 54MB. After I finished fiddling with this and getting no where I went back on the IBM/Lenovo site and downloaded the latest Access Connections, version 4.0. Aside from a significantly modified, and I thought confusing, user interface this version apparently supports the internal Verizon EVDO available on the newer Lenovo models.

I have a Verizon EVDO PCMCIA card so I did not expect AC 4.0 to support this directly and it didin't. So I created a connection profile for the EVDO card and specified the Verizon dialer program as provided for in the AC 4.0 configuration. However, when I went to test the EVDO, AC 4.0 did NOT launch the Verizon dialer as the previous version did --- it was necessary to manually launch the dialer.

I ended up removing AC 4.0 and installing AC 3.81. This worked fine when I configured the EVDO card and had the added advantage of retaining the older user interface.

[davidspalding]

I'm not sure I like the AC 3.81 user interface ... frankly, with added complication from McAfee Wireless Network Solution (that, despite the complication, does an admirable job of ensuring a WiFi LAN is bottled up tight), AC goes clunk once or twice before connecting.

Probably ... because McAfee's security app assumes that any Wifi user has NOTHING to manage connections but Windows. Funny. My Cisco card has an excellent location profile tool, so does my IBM mini-PCI card,.... Whatever.

I wonder what the 4.0 interface advantage is...?