Well, I got my CF-28 from Fleabay today...

I am getting a crappy wireless signal, keeps going in & out. I check the hardware, to see what model it is. It comes up as a Netgear WG111v2. I google that, & it comes up as a USB wireless adapter! I pulled the battery out to see the card, & it looks like a gutted USB adapter! Is this right? This is the wireless that I'm looking at, right...? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

 

well.... that is what ebay get's you

 

it's definitely not factory wireless.

 

GSXR,
I would disregard this post and wait for one of the regulars with manners to address your problems.

 

Ouch, that's painful.

 

I know it's not factory. Can I remove that & install one of those Engenius 600mW cards?
Thanks

 

GSXR,
I don't think that the old boy that wrote that neither knows or cares. The card you mention seems to be a popular addition to the 28s.

 

Engenius 600mW cards?

Yes, you can put one of those in. Pull out your hard drive and see what cards are installed under it. That looks like some kind of butchered RIM card in your picture. Your gonna to have to somehow figure out how to take that mess out.

 

Can you id the chipset on the device to the immediate left of your fingers?

Does it look like the second graphic on this page?
http://forum.eeeuser.com/viewtopic.php?id=16723

If so, they've soldered on a USB 2.0 hub. The device (Netgear WG111) listed as wifi adapter only confirms the above assertion:
http://kbserver.netgear.com/products/wg111v2.asp

The device in the middle appears to be bluetooth, btw.

 

Mmmmhmmm... the pic is a bit fuzzy, but it looks like he's got a USB hub hacked into the RIM card, and that Netgear NIC (The smallest PCB) connected into that. The other board may be a GPS engine; is it supposed to have that?

As for the WiFi, sure - ANY Mini-PCI WiFi will work in these - just get your drivers and GO FOR IT.

mnem
*Creative, these eBay Fleas...*

 

As I have seen you've got a USB hub connected with Bluetooth and wireless usb. The problem is that he did not install an extension antena.

ohlip

 

I talked to the seller, & you're right, USB hub. Should I get that 600mw card, or add an external antenna?

 

You'll have to add an external antenna either way if you want real signal.

That is one "interesting" card setup that guy has. Not to say we've got the best solution, but that looks so poorly hacked together... and this is coming from a guy that hacks things together alot.

 

You need an external antenna no matter which way you go (the metal chassis blocks the signal very well); but I doubt your USB NIC actually HAS any connectors for that, so you'd have to hack the antenna(s) onto it. The Engenius card supports 10 times (or more) the output power of that USB model; plus, the Atheros chipset it has is simply a whole other world of better in terms of keeping a solid connection, even on the fringes.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=187429

Get a cheap NIC/MODEM combo card like the ones discussed here:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=170417

then you'll have a free mini-PCI slot to play with.

mnem<~~~PCI thought SO!*

 

Being new to this PC, & modding in general, what would I have to do, to install that Engenius card? With my PC already looking hacked, installing this card may be beyond me.
Thanks!

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=209461

That should cover it for you.

 

AHHHH!

THAT's the thread I was looking for! Thanks Modly!

I looked for it for like 20 minutes, but my Google-Fu was weak...

mnem<~~~ Ah-Hah! I see your Google-Fu is strong... but it is no match for my Surf-Potato-Style Porn-Jutsu!!!

 

You should be able to remove that mess by removing the screws in the corners and popping up the cable clamp on the 50 conductor ribbon cable. Then take all that out. I was wondering why a person would go to al that time and trouble to fab that up when all they have to do is pop in a wifi card. I guess it must be the McGyver in us that makes us do stuff like that.

Take out the mess and put in a wifi card. You then have options for antenna placement. I prefer an internal coupled with a SMA jack out the side. It is the most versatile IMHO. But you could go with an internal and mod a RIM antenna (ala mnem) for the wifi if you wanted. You can do anything you want!

 

Just to make it clear, your wifi card DOES NOT go in that same spot. That is where Panasonic installed the RIM modem and where we have been installing the after-market GPS. The wireless we are referring to goes to the right (as you are looking at the picture, keep moving right where your hand is) under the Hard Drive, if you remove that you will see 2 card slots, one LAN and one MODEM most likely. As you will read in the post, what we have been doing in removing the MODEM in lieu of a wireless modem, and either doing without the MODEM or installing a combo LAN/MODEM card. Hope this helps..

 

Thanks guys. From what I have been reading here, the installation of a combo card, & one of those 600mw wifi cards would be the way to go. Would I be able to just disable my current wifi(on that USB hub) in the control panel, & use the new 600 card? I'd rather not tinker with all those wires, trying to remove that hardwired Netgear unit. With my luck I'd ruin something.
Thanks again!

 

I'm not sure what would show up in the BIOS for you to turn off to shut that card down. You could always just remove the 50 conductor ribbon cable beside the RAM... That should sever all ties to the motherboard. I'm not sure if it is drawing power from somewhere else.

I still can't believe that mess... And the way the seller named it an "Internal Stealth Antenna"... They should have called it the "Infernal WireMess Antenna." By the way... There was no antenna was there?

 

There is no Wifi antenna, no. He was probably referring to the GPS antenna, which was run up through the touchscreen. I installed a PCMCIA Wifi card, just to see the difference, & it got twice as good of reception, but I'd rather not have that door open with the card sticking through all the time.

 

Won't that stop my GPS from working too? I think it's connected in that group of wires, I don't want to lose that too. I see 3 smaller units, on 1 large board. 1 is the wifi, 1 is the GPS, & I dunno what the other unit is. Thanks!

 

GSXR -

As I posted earlier - I do believe the smaller module is the guts of that Netgear card; (I had one once, & the board IS tiny) and the larger sized board is maybe a GPS engine. The middle-sized board in that clusterflop is a mini-USB hub; and they're all attached to the large RIM sub-card Panasonic originally used for CDPD wireless and/or (Horrible,barely functional) factory GPS.

You CAN tap into the SAME USB port he's using to connect just your GPS without all this mess; but it WOULD require some unsoldering & resoldering.

mnem
Geez! Let me get some alfredo sauce for all that spaghetti!

 

I don't think the GPS is in that picture all I see is A mini USB hub to which there is connected a Bluetooth device and a WI-FI USB device but it looks like he is tapping into the 3.3vdc on the RIM board and running it to whereever the GPS is located. Probably to power the GPS active antenna. If you look closely there are no connections on the RIM pins 1&2 TX &RX for a GPS. What com port is the GPS showing up on? I am guessing it is connected and using the serial com 1 so you probably can't connect anything to it. What a mess indeed!

 

Yes, COM 1. The larger, rectangular unit is the Wifi, I'm pretty sure. Can I just remove that, then install a mini PCI 600mw card? If the Netgear one is missing, the computer should recognize the new Wifi card(& combo card that I plan to install with it.)

 

The wireless card that is in there is just a USB device hard wired to the hub. You could just snip the power wire on that card and it will disable it, or cut all four wires and remove it alltogether.