Wireless 1450 abg or 2200 bg?

i have a Dell Inspiron 8600 with Intel 2100 802.11 b wirelss mini PC card.
Anyone know how hard it is to change wireless? Would you recommend getting the Intel 2200 802.11 b/g or the Intel 1450 a/b/g? Why?

 

It's an easy change, but if you're asking the question, then you don't need to do so. Unless you have access to 802.11a/g access points, then there's no need to change. Even if you bought one for home use, you'll not get the internet any faster, the only benefit would be better range and faster file transfer speed on your network.

Editor in Chief http://www.bargainPDA.com and http://www.SPOTstop.com

 

i dunno how hard, but i'd say the 2200, because as u probably already know because u have the 2100, the whole point of these notebooks is to have a centrino chipset (or whatever it is), a P-M processor, and a intel 21/200 card, so the whole point they made centrino for will work.

 

Thanks for both responses.. Changing cards is not hard I found instructions on Dell [8D]

I should give you a little more info. I have b/g network at home.. which requires me to transfer a lot of files. Also I travel a lot internationally and have been told that a/b are still widely used outside of Australia (thats where I am from). My main concern is that the 'Centrino' thing won't work if I use Dell card. Some people say all Centrino means is Pentium M, 855 chipset and wireless (any wireless). Others say it must be Intel wireless. Thats my main point of confusion.. the old 'must be Intel' v's 'can be any wireless'. [?]

 

OK Just got off the phone to Dell. According to Dell the ONLY thing that changes if you get the Dell 1450 a/b/g card instead of the Intel 2200 b/g is they wont give you a Centrino sticker on your laptop. This is because of Intel. Intel state you must have a Pentium M, 855 chipset and Intel wireless card for them to state a notebook is a Centrino. Dell state choosing the Dell card will not affect the power consumption or heat of the notebook. So therefore if you care about a sticker and don't care about having a/b/g, only hvaing b/g (which is fine for most area's) then go the Intel 2200 card. If you need (like I do due to travel) a/b/g and don't care sticker then get the Dell 1450 card. However my laptop was shipped with a Intel 2100 b so I already have sticker. I wthink I will get Dell card and feel the satisfaction of beating Intel marketing (pathetic I know) and haing full wireless access wherever I go.[ ]

 

Yes, Centrino is a marketing term designed to confuse, and it works. 802.11a is really not used much of anywhere, I wouldn't pay extra for it.

Editor in Chief http://www.bargainPDA.com and http://www.SPOTstop.com

 

um...there IS a difference between Dell's card and the Intel card. The Dell card uses the Broadcom chipset, I believe. Some reviews have found that cards so equipped don't offer the same speed or low battery consumption of the Intel chipsets. Apparently, "centrino" does mean something! Note: Atheros and Broadcom chips may enable longer range. Don't take my note for it, however - you need to google a review on the Intel/Atheros/Broadcom chips.

 

Let me rephrase. There is not a material difference in battery life.

Editor in Chief http://www.bargainPDA.com and http://www.SPOTstop.com

 

as another poster wrote, you don't need a new one unless you have or want to connect to a network that is a, b, or g for file transfer purposes. internet is slower than any, so you won't see any performance boost in surfing the net or downloading files from the internet. if you only have a b network, then keep what you got. if you have a g, then get the 2200. does anyone use a? i haven't seen it because it ain't that common. spend your money on RAM or a larger hard drive. that's what i think.

 

No material difference hey.. hmm [?]

Broadcom's new chips will save power so that a notebook running an Intel Pentium M processor and a Broadcom wireless radio will last 20 minutes longer than a notebook running an Intel Centrino wireless chip set, officials said. The BCM430x-M series is available immediately to "early adopter" customers and should appear in notebooks within a few months.

 

Also same article (2 months ago)

Atheros chip sets have a range of up to 790 meters, more than doubling the distance of previous products and helping to eliminate dead spots in large buildings.

Consuming an average of 370 milliamps in transmit mode, 284 in receive mode and 4 in idle mode, the AR5004X is significantly less power-hungry than Intel's Centrino chip set.

Centrino currently supports only 802.11b. The chip set incorporates a Pentium M processor and a wireless radio from Phillips. Customers who want to support 802.11a or 802.11g have the option of buying a Pentium M processor and a radio from a third party like Broadcom or Atheros. However, Intel has plans for Centrino chip sets that incorporate the other standards. An 802.11a/b Centrino initially was due in the third quarter, but has been delayed until the fourth quarter. An 802.11b/g Centrino is due by year's end, said Intel officials.

Intel officials declined to divulge the marketing budget for Centrino. But upon launching Centrino, Intel announced that the chip set's marketing campaign would be at least as much as the campaign for the Pentium 3 chip, and that campaign cost $300 million.

Verdict: better to go with a non Intel chip at this stage for better distance and / or power saving.

 

have you checked out www.whirlpool.net.au where I believe there have been a few posts talking about compatibility issues with the broadcom chips?

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by astinav6

 

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=198630
heres 1 but I think there are others

 

hmm thanks. This is more bout them working with Prims routers not in general. That aside I have a DLink DI - 624 router with Turbo G (108mbs). That uses an Atheros card. So to use Turbo G my Broadcom card wont do me any good, just get standard 54Mbps.[ ] Think will get Atheros. I don't run any other wireless so not worried about it clashing with other wireless in close vicinity like Broadcom claim it will.....[^]



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