New Laptop

[metCloud]

I need some suggestions...I just ordered a new Dell Laptop and I need a cheap wireless setup. Should I go with a Microsoft 802.11G or Linksys 802.11b? They run about the same price and i would like the "G" for the price but I wanna get the Linksys too. I want the Linksys because I trust there product more than I would Microsofts but would the 802.11B be alot slower?

[Baloki]

If your planning to transmit through more then 2 normal walls go for the higher speed (G), the communication is better.

[metCloud]

I will only need to go through one wall, two walls at most. most of the time I will still be in the room with the router so thats not a big deal....I just hate wires :D

[Shoeberto]

Go B. It's around 11mbps, which is a lot more than you'll ever need through an internet connection. The only difference it'll probably make is if you want to transfer big files across two computers wirelessly, but even then, 11 megs a second ain't too shabby.

[crono_logical]

11 mbps is nasty when you're shifting GBs between machines though, you'll be waiting hours :p If they're similarly priced, I'd go for the higher speed one. Also means you can more easily share media files between the two machines and stream videos instead of having to duplicate content on both machine's hard disks for it to be usable on all machines at once.

[metCloud]

Thanks....I got another question. I wasnt expecting to get an integrated network card in the laptop, but it has one (.11b/g). Does this mean I dont need a card, or is a real card better or somthing? If I dont need one that would be great since im trying to go the cheap way.

[Baloki]

If its an intigrated wireless card then you don't need to buy one for it, infact you'll probably be plugging the base station into the one without the card so you need no cards at all, well done :D:D

[Dr Unne]

Intergrated cards suck in general. But they are cheap.

[Shoeberto]

My sister's laptop has an intergrated card and it's never seemed to fail so go with it.


And, like cl said, if you're transferring gigs across machines, it will take a while, so if you're just going for internet connection sharing, go for B, since (in my experience, at least) the 802.11B routers and equipment have been much cheaper than the G equipment.

[crono_logical]

I find integrated far better than a seperate PCMCIA card for laptops for most devices, since the CPU usage tends to be far lower and the speeds more reliable. Perhaps it's an actual limit of the PCMCIA interface though, which you obviously wouldn't get with a specific connector directly on the motherboard, I'm not sure.

[Max]

Can i have your laptop?

[metCloud]

Can i have your laptop?

Sure, you want my truck too?