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    Buying only a router vs. router & card "kit"

    Discussion in 'Networking and Wireless' started by Jeff Ornstein, Aug 2, 2005.

  1. Jeff Ornstein

    Jeff Ornstein Notebook Enthusiast

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    Is there any advantage to buying a router kit that comes with a PC card than buying a router without one? I'm getting a 9300 in a few days with an intel 2200 wireless internal card. Would it be better for networking to buy a router with a card for better communications between the router and the laptop, or does it not matter, and should the 2200 work just as good?

    Thanks.
     
    Jeff Ornstein, Aug 2, 2005
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  2. Jlbrightbill

    Jlbrightbill Notebook Deity

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    The 2200 performs great as it is. You can usually pick up a router with rebates and coupons for around $20, so wait around until you find the right deal on a wireless-g router.
     
    Jlbrightbill, Aug 2, 2005
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  3. Brian

    Brian Working at 486 Speed NBR Reviewer

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    No, buying a card is a waste of money and defeats the purpose of having an internal card.
     
    Brian, Aug 2, 2005
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  4. Vindicated

    Vindicated Notebook Geek

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    I second Brian. Its a waste of money and getting a package will actually be more confusing rather then being easier (which I'm sure is why your thinking of going that route). You'll have to configure your router & the card, when your built in wireless chip is already set to go with all routers. You also won't get any performance improvements that way.

    Instead if your looking to get the best bang-for-your-buck setup, go with a Linksys WRT54G wireless router. They're easy to find, you can get them for $30-$40 bucks on ebay or $60-$70 in the retail stores. They're just as good if not better then most of the other routers: they tend to be better quality (Linksys is a Cisco company after all), their software is the easiest to work with and because the WRT54G is basically a 200Mhz Linux box using open-source firmware there are TONS of third-party firmware hacks.
     
    Vindicated, Aug 3, 2005
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