USB Adapter vs PMCIA Card

So I recently got a Sony Vaio PCG-XG500 for my wife to satisfy very simple email and office functions. The computer works great as I customize it for her. My question is I am using a Linksys Wireless USB network adapter that I use on another computer and I get download speeds at true cable rates. This computer uses USB 2.0 (which I believe is part of my problem). When connected to the laptop (USB 1.0) I am getting donwload speeds at 2x dialup. I am wondering if I get a laptop designed network card would my speeds increase or is it just due to the low processing and RAM that this laptop will never download much faster.

Thanks

 

Hi there,

You say 'USB 1.0'. Are you sure you don't mean 1.1?

The throughput of 1.1 should not be a proble, as it is limited to 14mbs, still plenty more than the 2 x dialup. But I was in the same situation a few months back and my USB adapter's driver sure hated the USB 1.1.

Look around and see if you can borrow a PCMCIA card somewhere.

 

I think they do recommend USB2 for network adapters... PCMCIA wi-fi cards aren't very expensive, and the way I look at it is, you're less likely to accidentally snap the thing off.

 

Thx for the advice.

I just wanted a sounding board to make sure I wasnt going to waste money buying a card. Trying to find someones to borrow but I think I know a few people who have one.

 

The slower speed is not because of the usb 1.1. I have a usb 1.1 type (Belkin usb with long cord) plugged into a usb 1.1 port on a desktop and can get download speeds equal to my notebook pcmcia card. I think it all depends on the server you are downloading from.

 

Usb 1.1 is plenty fast for internet connections, 11 Mbps is 802.11 B and the transfer speed of usb 1.1 is 12Mbps.. (man, I thought it was more than that...o well...) And, your internet connection is NOT going to be faster than 11Mbps...in fact, it's probably more like 1.5 Mbps at best.
Now, usb 1.1 (or 2.0, depending on your needs) is not fast enough for transfering files over LAN's though...

 

What kind of signal quality did you get when your speed was 2x dialup? It could be just the setting on the computer, or you could be in the spot where the signal just isn't very clear. The lower the signal is, the slower the speed. One day, i was at my University campus sitting in a corner of a building, it took me 30 seconds to log on to the campus network. But if i move 5 feet heading toward the center of the building, i get instant login.
You can download netstumbler and see what kind of signal the computer is getting (the program shows u a little graph and is more precise than the bars windows give you).