The Notebook Review forums were hosted by TechTarget, who shut down them down on January 31, 2022. This static read-only archive was pulled by NBR forum users between January 20 and January 31, 2022, in an effort to make sure that the valuable technical information that had been posted on the forums is preserved. For current discussions, many NBR forum users moved over to NotebookTalk.net after the shutdown.
Problems? See this thread at archive.org.

    CF-19 Dumb Antenna Question....

    Discussion in 'Panasonic' started by gmgfarrand, Jul 27, 2010.

  1. gmgfarrand

    gmgfarrand Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    104
    Messages:
    515
    Likes Received:
    3
    Trophy Points:
    31
    Ok...
    So I took out the Intel ABG WiFi Card and added a Ubiquiti SR-71 which is a MIMO N card..

    My gains are not that spectacular...
    I'm thinking it might have to do with the internal antenna on the 19..

    Am I on the right path?
     
    gmgfarrand, Jul 27, 2010
    #1
  2. mnementh

    mnementh Crusty Ol' TinkerDwagon

    Reputations:
    1,116
    Messages:
    3,389
    Likes Received:
    29
    Trophy Points:
    116
    MIMO/N needs 3 matched antennas for multipath communication. With just 2 antennas, you lose a path, so it reverts to G mode.

    mnem
    Well... isn't that cr@ptacular!
     
    mnementh, Jul 27, 2010
    #2
  3. gmgfarrand

    gmgfarrand Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    104
    Messages:
    515
    Likes Received:
    3
    Trophy Points:
    31
    gmgfarrand, Jul 27, 2010
    #3
  4. mnementh

    mnementh Crusty Ol' TinkerDwagon

    Reputations:
    1,116
    Messages:
    3,389
    Likes Received:
    29
    Trophy Points:
    116
    That's because there's only 2 antennas in your antique ToughBook... :laugh:

    You'll have to mod another one in... good luck!

    mnem
    What? TWO horns isn't enough, now you gotta have THREE?
     
    mnementh, Jul 28, 2010
    #4
  5. onirakkiss

    onirakkiss Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    552
    Messages:
    711
    Likes Received:
    23
    Trophy Points:
    41
    onirakkiss, Jul 28, 2010
    #5
  6. gmgfarrand

    gmgfarrand Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    104
    Messages:
    515
    Likes Received:
    3
    Trophy Points:
    31
    No, i mean the card only has 2 connectors...
    Oh well, seems to work better than the stock intel!
     
    gmgfarrand, Jul 28, 2010
    #6
  7. Azrial

    Azrial Notebook Deity

    Reputations:
    598
    Messages:
    1,403
    Likes Received:
    87
    Trophy Points:
    66
    However, It still works in the N Mode, correct?

    Despite the standard for the usage of Diversity Antennas I have a hard time believing that it was designed as an 802.11N device with only two antenna leads without the ability coded into the devices PROM to forgo the third antenna.

    A more likely problem is that there were so many "Pre-N" devices for so long that this is another one that does not completely and correctly conform to the standard. 802.11N technology is already many years old and out of date. They simply could not come to a consensus to ratify a standard at the IEEE over years of trying!

    My old Wi-Fi Switching Hub, that I had 7 years ago would do N type speeds though packet bursting, but all proprietary.
     
    Azrial, Jul 28, 2010
    #7
  8. gmgfarrand

    gmgfarrand Notebook Evangelist

    Reputations:
    104
    Messages:
    515
    Likes Received:
    3
    Trophy Points:
    31
    I agree...
    The NEWER Ubiquiti cards have all the connectors but are alot more $$$$
     
    gmgfarrand, Jul 28, 2010
    #8
  9. mnementh

    mnementh Crusty Ol' TinkerDwagon

    Reputations:
    1,116
    Messages:
    3,389
    Likes Received:
    29
    Trophy Points:
    116
    Azrial hit the nail on the head there... we have been flogging the Atheros chipset on this forum for years, and it too has proprietary multipath technology. When connected to an Atheros-chipset WiFi Router or AP, it can produce twice the throughput by separating the antennas to operate on two different channels at the same time. When it works right, you can get connection speeds equal to a hardwired 100Mbps connection; that extra 8Mbps gets eaten up by overhead required for the wireless connection.

    mnem
    Feeling a bit analog today...
     
    mnementh, Jul 28, 2010
    #9