Which is the better wireless card?

Which is the better wireless card?

Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN

or

ThinkPad 11a/b/g/n Wireless LAN Mini-PCI Express Adapter

 

In the old days, the Atheros ABGN is better than the Intel ABG.

I don't know how this new Intel ABGN performs compared to the Atheros.

 

i think the Draft N wireless support should be a deciding factor

EDIT : i earlier didnt notice that both f them uport draft N wireless
i would vote for the intel as intel cards earlier too have been known for reliability
and i would rather stick to what im sure will work without any problems
and would be easy to fix even if any problems do arise

 

Both cards support draft N.

 

Don't know about this generation of Intel and ThinkPad cards, but previous b/g Intel cards were no match for previous b/g Atheros ThinkPad cards, such as in the T42. I can't tell you how many times I've been the only person in a room full of other brand (e.g. Dell) laptops (using the Intel card) who can connect to a weak wireless signal. In fact, there have been many occasions when nobody else can even see a signal at all, and I've had 2 or 3 weak ones to pick from.

 

Maybe this isn't the best thread in which to ask this question, but which of these cards (Intel 4965AGN and Atheros 11a/b/g/n - AR5008) will have better support in Linux?

 

Homer Jay Thompson

 

I think both will be supported. Intel cards are more mainstream which means they will probably end up being built into the kernel (just like ipw2200). If you choose to go the Atheros route there are open source drivers for it called madwifi. Good luck w/ linux, I know I plan on installing it as soon as my laptop gets here.

 

Well, since this was brought up again in another thread, I have a question to add...

When Intel came out with the 4965AGN, besides the N-support, didn't they add some sort of feature that would save on battery life? And if so, does the Atheros also offer the same?

Beyond that...now that both have been out for a while, anyone have any actual experience comparing them yet?

 

most (if not all) recent wifi cards have power saving built in. Even some desktop cards do (since they all use the same chipset, it just has to be implemented in the driver). It just involves turning off unused radios, lowering radio power when idle, etc.

 

Both Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN and ThinkPad 11a/b/g/n Wireless LAN Mini-PCI Express Adapter are pre-n. Are BOTH of these going to be capable of full/final 802.11n with just a driver update when that day comes?

 

....maybe both, maybe neither. It hasn't even been decided yet which frequency N will run on:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draft_N#802.11n

 

I read somewhere on here that the atheros card will be upgradeable to the final N-spec...

 

I'm really stunned that the poll is as neck and neck as it is. Atheros is well known to run cooler, have better range and sensitivity and perform better over all than Intel. I wonder if most of the voting here have been from people who don't know the difference between the two?

Actually, they're known for poor reliability in comparison to Atheros. I can even speak from personal experience as well. Intel cards tend to dropout more and lose their connections than Atheros chipset based wi-fi cards.

But, I do have to say that was up to now. I can't say for sure how either Draft N chipset will perform, but going by past history, Atheros seems the no-brainer.

The key issue here is that since these are DRAFT N cards, will both companies continue to support them come ratification of the 802.11n standard? Some say Intel is more likely to than Atheros, but both may leave these in the dust.

 

Glory hallelujah!

Where did you see that?

 

I just tried to find the thread and couldn't...I may look more deeply a little later...

 

I think the main advantige of the Intel card will be that its Draft N might become standard. Not all draft N routers and cards work together but many new routers are certified to work with Centrino Duo (the Intel card) so you can be sure that the Intel card works with them. I think only a limited numbers of routers will work with the Atheros card but if they do they might work better.

I have no doupt that the Atheros is better when running in B/G mode.

 

i probably would have bought an atheros, but i use linux, so i have to use intel.
the atheros NDIS wrapper hack is NOT good enough.
it emulates running a windows driver, and it's slow.
too bad, as i hear they're great in windows

 

If Atheros did state this will be upgradeable to ratified 802.11n (surprised, but hopeful) then this shouldn't be an issue, but I agree.

 

I have to agree. I really wanted the Atheros but then again I want a Wifi card that works.

 

what are you people talking about? I use atheros based cards with linux all the time....they work fine, and even support packet injection. In fact, they are the only wifi card I buy, and I recommend them to any linux user having trouble with ndiswrapper. (ever heard of madwifi?)
http://madwifi.org/

 

we all know it works in linux, but the drivers aren't open source, so they're not included in the mainline kernel.

 

Voted for 4965agn.............just coz i have it

 

It may simply be antenna placement in the notebooks, but there appears to be a vast improvement between Intel’s last and current generation. My mom has the older Intel chipset and she gets 3 bars where I get 5.

 

Readings of the 4 wireless cards on an X61s with an infared gun, thanks to a Taiwanese reviewer:

* 4965AGN:--------------53'C (max)
* Atheros abg:------------58.5'C(Max)
* 3945ABG:--------------60'C(Max)
* Atheros 11n:-----------63.4'C(Max)

So the rumour that the Atheros cards run cooler is not accurate! However, the additional heat may be due to additional performance. Considering the right palm rest gets so hot on the X60 with either the Thinkpad or Intel card, I think the new Intel draft-n card would be a good choice for the X61s considering it runs significantly cooler.

 

I am so surprised that the intel card is winning this poll. atheros is ALWAYS supported by the open source community, signal pickup and holding rates are waaaaaaaaay better on the atheros. The only reason why one should even bother getting the intel card is because they want their laptop to have a "centrino" sticker on it. I personally think the core 2 duo sticker is nicer, but I ripped off all the stickers anyway.

 

From what I've heard the Intel 4965ABGN is still not up to par to the Atheros counterpart. However, I have seen reports that the Atheros tends to run a little warm (more specifically, the X61s has its own dedicated vent / fan for it, whereas the X61 doesn't, and supposedly it gets kinda warm)

 

Does anyone know why the Atheros a/b/g/n card is no longer offered on the T61 series? Is it being phased out due to the newly adopted draft n 2.0? Or is it merely a supply issue?

 

Since their both Mini-PCI Express, can't they just be replaced if they don't work with N?