Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

General discussion

Wireless networking in IBMThinkpad T42

May 29, 2005 6:49PM PDT

I have recently got a Thinkpad T42 came with the built-in wireless networking card ''Intel PRO/Wireless LAN 2100 3B Mini PCI Adapter''.

Couple of things, I have noticed that the coverage of this card is very poor and it's a 11b and NOT a 11g. That means I am only limited to 11Mbs. If I buy a 11g PCMCI card and install the driver, will that cause and conflicts or problems?

Has anyone tried this?

Thanks

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
(NT) (NT) Only if you fail to disable the internal adapter first.
May 29, 2005 8:29PM PDT
- Collapse -
Just disable your present pci wifi
May 30, 2005 7:21AM PDT

My Thinkpad T23 had a wifi pci card also with 11b, so whenever I used a 11g pc card, I just disable the b (goto Control Panel, Network and Dialup Connections), right click on the wifi and select Disable. Of course, you have to install the pcmcia card with its supplied software.

However, last week I purchased the Intel a/b/g 2915ABG card from Newegg http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16833106219

and replaced the original 11b card, and the range is better, but my intent was to get the WPA encryption feature which is not available in the 11b card. So, by replacing the pci mini card, I obviate the protrusion of the pc card, which can be cumbersome.

- Collapse -
More than one network source...
Jun 1, 2005 12:57AM PDT

I too have an IBM laptop with a Intel PRO/Wireless LAN 2100 3B Mini PCI Adapter. I also have a 54Mbps PC card which I occasionally install and sometimes I plug in my direct ethernet cord. Very occasionally, I have all 3 networks sources running and they appear to all contribute when I'm accessing the internet or transfering files from one computer to another.

My question is "Is there a pecking order when I have more than one network input source available?" A reply in this thread said it was necessary to deactivate the 3B Mini PCI Adapter when using a PC card.

I'm considering replacing the 3B Mini with a IBM Thinkpad 2200GB 802.11B/G Mini-PCI Card since I don't like the PC card sticking out of the laptop.

- Collapse -
To see your pecking order open a command window and ...
Jun 1, 2005 1:02AM PDT

Type...

ROUTE PRINT

That works for Windows NT/2000/XP and maybe other OSes. I am not offering a course in TCPIP, but this is where that pecking order would be found.

Bob

- Collapse -
Intel a/b/g pci mini works well on my Thinkpad T23
Jun 4, 2005 11:44AM PDT
- Collapse -
Big problems
Jun 16, 2005 1:28PM PDT

I tried to change mine and the IBM BIOS stops you at boot up say you have an illegal miniPCI card

- Collapse -
miniPCI vs. PCMCIA/PC-Card
Jun 16, 2005 11:23PM PDT

These are two different beasts. The miniPCI card is an internal card for which you must take the laptop apart and snap the card into a special hidden connector. The PC-Card adapter is a standard slide-in card the pops in and out of the slot on the side of the laptop.

In my experience, changing the internal miniPCI card is a crapshoot. Some laptop manufacturers have funky pin assignments or other proprietary implementations of the device, as you just discovered. Sometimes you can find one that works (or can be made to work) in your laptop, but that takes some research before you buy.

The external PC-Card adapters, though, are a different story. They work well in just about any laptop. You are well advised to check the manufacturer's support page to obtain any updates to firmware and drivers (even on brand new ones) but otherwise they generally do exactly what you expect. The only trick is to remember to turn off the original internal device - the operating system doesn't respond well to two wireless adapters trying to get its attention...

dw