bcavanau
@det-mi.ds
| [wireless] WMP54G Really a miniPCI card?
I have heard that the WMP54G by Linksys is really a miniPCI card stuck on an adapter to fit in a regular PCI slot.
Could somebody confirm this? If it is true, please let me know how the antenna interfaces with the board. If possible a digital picture would be great.
Assuming this all pans out I may be able to upgrade my laptops' internal 802.11b to 802.11g......I'm Hoping.
Brian
brian@cavanaugh.net |
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noonespec
@mi.ch | Perhaps a Linksys Tech could answer that? |
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innocent_me
join:2003-03-04 | reply to bcavanau
you could try to go to their website and if you want the picture or the manual they have it there |
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IlKevinlI
join:2000-10-25
| This is true. I am using it in my Inspiron 4150. The only problem is that there isnt any antenna connectors on the mini-pci card. What I did was remove the connectors from my 1180 mini-pci card and soldier them on the linksys card and it works great.
The Dlink PCI cards also have mini-pci cards in them but they have the antenna connectors already on them.
[text was edited by author 2003-03-10 19:47:19] |
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bcavanau
join:2003-03-10
Byron, MI
| IlKevinlI,
Were there obvious points to solder the antenna wires to? I am assuming that you had to unsolder the antenna from the PCI card (external antenna).
Was that all that you had to change?, Did you have any issues with drivers,etc. I assume the standard drivers would work, and that the system would consider it the same card? Thanks for any info.... Any chance you could send me a digital pic?
Bcavanau
brian@cavanaugh.net |
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IlKevinlI
join:2000-10-25
| Yes the spots for the antenna connectors are abvious and are labled. I did have to unsolder the antenna from the PCI board. That is all I had to change. The standard drivers did work and I didnt have any issues.
For those of you that dont want to solder and dont mind spending a little extra money, there is a mini-pci inside the 802.11g router from Linksys that has the antenna connectors already soldered on the card. Check out the directions and pics.
»www.geocities.com/flipsoft/linksys.html |
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metrodust
Hey Thats Mine
join:1999-12-10
Seattle, WA | reply to IlKevinlI
bet it looks better w/o that plastic cover on it too. |
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bbarrera
Premium,MVM
join:2000-10-23
Sacramento, CA
clubs: | reply to IlKevinlI
Can you post the pic here? You've exceeded your bandwidth on GeoCities and we can't see the pics. |
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IlKevinlI
join:2000-10-25
| The link still works for me. BTW, I didnt post the pics or directions. it was made by someone else. I was just sharing it. 
said by bbarrera  :
Can you post the pic here? You've exceeded your bandwidth on GeoCities and we can't see the pics.
[text was edited by author 2003-03-11 22:53:33]
[text was edited by author 2003-03-11 22:54:42]
[text was edited by author 2003-03-11 22:56:02] |
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bigmtn
join:2002-12-26
Anaheim, CA
| reply to bcavanau
said by bcavanau :
IlKevinlI,
Were there obvious points to solder the antenna wires to? I am assuming that you had to unsolder the antenna from the PCI card (external antenna).
There are two antenna connectors, and three points on each of them. The two outside points are ground, and the middle point is signal. The standard driver will work fine with this. |
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bcavanau
join:2003-03-10
Byron, MI
| reply to bcavanau
Now, here is a tricky question.
On my laptop, there is a small button on the front of the case. This button enables/disable the wireless card currently in my laptop. Do you think it will work with a new card? I am running XP Pro, and when I installed the OS, I did not have to install any drivers for the current card? But being that the new card was actual intended for a desktop, the ability to use a button may not be in the driver?
Does anyone know if it is in the spec for 802.11x? Or do you think I will be out of luck?
Another thing is on the PCI card, how easily does the miniPCI come out....will I be destroying my ability to return the item should it not work for me? I am assuming so.
Also the D-Link model DWL-AG520 PCI card looks to have a miniPCI card on it, and supports a,b, and g....anyone use this particular card? What do you think of it? Having the ability to use all 3 networks looks promising...
Thanks,
Brian
[text was edited by author 2003-03-12 12:50:39] |
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bigmtn
join:2002-12-26
Anaheim, CA
| There are three points that needs to removed with a soldering iron to remove the cover. They do not have any electrical connection, so removing them wouldn't be a problem.
