wireless network card for laptop??

Big Spender · 24 Jun 2006 at 14:11

im going abroad later next month and the place im staying has wireless internet, but my laptop doesnt have wireless connectivity. my laptop has a slot in the side thats about the size of a credit card, i guess thats where it would go, so where can anybody recommend a decent cheap card

FunkyT · 24 Jun 2006 at 16:59

http://netgear.co.uk/wireless_laptop_networkcard_wg511.php

Red and White · 24 Jun 2006 at 17:44

get one which does both b & g. better chance of it being compatible when you go abroad

tolien · 24 Jun 2006 at 19:47

Clerkin said:
get one which does both b & g. better chance of it being compatible when you go abroad

If it does 802.11g, it does 802.11b, and going abroad has not a great deal to do with it.

I'd suggest working out if the slot's PCMCIA, or ExpressCard for starters, and ideally finding out what wireless standard they're using. Sensible answers would be 802.11 followed by a, b, g, or "pre-n", or some combination of the above.

Red and White · 24 Jun 2006 at 22:22

tolien said:
and going abroad has not a great deal to do with it.
.

i know. i just meant he wouldnt now what kind of wireless they would have so to get wide compatibilty to be on safe side.

tolien said:
If it does 802.11g, it does 802.11b

didnt know that

should have tho

aix0 · 24 Jun 2006 at 23:13

I've got a Buffalo wli-cb-g54s, seems to get excellent range and has also got the option to add an external antenna. Great card IMO.

benjo plz. · 24 Jun 2006 at 23:16

Clerkin said:
i know. i just meant he wouldnt now what kind of wireless they would have so to get wide compatibilty to be on safe side.

b does g anyway.

. I'd get a Gigabyte GN-WIAG02 tbh, it's internal so you don't have to mess around putting it in and out and it doesn't stick out or anything. Depends how accessible the internal slot is. (what laptop is it?)

tolien · 25 Jun 2006 at 00:22

Clerkin said:
i just meant he wouldnt now what kind of wireless they would have so to get wide compatibilty to be on safe side.

If it's 802.11a, you're still screwed, which is why I suggested trying to find out what setup they were using.

Big Spender · 25 Jun 2006 at 23:27

well i emailed the guy who owns the villa and got a fairly quick reply

Email said:
The network is 802.11g (there is a Linksys wireless router in the house connected to a cable modem). Should you have any trouble with the wireless there is also an RJ45 cable in the TV cabinet so you can plug into the LAN connection directly (on the floor near the master bedroom door in the family room).

so what do you recommend?

the slot is on the side of my laptop and is the width and length of a credit card.

mattreay · 25 Jun 2006 at 23:34

Sounds like your OK to go with any of the above suggestions. May be worth checking what type of wireless security they use, if any, and make sure you get a card that can handle their security type.

Big Spender · 25 Jun 2006 at 23:37

mattreay said:
Sounds like your OK to go with any of the above suggestions. May be worth checking what type of wireless security they use, if any, and make sure you get a card that can handle their security type.

thanks for the suggestion, ill drop him another email to check this

tolien · 25 Jun 2006 at 23:39

marcus25 said:
the slot is on the side of my laptop and is the width and length of a credit card.

That doesn't mean a great deal - what type is it (or what model is your laptop, and someone can look)?

Big Spender · 25 Jun 2006 at 23:42

tolien said:
That doesn't mean a great deal - what type is it (or what model is your laptop, and someone can look)?

tbh i dont have a clue, we've had this laptop for a good couple of years now. still works great and does exactly what i need it to do. it was made by Tiny. sorry i cant be much more help, is there anywhere on the system that will tell what kind it is?

tolien · 25 Jun 2006 at 23:44

The manual should, though if it's more than a year old, it's most likely PCMCIA, though I'd check out Phnom Penh's suggestion first (though mini-PCI can be a PITA).

Big Spender · 26 Jun 2006 at 23:54

also asked about the security measures and got this reply

Email said:
The network is setup to use "WPA Pre-Shared Key" security. This is widely supported by most network cards so you shouldn't have a problem. Generally Windows knows the security type being announced by the network and will just prompt you for the security key when you first connect to the network, All you then need to do it type in the magic number from the document I sent in my previous email. Your PC should remember this and connect automatically from then on.

still need to dig out the manual and find out what kind of slot it is lol

benjo plz. · 27 Jun 2006 at 00:58

marcus25 said:
still need to dig out the manual and find out what kind of slot it is lol

lol @ "magic number"

You need to know whether it's 802.11a or 802.11b/g.

tolien · 27 Jun 2006 at 01:24

Phnom_Penh said:
You need to know whether it's 802.11a or 802.11b/g.

"Email" said:
The network is 802.11g

FunkyT · 27 Jun 2006 at 04:25

FunkyT said:
http://netgear.co.uk/wireless_laptop_networkcard_wg511.php

hp7909 · 27 Jun 2006 at 06:44

marcus25 said:
{snip}still need to dig out the manual and find out what kind of slot it is lol

Isn't there a sticker somewhere underneath the laptop that gives you some of its details? If so, Google them or post them up here.

Anyway, I suspect its PCMCIA slot, so I suggest you get the same make adaptor/card as their Wireless router for maximum compatibility:

Linksys WPC54G Wireless-G Notebook Adapter (NW-004-LS) £23.95 - Currently out of stock @ OcUK
or Linksys WPC54GS Wireless-G Notebook Adapter with SpeedBooster (NW-011-LS) £34.00

benjo plz. · 27 Jun 2006 at 10:49

tolien said:

missed that bit.