Follow up to Which is the Best Half Mini Wireless Card

The referenced thread discussed the Intel 5300 and the Atheros AR9245 as alternative best half-mini wireless cards. But it did not provide any information on whether or not these cards were compatibly switchable. I have noticed that the 5300 is for laptops with up to 3 antennas whereas the Intel 5100 is for laptops with 2 antennas. My first question is whether or not I can substitute an Intel 512AN_HMW (5100 half mini PCIE card) for the Atheros AR9245 that comes in an ASUS U36JC. (The AR9245 handles 2 antenna leads). Many sellers of the 5100 card say it cannot be used in an HP. Why not? What is the compatibility issue? Does it apply to ASUS as well?

My other question is whether or not it is reasonable to assume that the Intel card will support windows workgroups using the native Netbeui protocol (not via TCP/IP). Though I have never found any authoritative documentation on this issue, it has become clear to me that some wireless routers and some wireless adapters (with default settings) support the Netbeui protocol and some do not. For example,most Linksys wireless routers do not, but most Netgear wireless routers do. Likewise, the Intel 3945ABG wireless adapter does, but a similar Broadcom adapter does not. I know it is grasping at straws, but is it possible that because the 5100 supports 802.11a whereas the Atheros does not, that this might account for a difference in Netbeui support? Is it reasonable to assume that if the Intel 32-bit driver supports Netbeui, that the 64-bit driver will too?

To avoid unnecessary back and forth, let me confirm that my ASUS U36JC is running Windows 7 64-bit and Windows 7 64-bit does not support Netbeui. But I have installed VM Player 4 and a Win XP Pro virtual machine with Netbeui installed using instructions widely available on the net. When running my virtual machine I can access workgroup files when hardwired, but not when connected via wireless.

Thanks for any insights you guru are able to provide.

 

In regards to the first question, some manufacturers whitelist wireless adapters in their bios. If you don not have an adapter that is on the whitelist, the adapter won't work in that laptop. Asus doesn't whitelist, so you can fit any wireless adapter of the right form factor in a U36. HP does whitelist wireless adapters though.

 

What applications of NetBIOS are you using? It's usually handled over TCP, unless you are using a really old OS. The hardware should not matter.

HP and Lenovo whitelist adapters so that only specific PCI IDs can be used with their BIOS. That is to lock out 3rd part unapproved adapters. You can use an HP specific or Thinkpad specific adapter in any other computer.

If you have a 2 antenna laptop but want to buy a 3 antenna card, you can either use the card with 2 antennas (don't plug in the middle) or buy a 3rd antenna and mount it in your lid or LCD bezel.

There have been cases of certain ASUS models having a problem with wifi cards, but it is not due to whitelisting. In some cases the machine will not properly reboot, in other cases the card does not show up. These are relatively rare though.

 

Thanks for the quick informative replies. About Netbeui, let me explain. I'm a probably careful beyond all reason, but I don't want to use a routing protocol (Netbeui over TCP/IP) for my shared files) I want to use a non-routing protocol to assure myself that no non-local computer can access my files without installing a robot.
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I missed an important point in my previous reply. Yes, hardware shouldn't matter but it does. I've proved it with hardware substitution any number of times. I had a Lenovo 0768-05U with an Intel 3945ABG adapter in it. Windows workgroups worked fine over Netbeui. Got a Lenovo 0768-EFU with a Broadcom adapter in it. Window explorer could not see any other Netbeui computers. Switched in an Intel 3945ABG adapter and problem was solved.

 

Why don't you just block netbios at your firewall? Almost every default config does anyway. Using a horribly outdated OS stack is more of a security threat.

If you're using netbios frames protocol, it's probably a question of driver implementation and not hardware compatibility. I have no idea where you find compatibility info; It's pretty much a relic.