Laptop with integrated 802.11b, good or bad?

ADPankow · 06-11-2003

I am just wanting some input as to weather it would be a good or bad idea to get integrated wireless when purchasing a laptop. Let me know what you guys (or girls) think.

Thorn · 06-11-2003

My top two reasons it's bad:
1) You are locked into one level and can't change the card to go another radio service.
2) No external antenna port. To be sure, some cards have the port, but to use it, you must disassemble half the laptop to route the cable to outside the case.

wpj · 06-11-2003

well I am for the built in Card, my IBM A31P it is a prism 2.5 chip but it works great on XP with the drivers.

and for stumbling I drop in a new Orinoco Silver (the Purple one) to stumble around with an external antenna on the top ofthe truck.

but for around the pffice and in the laptop case you can't beat the intergrated or mini-pci wifi.

my 3 cents.

infosec_buda · 06-11-2003

I just got an IBM T40 with the integrated a/b card. Works with NS via NDIS drivers, and has increadible performance. Best of all, I don't have an antenna sticking out the side, and can use my PC slots for other goodies. It's so cheap to get an integrated card, and as long as performance is good, why not? If you don't like it, then disable it and go buy your favorate card. Dell, IBM, and Toshiba normally offer built-in wireless with solid performance. My $0.02½...

chemman14 · 06-12-2003

i jsut got a centrino laptop, and the range on this thing is fuckign AWESOME
kicks the shit out of an orinco card

infosec_buda · 06-12-2003

Quote:

i jsut got a centrino laptop, and the range on this thing is fuckign AWESOME kicks the shit out of an orinco card

What make/model? I'm curious to see how other folks like their systems. My IBM isn't a full Centrino, as it doesn't have the Intel wireless built-in, I opted for the IBM a/b chipset... too bad it doesn't have g as well

chemman14 · 06-12-2003

dell 600m
the only thing non centrino on mine is the gfx
thats an ati 9000

d0cd · 11-03-2003

i'm using a hp compaq nx7000 notebook (centrino) successfully with netstumbler.
haven't tested it thoroughly but it seems to work very well.

i'm running winxp pro.

Monitr7 · 11-03-2003

chemman14 posted:

Quote:

i jsut got a centrino laptop, and the range on this thing is fuckign AWESOME kicks the shit out of an orinco card

Blasphemer!

TIntruder · 11-03-2003

If you just "must" get embedded, get a "g" as it will also do "b".

You always have the choice of disabling onboard wireless and using a PC Card or USB model if you wish.

Or even two at a time if you are so inclined.

Wanderer · 11-03-2003

Quote:

Originally posted by chemman14
i jsut got a centrino laptop, and the range on this thing is fuckign AWESOME
kicks the shit out of an orinco card

You do realize that to get the Centrino sticker, you can only get a B card, right? For the same price you could have gotten a Truemobile 1400 that does A/B/G...

fordem · 11-03-2003

As long as the "integrated" wireless is a miniPCI card - I think I'd go with it.

Personally I find it gets kinda tiring having to swap out my Xircom ethernet card (no wireless in the office) for my Cisco wireless (works great with Sniffer) for my IBM wireless (only for stumbling) depending on where I am and what I wanna do.

06-11-2003	#1 (permalink)
ADPankow Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 29	Laptop with integrated 802.11b, good or bad? I am just wanting some input as to weather it would be a good or bad idea to get integrated wireless when purchasing a laptop. Let me know what you guys (or girls) think.

06-11-2003	#2 (permalink)
Thorn Did you do the math? Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Villa Straylight Posts: 10,358	Bad My top two reasons it's bad: 1) You are locked into one level and can't change the card to go another radio service. 2) No external antenna port. To be sure, some cards have the port, but to use it, you must disassemble half the laptop to route the cable to outside the case. __________________ Thorn "Read Altas Shrugged. Compare it to today. Repeat as necessary"

06-11-2003	#3 (permalink)
wpj Registered Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Mississauga Posts: 80	Simple well I am for the built in Card, my IBM A31P it is a prism 2.5 chip but it works great on XP with the drivers. and for stumbling I drop in a new Orinoco Silver (the Purple one) to stumble around with an external antenna on the top ofthe truck. but for around the pffice and in the laptop case you can't beat the intergrated or mini-pci wifi. my 3 cents.

11-03-2003	#8 (permalink)
d0cd Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 2	i'm using a hp compaq nx7000 notebook (centrino) successfully with netstumbler. haven't tested it thoroughly but it seems to work very well. i'm running winxp pro. Last edited by d0cd : 11-03-2003 at 12:28 PM.

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06-11-2003	#4 (permalink)
infosec_buda zen stumbler Join Date: May 2003 Location: Michigan Posts: 53	I just got an IBM T40 with the integrated a/b card. Works with NS via NDIS drivers, and has increadible performance. Best of all, I don't have an antenna sticking out the side, and can use my PC slots for other goodies. It's so cheap to get an integrated card, and as long as performance is good, why not? If you don't like it, then disable it and go buy your favorate card. Dell, IBM, and Toshiba normally offer built-in wireless with solid performance. My $0.02½...

06-12-2003	#5 (permalink)
chemman14 CadillacStumbler Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 250	i jsut got a centrino laptop, and the range on this thing is fuckign AWESOME kicks the shit out of an orinco card

06-12-2003	#7 (permalink)
chemman14 CadillacStumbler Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 250	dell 600m the only thing non centrino on mine is the gfx thats an ati 9000

11-03-2003	#10 (permalink)
TIntruder Registered Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Oregon Posts: 163	If you just "must" get embedded, get a "g" as it will also do "b". You always have the choice of disabling onboard wireless and using a PC Card or USB model if you wish. Or even two at a time if you are so inclined.

11-03-2003	#12 (permalink)
fordem Tropical Stumbler Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 575	As long as the "integrated" wireless is a miniPCI card - I think I'd go with it. Personally I find it gets kinda tiring having to swap out my Xircom ethernet card (no wireless in the office) for my Cisco wireless (works great with Sniffer) for my IBM wireless (only for stumbling) depending on where I am and what I wanna do.