Cable for wifi Engenius EMP-8602S?

I'll be needing to get the signal out of the case. Will this do it?

U.FL RP SMA Female 10" Pigtail Cable Mini-PCI UFL RG178

<http://cgi.ebay.com/U-FL-RP-SMA-Female-10-Pigtail-Cable-Mini-PCI-UFL-RG178_W0QQitemZ110507183613QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item19babdcdfd>

I'll be using an external ant., either a whip on the case or a dish on the porch.

I'm not sure if the connectors are correct. RM-SMA bulkhead will fit most whips?

Thanks

 

That should work just fine for what you are trying to do.

 

If your connectors don't match you can usually find connectors that fit SMA and turn into whatever you need. But the SMA Bulkhead to u.fl is what you need.... No longer than 12" is needed.

I just noticed the one you listed is 10".. .That may be tight if you plan on going out the side of a CF-28... I always like just a little wiggle room.... But that will most likely work as well.

 

Thanks Toughbook!

I found a longer cable for less $, so I've ordered the parts.
Anyone have suggestion for a female RP SMA compatable whip antenna?
I've looked around, Tiger, Pasadena, ebay, etc., but nothing
is jumping out at me (except the yagi's, quads, and parabolics!)
First, I need something in a smaller form-factor...

This is going to be fun!

 

I have some 9dB mag-mount whip antennas (car top) with 6 feet of cable that end in an SMA connection if you are interested. I bought a bunch of them when I was selling CF-28s. I have a few left. PM me if you are interested.... They work fairly well... Good for war-driving and picking up local hotspots while on the move.

 

My new wireless card is waiting for me at the Post Office, I'll get it tomorrow.

I've already got the pigtail, and I think I might drill a hole and install it tonite.

Where's the best place to drill the case; what are the folks here doing? Also, after reading thru the threads, am I right to understand that I won't be needing to split the case for this? If not, is there a thread or link about how to do that?

Toughbooks are too cool. May I have another please?

 

You will need to remove the bottom, but you should not have to remove anything further. If you are going to add an external antenna, the one spot I always use is the area by the LAN/modem connections. Once you remove the bottom you will see what is best for you and with what arrangement you feel the most comfortable. Another area is directly opposite the LAN area under the palm rest.

 

The logical place (I think) for the SMA bulkhead is on the side opposite the LAN/Modem port cover. If you move the location toward the back or front of the port cover you can also fit in a "paddle type" wifi antenna... So then if you are working in your house with the router in the next room... You won't always need to screw on your antenna. There are pictures of that posted somewhere around here.

 

Thanks guys. I put the bulkhead rpsma on the left hand side, as it seemed out of the way when reaching for the mouse or my coffee. I had to file down a small screwdriver to get those tiny screws loose! I pulled out the modem & lan cards, installed the wifi card in the right hand side three times per Toughbook's recommendations, rebooted, uninstalled the old hardware (oopsie), rebooted again, and then started the driver install.

My pci-card didn't come with any drivers, and my XP/SP3 couldn't find a suitable NDIS5 driver, so I loaded the "XP Version 1.4" that I found on this page:

http://www.engeniustech.com/Datacom/products/resources.aspx?cat=6&ID=220

I didn't load the utility; I'll try the ms wifi software first and see how that goes... I don't have a router running yet, so I won't be able to test it until I get to town (I'm rural, I don't even have t.v. signal out here).

There are two U.FL jacks on the card, which one is 2.4GHz?

 

Someone correct me if I'm wrong but IIRC, the 8602+S card isn't dual-band. Thus, both u.fl connections (Main & Aux) should be 2.4GHz.

 

ToughNut is correct, main and aux 2.4GHz



Alex

 

The 8602+S is an a/b/g card; both ports are 2.4+5.8GHz

data sheet here: http://www.engeniustech.com/resources/EMP-8602.pdf

nine

 

I recalled wrong and stand corrected. Didn't RTFM on multiple frequency bands but again, I don't think there's anything computer-related running on non-2.4GHz in my household.

I think the cordless phone is on the 5.somethingGHz but hey... it isn't a tough phone!

Ron in SG

 

Yep a/b/g, except I believe the above datasheet is for the EMP-8602S

Here is the datasheet for the EMP-8602+S: http://www.engeniustech.com/resources/EMP-8602 PLUS-S_20080516.pdf


In this thread Toughbook mentions that the performance difference does not seem that great between the two, the specs in the above datasheets seem to support this observation.
Though the transmit current doubles from 750mA to 1.5A which seems significant.


Just remember that when using this card for your WIFI to rotate a 1/4 turn every 15-20 min so you will be evenly done on all sides.

 

urm... so if I fall asleep on the keyboard, does it mean my face is toast??!!

 

Me thinks a waffle!

 

Just an update and a big thank you for everyone that helped me fumble my way thru this upgrade.

I have it working now with a short 5dbi antenna. With netstumbler & appropriate NDIS 5.1 driver enabled, it seems very sensitive. I was able to find many networks just driving down the road. I connected to my sisters router at 1/4 mile distance, and another a mile away up on a local hill. I've also been fooling with a diy biquad; with low loss cable the initial results look promising for creating a distance link.

I'm itching to find an aircard for the hidden pc slot, but that's a project that will have to wait for more bravery...