A31 2652 wireless card

[8track]

Hello,
I have a A31 Type 2652 that has an empty slot for a wireless card. I would like to add a card and have seen cards listed on eBay for @$40.00. Is it simply a plug and play or do I have to check to see if I have an internal antenna? Any idea what model number wireless card I should get?

On another question.I would like to replace the internal CD Rom drive (FRU P/N 27L4301) with one that can read DVD's to watch movies. Suggestions? I assume the optical drive bay is proprietary?
Thanks for any input.
Patrick

[Neil]

Hi Patrick, welcome to the forum.

Yes, check to make sure you have antenna before buying a internal wifi adapter. If you don't have antenna you can be sure that installation will be much easier, and performance better, with a PCMCIA adapter.

As for the other question, any UltraBay Plus DVD or CDRW/DVD drive should work.

[RealBlackStuff]

As to wifi cards, you need to look for MiniPCI cards for the wifi types: 802.11abg, 802.11bg, 802.11g, or if you need anything faster, there's also 802.11n, in combination with any of the above (e.g. 802.11bgn.
The g type is currently the most common.
A favorite on this forum seems to be the Intel 2200BG, not well liked is Intel 2915BG.
Lots of people prefer the Atheros chip based cards.
And on eBay these should be available around $10-15, similar prices in our Market forum, from where you should buy before going to eBay.

[8track]

Thanks, Neil and RealBlackStuff for your input. I didn't know about the marketplace,cool.
How can I tell if I have an internal antenna?
Patrick

[ajkula66]

What's the full model number of your A31, 2652-???

[mediasponge]

How can I tell if I have an internal antenna?

Easy way? Open the cover for the mini-PCI and see small coax cables dangling. One would be labeled Main and the other Aux. I believe there are also diagonal lines in one area on the side of the lid if it has the antennae. You can also remove the keyboard. If the cables are in the lid, and not dangling out the bottom, they might be sitting on top of the MB under the keyboard. If they aren't under the kyb, odds are you don't have them in the lid. This means the PCMCIA card is the best bet.

[8track]

OK!
I replaced the motherboard so my current setup is as follows:
The lower half (no screen) is a: 2652- D3U-S/N 78-CGAT1
The upper half (screen) is a: 2652- C3U-S/N 78-TZKHB

Thanks.

[ajkula66]

No wireless antennae on either of these.

[ElbertR]

If you don't mind taking the whole laptop and screen apart, you can add the wireless antenna yourself. Look up the partnumber on the Lenovo website and order it from a parts supplier (or check ebay).

Follow the Hardware Maintenance manual instructions on how to take the laptop apart.

I have done this at least a dozen times and can now complete this in less than 15 minutes.