heya guys... wasup?

so.. thats my question.. i need to buy wifi card for my laptop. i need it to do some research about wireless functionality. i am going to work mostly under Linux so i need a card with an Atheros chip cause as i know thats the most operating chip with Linux.. am i wrong?

i also need to know which is the best to buy.. a USB adaptor or a PCMCIA card? and why? is the PCMCIA going to die from time to time? with all theses netbooks and stuf?

i am between these two..
http://www.proxim.com/products/cp/pc.html

http://www.wlanparts.com/product/AWU...&utm_campaign=

i also want my new adaptor to have the capability of an external antenna so i can get more range..

do you have any other cards or adaptors to suggest me... usb or pcmcia.. what ever you think its best!

thank you advance
stakisko

Check if your driver likes a card on usb. Mine (Broadcom 4312) does not, and there's a well kept secret driver ssb_pci_bridge which is buried in ssb.ko (Sonics Silicon Backplane) which only luck and persistance found for me.

PC Cards are generally more hassle to set up (Card services setup and options files) but then run well, and have higher speeds. Usb-1.0 is 1 Meg; Usb-2.0 is about 12 Meg (Per second)Otherwise it's a module not picking it up. Can you pass options to it? It does go faster, but not always

I prefer PCMCIA cards as i have had problems with USB ones overheating in long term use. Try to go for Ralink chipset eg Edimax cards around 12 quid (Belkin do almost identical but more expensive cards, around 15 quid)

well i really need a card for my laptop cause i want to make my research outside...

drivers??? yeah big problems... i have experience with Broadcom chips..(asus.. #$@##%#%$!@#@#!@!*&*&^) thats why i am looking for Atheros chip which is working with almost all of the open source wireless related projects..

data rate is not what i pay attention to.. i dont really care since i only need to rewrite down just some infos.. not to download a whole movie...

USB overheating problem??? now thats news... really??? which vendor?

allright...i ve just got a http://www.wlanparts.com/product/AWU...&utm_campaign= and running now my first try...

soon i m going to right a review if there isn't one...

looks really good and its fully compatible with linux... now i also need an external antenna as its capable of changing its antena with a R-SMA antenna

anyway thank you all for your answers

cee ya around

Hi

I prefer PCMCIA WiFi cards over USB adapters as a rule. I have found in practice that PCMCIA cards often offer better range than USB adapters when used indoors (other people may have had different experiences). Some PCMCIA cards offer the option to connect an external antenna. Extended range capabilities are often offered by vendors of PCMCIA cards (eg. See D-Link extended range products).

A minor problem with USB adapters is that they stick out making them vulnerable to damage. USB devices also take up USB sockets that could be used for something else. On the other hand USB adapters offer portability being easily transferred from machine to machine when required (if that is a consideration in your case). The build quality of the USB device casing is also a minor issue.

A problem in common with both types of adapters is Linux support. May I suggest that you take a good look at the Linux compatibility of the devices that you are interested in before you commit to a purchase.
Check out Madwifi, Google the device model number, and familiarize yourself with NDIS wrapper using XP drivers.

A further consideration when purchasing any type of WiFi adapter is to determine the chip set and circuit design revision for the adapter you are purchasing. Some manufactures vary the construction of their adapters but maintain the same product model number. When researching Linux compatibility it is important to know not just the manufacturer name and model designation, but the chip set it uses (often can be derived by using Google specifying the product model number and revision code) and the product revision codes.
Prior to purchase carefully note this information from the product labeling.

Regards

Chris