Anything better then Intel 5100 AGN?

Hello!
I wonder if I should buy a new network card? I know the're really cheap and if it will make a real-life performance incrase I can happly buy new one.

What do you think? I'm currently running on a Intel 5100 AGN.

 

No need to upgrade unless your network speeds are over 300mbps

 

True but Intel 5100 is a constant problem for many users and since Intel 6200 has two types of problems (it doesn't necessarily connect @802.11n speeds and work and it's not that easy to buy a genuine one) Intel 5300 seems to be a worthy contender.
Still if you have no problems with Intel 5100 and performance is adequate there's no reason to upgrade.

 

How do you know if it isnt genuine my laptop came with one in it from the factory is real?

 

Yes it is but a large percentage (if not most) of the ones available on ebay and such are not genuine.
It doesn't help if you know how the packing or even the card itself should look like because most of sellers don't use real-life pictures anyway so either you know from other users that the seller is OK or you see real-life pictures... or you're gambling.

 

I understand, thanks for friendly answers
But, what about the range? Will 6200 have better range?

 

Don't believe these stories about range being 600% of 802.11g or something like that. Here's where marketing doesn't apply- it's just physics and provided you have the same antennas etc. (which you have) there are only two factors that affect range- one is transmit power (basically all normal cards have the same one- rules apply here) and frequency of operation (2.4GHz has better range compared to 5GHz because it's better at penetrating through obstacles like walls but)
All cards with identical power output working on the same frequency will have the same range (provided they use the same or similar antennas)

Some have better coverage- meaning they get you faster connection within the same range from the AP but as of now Intel 5300 is considered the best all-rounder and even if 6200/6300 are better these are comparable and in the same league.

 

Sorry to hijack your topic but I have a similar question...

I bought an ASUS UL30JT which comes with Atheros AR9285 and I'm having lots of issues connecting to my uni's eduroam network. The tech guys at my uni told me that Atheros cards were problematic and I've already read on this forum lots of people having problems with this specific Atheros card on the UL30 series.

So, I was looking into getting an Intel 5100. Should I go for it or is there a better alternative than Intel? Maybe a different Atheros model or should I just clear away from Atheros? Does the 5300 really compensate from the 5100?

One last thing though... This is a mobility laptop, I need the battery to last long so I don't want a card that uses too much power and it's pricey. But I also don't want a weak card with poor reception and very cheap. Something in the middle.

Suggestions?

 

Steer clear of Intel 5100- it's not a good card and causes at least as many problems as Atheros AR928x series.
Atheros is a reputable company and makes a lot of good cards however it's not very easy to keep up with the name scheme they use (i.e. AR5B93 is based on AR5009 apparently without the 802.11a band etc).
It's rather hard to keep up with what radio chip is used on what card and how does it compare to others especially that Atheros don't sell or advertise some of them- they just go to OEMs.

Same recommendation- buy Intel 5300 it's a very good card, drivers are easily available from Intel and it fulfills all your criteria.
As for power consumption- there's basically no difference between the cards so you can ignore that.

 

I don't know anything about this so it's understandable if this is a misconception, but it's weird that that 5100 is such a bad card and the 5300 is a good one... Maybe their model numbers don't mean anything, but to me it's like they are the same thing, only the 5300 has better specs. As usual in hardware parts. Maybe that doesn't apply here?

I was looking at the 5100 cause the 5300 is a little more expensive... I mean, it's a brand a new laptop, few weeks old, and I'm already upgrading it. I wanted to minimize the costs :/

Should I be aware of fake 5300 from ebay?

 

To add insult to injury- Intel 5100 and 5300 supposedly use the same radio chip but all in all 5100 is something I wouldn't recommend unless off course you want to upgrade from one troublesome card to another.

As for fake 5300s- I don't know if there are fakes (I would presume there are some) and if so I don't know what’s the extent of the problem.
Maybe some other user could shed some light on the subject or maybe recommend a trustworthy seller.

 

I've contacted two already and both of them told me they were not fakes, but I should take their words with a grain of salt.

Let's see how the card behaves in this next week and then I'll think about buying one or not.

Thanks for all your support.