Non-Centrino hardware in C-Notebooks

JohnTomDoe · 01-31-2004

Hello people,

this really is a nice place to hang out, there's so much to learn, yes there is.

A quick question which according to my searches has not been discusses before:

I have a Centrino notebook. As I understand it, this is more of a marketing thing to support Intel's hardware. As the WLAN component said laptop includes the Mini-PCI PRO/Wireless 2100 adaptor, which has only support for 802.11b.

Now, this crazy idea came up in my mind to actually put in a card that would also be 802.11g compatible. A pretty cheap solution to this plan would be, for example, the Dell True Mobile that can so nicely be made Orinoco-compliant (as discussed elsewhere in this forum).

The question I have is not about general functionality, as I have no doubt that a non-Centrino WLAN thing will work in the slot but rather effects on performance. Will the standby be affected or something like that.

Thanks for any feedback,
Rgds,
JohnTomDoe

gmiller220 · 01-31-2004

First off G based cards are not supported by netstumbler and are NOT "orinoco compliant". The Dell truemobile you are thinking of is the pcmcia card which is an orinoco clone.
Now as far as affecting performance: Only one way to find out

NinjaPablo · 01-31-2004

Adding another card will affect your battery life somewhat, but shouldn't stop Windows from going into standby or hibernate modes.

JohnTomDoe · 01-31-2004

Sorry bout that, yes, indeed, the thread was about a PCMCIA card.

Let me rephrase my question: if I were to put in a different Mini-PCI that was not Centrino-compliant (compatibility issues with Netstumbler aside), would this seriously affect my battery life? I mean, can somebody quantify this? Now I have a very comfortable 4 hrs. I don't want to mess with that really.

Thanks!
JTD

gmiller220 · 01-31-2004

Quote:

Originally posted by JohnTomDoe
Sorry bout that, yes, indeed, the thread was about a PCMCIA card.

Let me rephrase my question: if I were to put in a different Mini-PCI that was not Centrino-compliant (compatibility issues with Netstumbler aside), would this seriously affect my battery life? I mean, can somebody quantify this? Now I have a very comfortable 4 hrs. I don't want to mess with that really.

Thanks!
JTD

Ball park guess for me would be give or take a half hour tops. Most cards can go into standby and then reconnect when they come out. Best option: get a card with a decent return policy (local store is a good option) and test it out. If your not satisfied return it and throw the old card back in. No harm no foul right?

JohnTomDoe · 01-31-2004

Sounds like a plan. Thanks, I guess I'll do that.

Chris · 01-31-2004

It will probably drop you down to about 3 hours give or take.

Wanderer · 02-03-2004

Quote:

Originally posted by JohnTomDoe

I have a Centrino notebook. As I understand it, this is more of a marketing thing to support Intel's hardware. As the WLAN component said laptop includes the Mini-PCI PRO/Wireless 2100 adaptor, which has only support for 802.11b.

The question I have is not about general functionality, as I have no doubt that a non-Centrino WLAN thing will work in the slot but rather effects on performance. Will the standby be affected or something like that.

The Dell Truemobile 1150 MiniPCI is an Orinoco card in MiniPCI form factor. You can replace your current card with it, and everything should work okay, assuming that the U.fl leads reach.

However, this card is still 802.11b only.

Replaced the card with whatever you feel like. Unless you put in the Cisco MPC352, it probably shouldn't affect battery life much at all.

JohnTomDoe · 02-03-2004

Quote:

However, this card is still 802.11b only.

The 1300 is b/g... But if it is as you say it doesn't matter really what brand I use. Thanks!

Wanderer · 02-04-2004

Quote:

Originally posted by JohnTomDoe
The 1300 is b/g... But if it is as you say it doesn't matter really what brand I use. Thanks!

The 1300 and 1400 are based around Broadcomm chipsets. I don't know how well they work with Netstumbler.

For that matter, I don't know how well the Intel MiniPCI card works with Netstumber, either.

JohnTomDoe · 02-05-2004

Quote:

For that matter, I don't know how well the Intel MiniPCI card works with Netstumber, either.

Well, it does work with NS. Although I've read more than once in here that it's not officially supported.

Thorn · 02-05-2004

Quote:

Originally posted by JohnTomDoe
Well, it does work with NS. Although I've read more than once in here that it's not officially supported.

Keep in mind that if it not supported, you should properly be saying "it works with NS, right now in my particular machine." To say anything else is misleading.

Because of the nature of the various chipsets and the NDIS 5.1 drivers, an unsupported card that works great for you at the moment may fail miserably the next time you boot up, or never work at all for someone using an "identical" machine. This is why we make such a big deal on these forums about supported vs. unsupported cards.

Only the supported cards (i.e. Hermes chipset) work 100% of the time with any Windows OS.

01-31-2004	#1 (permalink)
JohnTomDoe Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 5	Non-Centrino hardware in C-Notebooks Hello people, this really is a nice place to hang out, there's so much to learn, yes there is. A quick question which according to my searches has not been discusses before: I have a Centrino notebook. As I understand it, this is more of a marketing thing to support Intel's hardware. As the WLAN component said laptop includes the Mini-PCI PRO/Wireless 2100 adaptor, which has only support for 802.11b. Now, this crazy idea came up in my mind to actually put in a card that would also be 802.11g compatible. A pretty cheap solution to this plan would be, for example, the Dell True Mobile that can so nicely be made Orinoco-compliant (as discussed elsewhere in this forum). The question I have is not about general functionality, as I have no doubt that a non-Centrino WLAN thing will work in the slot but rather effects on performance. Will the standby be affected or something like that. Thanks for any feedback, Rgds, JohnTomDoe

01-31-2004	#2 (permalink)
gmiller220 People are dumb Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 466	First off G based cards are not supported by netstumbler and are NOT "orinoco compliant". The Dell truemobile you are thinking of is the pcmcia card which is an orinoco clone. Now as far as affecting performance: Only one way to find out __________________ "Got Google???" It does a Wifi Good

01-31-2004	#7 (permalink)
Chris Bad as Can Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 1,141	It will probably drop you down to about 3 hours give or take. __________________ perl -e 'print pack(c5, (41*2), sqrt(7056), (unpack(c,H)-2), oct(115), 10)'

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

01-31-2004	#3 (permalink)
NinjaPablo Unvisibual Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: West Michigan Posts: 91	Adding another card will affect your battery life somewhat, but shouldn't stop Windows from going into standby or hibernate modes.

01-31-2004	#4 (permalink)
JohnTomDoe Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 5	Sorry bout that, yes, indeed, the thread was about a PCMCIA card. Let me rephrase my question: if I were to put in a different Mini-PCI that was not Centrino-compliant (compatibility issues with Netstumbler aside), would this seriously affect my battery life? I mean, can somebody quantify this? Now I have a very comfortable 4 hrs. I don't want to mess with that really. Thanks! JTD

01-31-2004	#6 (permalink)
JohnTomDoe Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 5	Sounds like a plan. Thanks, I guess I'll do that.