laptop wireless card vs. usb

Adcadet

Adcadet

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Hey gang,
My old 802.11b wireless card for my oldish laptop has gone missing. My wife and I are going on vacation soon, and there's wifi access where we're going. I've got work I would like to do that would benefit from wireless access, and the internet keeps me wife sane. We're leaving soon (Friday very early AM), and I have many gift cards from Best Buy I can use (the fam thinks they're good gifts, and honestly I think BB has improved in the past few years).

Anyway, my debates are:
- PCMCIA vs. USB: USB would be nice as I could use it on a desktop PC if I ever wanted to. My old laptop only does USB 1.1 and the newer stuff is USB 2. Any reason USB 1.1 isn't sufficient to run a wireless card?
- 802.11 b vs. g vs draft-n: I only run 802.11b here at home and most places I go are b. The price premium for g is minimal to none, so a g card seems like a reasonable choice. I'm not sure I have any use for draft-n stuff, as I really don't do any heavy duty networking stuff. But its range is better from what I understand. The price premium for draft-n stuff is about $40, and of course, the risk that what I get isn't final-n compatible.

Any major brands or devices you guys would avoid? Any that are really worth buying? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
ddrueding

ddrueding

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If you can get a PCMCIA card small enough that you will leave it in the laptop (so it doesn't "go missing" again), do that. Otherwise, you might as well have the additional usefullness of a USB card. b+g is a definate yes; draft-n is neat, but unsupported most places and IMHO unnecessary for internet stuff.

Were I shopping for myself, I would be looking for a PCMCIA card that supported an external antenna; just in case that AP is a but too far away ;)
 
Adcadet

Adcadet

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ddrueding said:
If you can get a PCMCIA card small enough that you will leave it in the laptop (so it doesn't "go missing" again), do that. Otherwise, you might as well have the additional usefullness of a USB card. b+g is a definate yes; draft-n is neat, but unsupported most places and IMHO unnecessary for internet stuff.

Were I shopping for myself, I would be looking for a PCMCIA card that supported an external antenna; just in case that AP is a but too far away ;)
Click to expand...

Thanks. I've always worried about leaving the card in the slot and banging the machine around and damaging both the card and the slot.
 
Clocker

Clocker

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I have had a pcmcia card in my P3 laptop continuously for a few years. No problems. I would rather have that than a USB one. USB ones look like they just want to break off. Also, location of your USB ports could be an issue. With my laptop, the ports are on the back with makes it impossible to rest it against my thighs while laying down on the couch or whatever. A PCMCIA card sticking out of the side is much more convenient for me.

If your USB ports are on the side like your PCMCIA slot, I guess there really is no issue and it just comes down to preference. I would pick the PCMCIA because it plugs in more securly.
 
Mercutio

Mercutio

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Here's another idea:
Chuck the internal Mini-PCI modem and/or Wireless-B for a nice Intel miniPCI wireless G card. If your notebook already has the antennae it's a two minute upgrade.

Draft N is not necessary. I am the only person on earth who uses A, apparently, but I do appreciate having it.

On the other hand, I *do* carry a number of TrendNet wireless USB NICs. I have a couple Gs, an A/G and a G/Bluetooth and they were CHEAP - $20 - $40 IIRC. I use them for setting up Ad Hoc WLANs when I can't get a real network going for some reason.

USB 802.11 works OK *if* you are reasonably close to the source. It's not a good choice when you're 100 feet and 6 concrete walls from the nearest AP. Yes, the ones that're on long cords work better, but I've broken those from banging them around in my laptop bags (usually breaking the antenna on them) so I just stick with the thumb drive size models.

And I've had good luck with Trendnet hardware. Coug said he didn't. Your mileage may vary.
 
Adcadet

Adcadet

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I ended up going with a Belking 802.11G USB adaptor, the one with the little stand. The USB adaptor feels sturdy enough, and while I was concerned about it hanging out the back and hitting my legs, it doesn't look like that's an issue. The little stand is pretty light and flimsy, but I imagine it could come in handy. I might use it to make it easier to plug in my USB flash drives. The Belkin software is surprizingly easy and useful as well. So far it does just what I ask of it. We'll see how it performs in the coming week.
 
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