USB or PC card with antenna, which is best?

dk_ hath wroth:

About the same. The performance is mostly determined by the external antenna and not by the wireless device. This is reduced by the coax cable attenuation, which is not used in a USB device. Therefore, if the coax cable length is more than about 3-5ft, methinks the USB radio, with an integral antenna, would be the better.

However, PC Card (PCMCIA) wireless devices are available in higher power levels than USB. This may be an advantage in some situations. For example, for a 300mw radio, see:

You might also consider a "wireless ethernet client bridg" where the entire radio and ethernet interface are external and connect to the computah via an ethernet cable. This is very useful where you have extremely long cable runs between the laptop and the radio. See list of possible candidates at:

Make sure that it has a client mode and not just a bridge to bridge mode.

If your Thinkpad has an internal MiniPCI card, it's possible to kludge an external antenna on the MiniPCI antenna connector(s). See:

for some hints and instructions.

There are USB adapters with external antenna connectors. See:

Also see their antenna and pigtail selection.

I recommend that you disclose something about your Thinkpad (like the model number), whether it has a USB 2.0 port, and what manner of range and performance you're expecting (which has a big effect on the antenna selection).

Incidentally, I find it rather amusing that you're expecting us to supply you with specific recommendations (i.e. maker and model numbers) when you are apparently unable to do the same for your Thinkpad.

Jeff,

Thank you very kindly for the wide range of information. There are a lot of interesting products out there!

My Thinkpad is an old A20m, 500 MHz Celeron, (I will try to go to a PIII 800 in the future), 512 MB RAM, Windows XP SP2. It has a single USB 1.1 port and a USB 2.0/Firewire PC Card, 15" LCD.

Regarding range and performance: where I go skiing in Big Bear there are a couple of open access points at motels around where I stay and I get a signal strength of 1 or 2 bars at best. I make a connection but don't get an IP address. I need 3 or maybe 4 bars to be able to get an IP address. That is my main goal.

Speed or bandwidth is not the main requirement at all. Because 'till now I've had to use a very slow dial-up connection (33K), so any broadband working connection would be great in the mountains.

I did see an AirLink 101 USB with a 10 db antenna at Fry's for $44.99, (Model AWLL3055 802.11g USB Adapter). That price range is good for me. What do you think? Suggestions? The 300mw PC card looked very cool but pricey for this setup.

Still would appreciate recommendations.

Thanks.

-Dennis

On Mon, 11 Feb 2008 11:51:34 -0800, dk_ wrote in :

What matters is the antenna, not transmit power. 10 dBi will be a vast improvement over the usual 0 dBi PC Card.

Yes.... thanks Jeff!!

I'm looking for that info as well!!

Like I said, it's not the wireless device that's important. It's the the antenna, not the wireless card, that gives you the range.

I've had some weird problems when trying to run a USB 2.0 wireless device through a USB 2.0 PCMCIA card. It should work, there's no reason there should be a problem, yet there it is. As I recall, when I unplugged a Linksys WUSB54G USB thing, it would not recover when I plugged it back in. I had the same thing happen with a Belkin USB and a Netgear WG111, on the same machine. It was probably the USB PCMCIA card that was causing the problem, but I didn't have a replacement.

Also, running wireless through a USB 1.1 interface is a bad idea. It works, but you're limited in speed to about 4Mbits/sec thruput.

Well, first drag your laptop over as close as you can to make sure the hotel system is accessible. If it's not your hotel, you might need a password, encryption key, magic incantation, or permission to use it.

I also take it that you already have an existing wireless card. WhatIsIt?

Incidentally, if this is Big Bear City in the San Bernardino Mtns, I used to live and work in nearby Fawnskin. I really liked the area but couldn't afford to stay.

Ok, you want range. That means get a big antenna. How big (physically) and antenna can you tolerate? If you're sneaking this through a hotel room window, you might find a yagi antenna less obnoxious than a big dish antenna, although the dish will have more gain. Panels are a good compromise, but the larger ones don't fit will in a window. Again, it's the antenna, not the radio that gives you the range.

I see visions of you skiing into the hills, with a backpack containing your IBM A20 laptop, and some kind of antenna. Tell me it isn't so.

I don't have any experience with Airlink and I don't buy much at Fry's. Sorry.

How much money do you want to spend total? That's for the wireless device, interconnecting cables, adapters, and antenna. Also, is this for portable use, or are you going to permanently mount the antenna somewhere? If permanent, how far between the laptop and the proposed antenna location. Again, it's the antenna, not the radio that gives you the range.

John,

Thank you.

-Dennis

I just finshed playing around with an Airlink 101 AWLL3028 USB thumlike adapter and an Ailllink 101 AWLC4030 PC Cardbus adapter G. The speeds with both adapters were much slower than my ethernet connection at home. The access point is about 4 feet from the computer.

I was able to use the USB adapter in both my built-in USB 1.1 port and also with the USB 2.0 PC card. I was able to insert the USB adapter and use it, then remove it, and then do it again. Actually, the USB 2.0 PC card behaved better than the built-in port, when first inserting the USB wireless adapter.

They appear to be unsecured access points. I was told that someone where I stay was able to get connected. I don't know what hardware they had.

See above, the Airlink 101 802.11g AWLL3028.

Indeed! :) I stay just next to the Village, which is across the lake from Fawnskin. It is beautiful the, especially when snow covered.

C'mon, I just want something that will fit in my laptop case. :)

Not quite. The worst I'll do is carry my cell phone while skiing.

Actually I went to the Arilink 101 site and it linked to Fry's.

Hey, it's an old machine that I'm playing with. I want to keep the cost low. This is for traveling, nothing large or permenant. I'm guessing that the distance is less than 300 ft. I'm usually on the second floor, and it's possible that these access points are lower to the ground that where my laptop is.

Thanks.

-Dennis

Tonight, I purchased the USB adapter with the 10 db antenna. I tried it and it didn't seem to really pull in any stronger signal than a simple thumb drive shaped USB adapter (with a high gain antenna). What's the deal???

-Dennis

On Mon, 11 Feb 2008 23:22:24 -0800, dk_ wrote in :

What's the gain of the "high-gain" antenna? How are you measuring signal? Windows lies (actually the driver lies)

-- use NetStumbler, and give us some hard numbers.

The Airlink 101 AWLL3055 says the antenna is a +10dBi.

I was using the Windows zero config to view the green bars that show signal strength. I saw a lot of access points in my neighborhood, but I could even get above one bar with this USB device (except for my own access point). I get about the same single or no bar reading with any of the other adapters that I tried (without high gain antennas). What counts is if I can get at least 3 bars. Otherwise no ip address.

-Dennis

On Mon, 11 Feb 2008 23:54:51 -0800, dk_ wrote in :

I was asking about the "simple thumb drive shaped USB adapter (with a high gain antenna)" -- it sounds like you are comparing high gain to high gain. Please be more clear about what you're comparing.

That's pretty much meaningless. See

Please run NetStumbler with both adapters, and post the exact results here.