Questions on Integrated Mobile Broadband Upgradable

I didn't configure my W500 with the mobile broadband wireless wan card from AT&T/Verizon but thought I'd go ahead and buy the AT&T one now.

1. Can someone help me out on some installation instructions?

2. Will the card be locked or unable to use anything other than the AT&T network?

3. Will I be able to use the Think Vantage GPS?

4. Are there any advantages at getting a card for the side PCI slot instead of installing this card inside?

Thanks.

 

If you mount the card inside and, providing that your laptop model does have the option for a WWAN card, it will probably still need to have the WWAN antenna kit installed (go look at the pdf manual from Lenovo for your model under parts list by FRU). For my T61p, the 5-antenna WWAN FRU kit cost $45 or so including shipping, and requires disassembly of the LCD/lid assembly and main body assembly in order to install them. The external PCMCIA or USB WWAN cards have their own antenna built in to the card, and they also are not potentially whitelisted from the BIOS if using an unsupported one. You can also use them in any other laptop...they are not tied to that one unit. But they DO stick out the side and do have to be handled more gently so you don't accidentially break the socket off. So internal and external both have their pros and cons. If you go internal, make sure you get the one that is supported by IBM or it wont work in your laptop without hacking the BIOS or the WWAN card. Then your on your own.
Last option is to hack your phone like I did, and use bluetooth DUN to wirelessly connect your laptop to your phone's EVDO and you just use the phone as your proxy to the internet. Verizon only charges you minutes off your plan to do this. It dials up like a dial-up connection in Windows but gets full EVDO speeds. My phone is not Rev-A so I can get about 480kbps dn and 144kbps up speeds this way. I imagine if your phone or PDA supports the new Rev-A standard you can get those speeds through bluetooth DUN (Dial-Up-Networking).

 

The w500 (as well as the x200, x200T, T400, and T500) includes the WWAN antenna assembly already, so you don't need to worry about that. You simply need to procure the appropriate card ( Ericsson F3507G), install it in the mini-PCIe slot (under the keyboard), and attach the antenna leads (should be loose) to the card.

To the best of my knowledge, the card is unlocked. It will work with any GSM provider, even International ones (e.g. AT&T, Vodafone, Orange, etc.). You simply need to place an activated SIM card into the slot (usually in the battery bay).

You can get GPS even without a WWAN plan. However, you can't have both WLAN & WWAN active simultaneously so any GPS program that depends on internet connectivity (e.g. Google Maps) will require a WWAN plan to be useful.

A PCMCIA (or USB, ExpressCard 34mm) card has the advantage of being portable. You can move the card betweeen multiple computers or even place it in a specialized router like the Cradlepoint CTR-500 to convert it to Wi-Fi. However, the internal card is far more convenient as it's always in the laptop. An internal card may also get better range/speed and use less battery power due to the better antenna array.

 

Thanks guys.

I'm curious, is there any way for me to figure out which wwan cards might not be compatible with the BIOS?

As far as I can tell the only ones that are a sure shot are well up over 150 bucks whereas much cheaper wwan cards with the same functionality that aren't the Lenovo/Verizon or AT&T cards are going for less than half of that.

 

You could call Lenovo and ask. However, when I last checked, the official WWAN upgrade card was ≈$170. This is the reason I got it with my ThinkPad (it was only $30 that way), even though I don't use it at present.

IBM/Lenovo has used Whitelist limitations on network cards in the past. If this is still the case, a comparable card that ISN'T Lenovo branded won't work.

 

I was afraid of that. Thanks.

Epic fail on my part for not thinking ahead.

 

What about adding the verizon wwan card to a X301?

I am looking at a couple of the X301's in the outlet, but I can't seem to find one that has the LED display and has a verizon card.

1) Will the specs in the outlet say "verizon" or is it just a specific part #? Inasmuch as verizon is cdma, I assume it is a different card from the ATT/GSM card?

2) Does the x301 have the antenna already installed like the x200 and T400/500?

If I order the x301 custom built, I will obviously order it with the verzion card.

Thanks!