How to improve wireless capacity on an old laptop?

Hi!

Hmm. I have the same model and it works *great*. No problems at all with wireless or much of anything else. It's easily been the best laptop I have ever owned. Mine has the Intel 2200BG 802.11B/G wireless hardware. The only wireless access point it didn't like was a Netgear WGR614v6 that I strongly believed to be somewhat broken even on a good day.

There were two wireless solutions offered with the D800 system...the Intel

2200BG wireless adapter and a Dell TrueMobile model that based on a Broadcom chipset. Both are mini-PCI cards. Do you know which one you have? (Hint: If there is a Centrino sticker anywhere on the machine, it's a very good possibility that you have the Intel 2200BG wireless hardware.)

Either way, start with the latest drivers. The TrueMobile ones have to come from Dell so far as I know. The Intel hardware can use the drivers available from the Intel web site...and they're much newer than the ones Dell offers.

Since you reported bad performance with a Linksys add-on card, it's also worth looking into the details to see if you are by any chance sharing your chosen wireless channel with a neighbor or if there is anything odd about your home that would block or stifle the radio signal.

William

I think you mean PCMCIA card. If so get one that is capable of fitting an antenna extension.

then buy a long adaptor cable ie one of these 2M or 4M

He may have the Intel Pro 2100 802.11b card fitted as per my M60 which is of the same era. I had a weak signal so fitted a 2200BG but it made very little difference even with the latest drivers. It could still worth a try cos they are cheap now.

you have an empty usb port don't you? just get one of the USB/Wifi dongles and plug it in... You can have BOTH built in wireless AND an external USB/Wifi dongle on the same machine, you can only use ONE at a time however, ie can't use both at the same time - no bonding of channels...... no muss, no fuss, no opening the case etc....

that will improve the wireless ON your d800, by not messing with the one IN your d800....

until the poster replies we no nothing about his actual set-up..........

why should a USB adaptor be guaranteed to improve the wireless.....

nothing is guaranteed.....

Never said it was guaranteed, you misread what I wrote and added words I never said... But one of the cool things I have done is use em with USB exstension cables (two 12 ft) so they can be placed in different areas... and use em with various laptops too.... (cheaper than external antenna wires) lets see, point is it installs/works indepently of what is already in the unit (if it doesn't have it's own software sometimes installs as wireless device #2), can be moved changed easily, cheaper (i have some i got online for under $10, others high power/performance/directional are usually under $50) probably a lot cheaper than finding an old card (PCMCIA or Cardbus?) or various mini pci cards to fit in a laptop (and what guarantee