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General discussion

HELP@ I'm want to go wireless

Jun 18, 2005 11:11PM PDT

I have a Dell Inspiron 9100. I didn't get wireless when I bought it and regret it but I want it now. I went to dell.com and bought an internal card and it dind't work and was a pain. I returned it and now back to square 1. I travel quite a bit so I need this card to be flexible and have good range.
1. Should I go to an external card?
2. What is the advantage of a USB vs. card?
3. Should I make sure I get one that supports a/b/g because I travel?
4. What about speed? Are the ads overrated when it tell you that it has a sppedbooster, etc...?

Thanks!

Discussion is locked

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In my opinion.....
Jun 19, 2005 12:39AM PDT

1) An external card provides a greater degree of flexibility vs an internal card
2) Differences in speed are virtually non-existant between USB2.0 and PC card types
3) The ''A'' standard is virtually unused. ''G'' or universally accepted and backward compatible to ''B''.
Note that Pre-N and other MIMO technologies are the up and comers.
4) Speedbooster can help in LAN transfers, but does little for Internet speed.

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thanks - a few more questions
Jun 19, 2005 12:54AM PDT

Thanks so much!
I have a few more questions if you don't mind..
1. If I buy the Pre-N does it mean I can use N when it comes out?
2. Is Belkin a good brand? I am thinking of buying the Belkin F5D8010 Wireless Pre-N 802.11x Pre-N Notebook PC Card Adapter with router at Costco. It will be a lot cheaper as a bundle. Do you think a good choice for now and the future?
3. do you think traveling with that card will be a good option? I am going to Brazil, Peru, NYC, and other places this year.
Thank you

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IMO part 2.....
Jun 19, 2005 1:54AM PDT

1) Pre-N does not insure that compatibility will be there when N comes out. In many cases a firmware update from the maker will bring it up to speed, but as of today it is unknown. Good bet is it will or Belkin and others will look bad to it's consumers.

2) To get best usage and compatibility, it's advisable to use one makers products. In the phone tech support world, it's easy to blame the other guys PC card adapter rather then your own router when a problem occurs. Belkin et al, are basically all the same. I find Linksys and D-Link products, a little easier to navigate when it comes to setup.

3) I've never been to Brazil or Peru, but I do know NYC is not a problem.