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General discussion

What is the cardbus adaptor ???

Sep 28, 2004 1:37AM PDT

I am very new to wireless routers, and I am planning to buy D-link Xtreme G DI624 wireless router, but at the store they told me I have to buy a cardbus adaptor for 59$, so What is the cardbus adaptor ?? and Should I buy it or it is NOT IMPORTANT ???

Discussion is locked

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Re: What is the cardbus adaptor ???
Sep 28, 2004 2:23AM PDT

A cardbus adapter is any device which slides into the PCMCIA slot on the side of a laptop computer to provide a particular functionality or connectivity in addition to whatever is already built into that system by the manufacturer. In your specific case, it appears that the sales agent is recommending a certain compatible wireless adaptor card but using the generic term "cardbus adapter." With wireless equipment, despite the so-called standards, there is a lot a variation and incompatibility between different brands and even between different lines of the same brand. If you want the D-Link Xtreme G router, you will likely have fewer headaches if you use D-Link Xtreme G client adapters in your computers.

dw

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Careful now...
Sep 28, 2004 2:31AM PDT

PCMCIA predates CARDBUS or PC-Card.

The Personal Computer Memory Card International Association started this one as an ISA extension for laptops. It's very slow and not compatible with current CARDBUS or PC-Cards. You will find that most will freely exchange the terms, but one must take care their laptop accepts the PC-Card or Cardbus. I haven't run into an issue with PCMCIA cards in PC-Card/Cardbus slots.

Bob

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true...
Sep 28, 2004 3:32AM PDT

There are technical differences as the specifications of the slot have evolved, but the terms still remain in general use. Toshiba advertising calls it PC-Card, and Compaq/HP still calls it PCMCIA, though I can't imagine that either brand's slot wouldn't accept a Cardbus device... I think most any relatively new laptop will be Cardbus compatible. My sense was that Mourad was getting some sales pressure to buy the additional device with the router and he was wondering just what are they talking about. For better or worse, the wireless market is still not as brand-interoperable as we would hope. Even if his laptop has some form of built-in internal wireless capability (which might or might not connect and stay connected with the new router), the brand-specific extensions to the 802.11g standard for the Xtreme/Afterburner/etc. speed boosters only seem to work properly with a matching client device from the same manufacturer. Thus, if you have to change out your router to another brand for any other reason, you can count on buying all new client adapters too.

dw