After you remove the cover, the mini-PCI just sits in a slot that can be easily removed when you unsolder the antenna. |
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IlKevinlI
join:2000-10-25
| reply to bcavanau
As long as your laptop has a mini-pci slot, I dont think you will have a problem. The button to turn the card on or off might or might not work.
said by bcavanau :
Now, here is a tricky question.
On my laptop, there is a small button on the front of the case. This button enables/disable the wireless card currently in my laptop. Do you think it will work with a new card? I am running XP Pro, and when I installed the OS, I did not have to install any drivers for the current card? But being that the new card was actual intended for a desktop, the ability to use a button may not be in the driver?
Does anyone know if it is in the spec for 802.11x? Or do you think I will be out of luck?
Another thing is on the PCI card, how easily does the miniPCI come out....will I be destroying my ability to return the item should it not work for me? I am assuming so.
Also the D-Link model DWL-AG520 PCI card looks to have a miniPCI card on it, and supports a,b, and g....anyone use this particular card? What do you think of it? Having the ability to use all 3 networks looks promising...
Thanks,
Brian
[text was edited by author 2003-03-12 12:50:39]
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metrodust
Hey Thats Mine
join:1999-12-10
Seattle, WA | funny how the topic is WMP but the pics are for the WRT...
i havent taken the cover off my WMP but i dont think a minipci card on a pci card would make much sense.. |
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IlKevinlI
join:2000-10-25
| Well it may not make much sense, but that is exactly what it is. And its not just Linksys that does it. Dlink also does it.
As for the pictures, I never said I had pictures. Those arent my pictures. They were taken from the link I posted in my previous post.
said by metrodust :
funny how the topic is WMP but the pics are for the WRT...
i havent taken the cover off my WMP but i dont think a minipci card on a pci card would make much sense..
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rlyman40
join:2003-04-17
Henrietta, NY
| reply to bcavanau
I just tried the wmp54G mini-pci card in my Toshiba laptop (with a switch to turn the card on or off). I think the switch in my laptop only disconnects the antenna. The card will not work in my laptop. The old silver card I took out works fine but the new G card won't turn on. The driver installs (WinXP) and says it is working but I get no signal. Good luck if you try it. |
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IlKevinlI
join:2000-10-25
| Are you sure the antenna was attatched correctly ?
said by rlyman40 :
I just tried the wmp54G mini-pci card in my Toshiba laptop (with a switch to turn the card on or off). I think the switch in my laptop only disconnects the antenna. The card will not work in my laptop. The old silver card I took out works fine but the new G card won't turn on. The driver installs (WinXP) and says it is working but I get no signal. Good luck if you try it.
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rlyman40
join:2003-04-17
Henrietta, NY
| Yes, I tried it both ways. I also put it into my wrt54G router and connected to it with my dlink pcimca card so I know it is working. It just does not want to work in my laptop. While I had the routers mini-pci card out I tried that in my laptop with the same results (it didn't work). It does seem that the antenna is not connected but it is. I have not given up yet...I am almost ready to take my laptop apart to see what the "antenna switch" really does. |
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IlKevinlI
join:2000-10-25
| Maybe it has something to do with the Toshibas switch that turns the wireless card on and off. It works fine in my old Dell laptop (4150) and my new 600m lapotp so I know it works.
said by rlyman40 :
Yes, I tried it both ways. I also put it into my wrt54G router and connected to it with my dlink pcimca card so I know it is working. It just does not want to work in my laptop. While I had the routers mini-pci card out I tried that in my laptop with the same results (it didn't work). It does seem that the antenna is not connected but it is. I have not given up yet...I am almost ready to take my laptop apart to see what the "antenna switch" really does.
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rlyman40
join:2003-04-17
Henrietta, NY
| I am sure it has to do with the switch. The switch is used to turn on/off the radio. I am mostly sure that the Toshiba uses pin #13 on the mini-pci connector to do this. If pin #13 is pulled high the radio is turned on, if it goes low the radio is turned off. I think this because the Toshiba card that works is a Oronoco silver card and that is what there doc says. I think that the Broadcom board uses a different pin. I have been unable to find out which pin is used by the Broadcom board. I will be doing some more experiments over the weekend. Boy those pins are small...:)
said by IlKevinlI :
Maybe it has something to do with the Toshibas switch that turns the wireless card on and off. It works fine in my old Dell laptop (4150) and my new 600m lapotp so I know it works.
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