Thinkpad B/G/N wifi card, is it that bad??

Hey guys, I just ordered a Thinkpad T500 a while back(shipping is taking forever). Any how I thought I'd save a couple bucks and ended up choosing the Thinkpad B/G/N wireless card, thinking it couldn't be that bad. But did I make a mistake?

The part is: 44C8733 SBB THINKPAD B/G/N

I've read around here and there and some people claim it's just awful, while others say it gets the job done/no complaints. What do you guys think? Any users out there who can share their experience with the Thinkpad B/G/N card?


Worse case scenario..if it's that bad, I may ask them to upgrade/change the card...if the price is much higher or the shipping date gets delayed even more... then plan B, I order a Intel 5300 off of ebay for $50.

Whatddaya think?

 

Should get the job done I myself would personally choose the 5300 for the antennas

 

Yeah I know the 5300 has extra antennas(3), and supposedly saves a bit more power etc., is a superior card.

But I'm just concerned if the thinkpad B/G/N is extremely bad, as in, it drops connections, doesn't find networks as well, driver issues/buggy, etc. and if I should consider upgrading/changing it out.

 

It's perfectly fine for me on campus and at home.

The extra 30 bucks upgrade is def. worth it if you plan on using Wifi quite often.

 

The thinkpad card should be the Atheros card, which, in the past, has been excellent. It has outperformed Intel cards in previous models. It shouldn't give you any trouble.

 

In the Tx00 generation, I believe Lenovo used Realtek cards for the "Thinkpad B/G/N" option.

 

Oh, if that's the case then it might be a different story.

 

Yup, I can confirm it is Realtek as well. At least that's what's showing up in Linux forums for drivers.

 

Just curious: If Thinkpad B/G/N is Realtek, then a Thinkpad with this wifi card will not be marked Centrino 2, right?

 

that is correct... Centrino = Intel wireless + intel CPU.

 

...back on topic.

So are there any users out there that can comment from personal experience using the Thinkpad Realtek B/G/N?

I've been just as speculative about it as anyone else who's posted, but just wanted to know from somebody who deals with it first hand.

 

i have used it in a colleague's T500 for setting up his system, for normal use (i.e. the wireless hub is located 5 m away behind a plaster wall), i couldn't tell the difference between that and mine T500's intel 5300. The signal was pretty much consistent with other.

However, the thinkpad card does have problem picking up the wireless signal when i move out of the building, around 10 m out from the wireless hub and across several walls. The signal dropped to 10 to 15%, whereas the 5300 would have around 25% to 35% signal.

I have also done the test once with a T400 using 5100 card, it would have around 15 to 20% signal.

But personally, i would always get a three antenna setup for the intel wireless card, because at home, i can always pick up a good signal from the wireless hub upstairs, which the two antenna setup have trouble doing and have to resort to the powerplug ethernet.

 

Thanks lead. That was very insightful. If I gather it correctly, the thinkpad B/G/N is at least as good as the Intel 5100, loses out on some reception compared to the 5300, but maybe bearable at least?

If this is the case, I may end up staying with the thinkpad B/G/N, but that's after I call and confirm that it won't delay my shipment by a lot, and the price isn't ridiculous(the price wasn't bad while I was customizing it, lI'd definitely get the 5300 if I could go back, just hope the upgrade price is the same as the customizing price before checkout).

Thanks again lead!

 

something like that from my personal experience when i tested my friend's T500 during its initial setup.