What's all this wi-fi option stuff when spec'ing an XPS laptop?

Right, so I'm getting close to biting the bullet and ordering an XPS15 - but the wireless options have me confused. I thought wireless was....well just wireless wi-fi but I see there are no less then 3 options on the XPS 15 -

Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 1000
Intel® Centrino® Ultimate-N 6300 802.11 a/b/g/n (3x3)
Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6200 802.11 a/g/n

Can some kind soul give me a brief summary of why I would want to spend the extra 30 - 50 bucks for the ultimate or advanced options here ?

I looked over the intel website for some info, but can't seem to get my head around it.

Thanks !

 

Be glad there's no option for the horrific Dell wireless cards.

 

The best I can tell the new line of wireless cards offer better performance. If you rarely use wifi I wouldn't bother upgrading. If you use wifi all the time it might be worth the 30 bucks to go up to Advanced-N. Ultimate-N has a third antenna which should yield better signal strength.

Intel® Centrino® Ultimate-N 6300 and Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6200 Overview

6200 vs 6300 thread http://forum.notebookreview.com/net...ino-advanced-n-6200-vs-ultimate-n-6300-a.html

 

1000 = 1x2 MIMO single band (2.4GHz b/g/n) adapter. It can receive I believe at rates up to 300Mbps, and transmit upto 150Mbps.
6200: 2x2 MIMO dual band (2.4GHz & 5GHz a/b/g/n) adapter. It receives and transmits at up to 300Mbps. 2x2 MIMO means it uses two antennas to stream data, doubling the data rate.
6300: 3x3 MIMO dual band, receives and transmits up to 450Mbps. It's a 3 antenna design.

 

What abou the fouth option? XPS 17 lists 4 options for WiFi:

Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 1000
Intel® Centrino® Ultimate-N 6300 802.11 a/b/g/n (3x3)
Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6200 802.11 a/g/n
Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N + WiMAX 6250 802.11 a/g/n

 

WiMAX is the "wireless anywhere thing" where it connects the same way a cell phone connects to the internet. The connection fee is separate from the card.

 

The fourth option includes WiMAX. Here's the blurb on it at Wiki
WiMAX - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Do you think that other than the WiMax, the 6250 is otherwise equivalent to the 6200 for WiFi?

If any Canadian readers know, is WiMax what Rogers and Bell use for their portable wireless Internet USB sticks? If I had a laptop with a built-in WiMax card, could I use the Rogers or Bell service without needing the separate USB stick?
(Dell also offers two WWAN options for wireless broadband Internet for the XPS 17, so I'm trying to figure out if any of these WiMax or WWAN options are usable in Canada. I wouldn't want the cell phone type broadband service, as it's quite expensive here.)

 

I would contact the service provider you plan to use to ensure compatibility.

 

Dell Canada offers the Bell Novatel Turbo Stick which is cellular based. It's basically a cellphone on a stick using the Bell 3G network, so coverage area is the same as cell phone coverage. It's not WiMAX.


It looks like WiMAX is mostly offered in rural areas where internet options are limited. See : List of deployed WiMAX networks - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


I'm also looking at getting an XPS 17 shortly and most likely I'll spring for the 6300. I don't really see the need for WiMAX. FWIW.

BTW, yes, I think the 6250 is otherwise equivalent to the 6200.

cheers

 

Well if there is even a hint that I will get better range, I'll spend the extra money and get the 6300. I have a weak area in my house and of course it's naturally right where my big comfy recliner is

Thanks for the info guys. Appreciate it.

 

WiMAX is pretty amazing. All the networks in my area have a 24 hour free trial. Four free days of free city-wide internet. It was great, lol.

 

For anyone interested in details of the various WiFi options:

Centrino: Wireless Networking : Mobile Core i7-920XM: Power Is The Price For Better Performance

 

Does anyone know if the 6300-N Ultimate is able to use all of it's bandwidth despite there being only 2 antennas in the new laptops? The Dell representative on the phone told me that because the new antennas work so well they only need 2 antennas instead of three.

I ordered the 6300 but am thinking of getting it changed to the 6200 if it needs the third antenna. I'm mainly concerned with signal strength.

 

I would also like to know which card is best to receive good signal and good speeds?

 

If there really is only 2 antennas in the new XPSs, then the 6300 will have no improvement over the 6200/6250. I'm surprised they even offer it if that is the case.

FYI, the XPS16 has 6 antenna's (3x for wifi, 1x for bluetooth, 2x for 3g/cellular internet). XPS has really gone downhill if Dell is reduced to saving pennies on a $0.01 wire antenna needed to take advantage of offered hardware.

 

That's why I want to know if I'm wasting $40 or not.

What the Indian escalation agent said to me is that they don't need a 3rd antenna because the two antenna's work so well that they do the work of 3. This didn't really make sense to me though. Is this even possible?

 

2 antennas aren't as good as 3. The only difference between the 6200 and the 6300 is that the 6200 uses 2 antennas and the 6300 uses 3. A 6300 with only 2 antenna's connected is near identical to a 6200. No reason to waste your money.

 

That's exactly what I thought and I've requested he either get an engineer to contact me or send me technical documentation. I'd like to have 3 antennas just to ensure the better range and signal quality which is why I got the 6300.