Fujitsu review

Our Fujitsu S6120D-2 arrived on Thursday....and we're in love. What a beautiful little machine it is.

First reaction when I pulled it out of the box: wow. It has a great looking, solid case, is half the weight of my 14", 3-yr old Apple Powerbook, and it has a wonderfully small footprint. The warm and fuzzy feelings continued after I turned it on. I'm amazed by the quality of the screen (the native resolution is perfect for my needs, and the picture is very bright and crisp). Also amazed at how quiet it is. There is a few seconds of fan noise when it boots up, but after that it's virtually silent.

After playing with it for a couple of days and loading all my software, I continue to be impressed. It's a speedy little machine. Even my large picture files open fast. The battery seems to last about 3 hours on a charge with steady Web browsing--which is adequate for my needs.

I went and bought the D-Link 624 wireless router yesterday and set it up. I got a WLAN connection instantly with the Fujitsu after setting the router up and enabling the WEP with my desktop. (I don't like the software interface of the D-Link as much as the Linksys interface (the D-Link replaces my Linksys wireline router)).

My only complaint is that the notebook drops the wireless signal every 10 or 15 minutes, and I have to reconnect. It only takes a sec to reconnect, but I wish it held the connection longer. BUT, this might be a router issue, or it might be normal for wireless notebooks (this is my first experience with one), or it might have something to do with the location of the router in my basement. Is there a way to make the notebook reconnect on its own after it loses the signal, so I don't keep getting the pop up window?

Today I networked to my printer and tried out the wireless printing--works great!

These are still early days, but at this point I am extremely happy with our purchase. The S6120D-2 has met or exceeded our expectations. I put in one call to Fujitsu's tech help line to ask a networking question and was connected in less than 30 seconds. The person I talked to was friendly and helpful.

I agonized over which laptop to buy for a month before settling on the S6120D-2. Thought about waiting for the new S7000 model (they start shipping in Canada at the end of this month) but decided to go with the S6000 series instead because of the smaller footprint (13.3" screen) and all the great things I heard about it. Plus it was cheaper.

Specs: 1.6 Ghz PM, 512 MB, 40 GB, b/g Atheros WLAN, XP Home, 3 yr warranty.

We're going to Europe later this year and our new Fujitsu will be the perfect little travelling companion. Now I need to find out where I can get free WLAN access in Paris and Milan...anyone know? [ ]

Peter

 

I have the dLink 624 as well and have has no problems keeping a constant connection. Either your getting interference from something else like a 2.4 ghz cordless phone, have a bad card in your laptop, or you got a bum unit for the 624.

 

Yeah, a notebook dropping a wi-fi connection every 10-15 minutes isn't normal. Sounds like an interference or router issue...maybe your broadband ISP is having issues too...kind of tough to find the root cause, you'll have to use process of elimination by testing it in another wi-fi hotspot or trying another router if you have access.

I liked using the Fujitsu S6120 also, it's a great little notebook, I posted a review here: http://www.notebookreview.com/default.aspx?newsID=1704

here's a pic of the one I owned!

 

Where do you drop the signal? When upstairs? How is it when sitting next to the router? If the connection is stable when there's a clear line of sight between the laptop and the router, then something is physical is interfering. Walls, floors, etc. If that's the case, try moving your router in another location. Even a couple of feet can make a difference. Do this before you spend anymore money on bridges, repeaters or amplifiers. If that doesn't work. Check into adding a bridge, repeater or amplifier!

If the signal is unstable up-close even, then check for other forms of interference, like cordless phones, yours and your neighbors.

You could even test it out with another wireless router. Either a friends, or someplace that offers WiFi access.

Good luck,

Nobbie[ ]

 

Question: Can you comment on the S6120 cooling fan, I have heard conflicting reports from some people that the fan runs a lot (apparently set to turn on at too low a temperature) and from other who say the fan is just loud. Would love your thoughts as having just bought one.

 

The cooling fan comes on at boot for a few seconds and then shuts off. It was running for a few minutes at one point last night after a day of extensive use....but that was the only time I noticed it apart from boot up. It is noisy when it comes on, but not bothersome and if it only comes on once in a blue moon, I'm ok with it.

 

OK, I've looked into it further, and this would appear to be either a wireless card or router issue. We do not have a 2.4 Ghz phone, only a 900 Mhz (uniden, nice phone). Still have to check with the neighbors, but I doubt it's an interference issue. The signal is dropped consistently every 10-15 minutes. Unless the neighbors have very powerful cordless phones and are receiving/making calls on that kind of sked, the problem must lie elsewhere.

So...this morning I took the notebook to the basement and set it up right beside the router and watched an hour-long webcast. Like clockwork, every 10 minutes or so it dropped the connection. So it's not wall/floor interference, either.

Tomorrow I will take it to the university and test out the wireless signal on the free WLAN in my building. If that works ok, the problem must lie with the router, no?

Peter



<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by nobbie

 

Accendo...you mentioned that you were in Canada. Where did you buy the 6120D from and if you could let me in onthe price it would be much appreciated. I am looking for a good deal from a reliable dealer...but isn't everyone. Not sure if you know this, but is the 3 year warranty International?

 

3 yr warranty is international.

I bought through my company direct from the manufacurer. Individual consumers need to use one of the Fujitsu resellers or online shops(you can find links to several e-merchants on the Fujitsu Canada web site). This one: http://www.silicondirect.com/main.htm sells the S6120D-2 with XP Home for C$2,599. But http://www.1click2computers.com has it on sale for $2,400. I don't know anything about either of these online shops.

I also talked to a couple of shops in Calgary who seemed able to bring it in for a price similar to 1click2. Try AB Microtech or Eurotech Systems. Contact info for both is on the Fujitsu site under Shop/Resellers.

Hope that helps.

Peter

 

Good news...solved my wireless connection conundrum. Just had to tweak my Wireless Network Connection Properties

I had to reconfigure the setting for my wireless network. Was told by Fujitsu tech support to de-select "IEEE.801x Authentication for this Network" and "Authenticate as computer when computer info available" boxes. That seems to have done it. Windows now automatically searches for my wireless network and connects--and so far it is staying connected (20 min and counting). Tech person said my router must not support ieee 802 authentication and because the notebook was set to use it they were conflicting, causing it to drop the connection. Anyone know if that's true about Dlink 624?

Is it bad from a security standpoint not to have the ieee 802 authentication turned on? Sorry...don't know anything about wireless networking (as you can tell).

Incidentally, I got this advice using the Fujitsu chat line. It was an interesting experience. There were some long pauses as I waited for the tech support person to reply...got the feeling he was chatting with a few people at once or something. But in the end, he fixed my problem, so I guess I shouldn't complain. Plus, happy I don't need to replace the card or router![ ]

Peter

 

The dlink 624 can support almost every authentication and security, however you need additional hardware to support things like the 802.1x authentication (a radius server for 802.1x).