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    Wireless N Adapter for Older Laptop???

    Discussion in 'Networking and Wireless' started by B.J. Johns, May 8, 2011.

  1. B.J. Johns

    B.J. Johns Notebook Enthusiast

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    hello,

    i have an inspiron 8500 with a dell truemobile 1300 wlan mini-pci card (b/g compliant). if possible i'd like to wirelessly connect to an n router by adding a pmcia card or usb adapter but i'm not sure if my laptop will support it. i've contacted dell twice and got two different answers. (because my warranty has long since expired i was connected to the sales dept and not tech support...perhaps i should have spoke with tech support although they charge for that.) on one occasion was told that a usb adapter would work but not a pmcia card, and by someone else was told that neither would work because the motherboard won't support it.

    what i'm not sure of is whether or not the laptop can pick up the n signal at all regardless of what adapter is being used? perhaps i'm capable of picking up the signal with one of the devices mentioned but simply won't get maximum transfer rates offered? I'm also wondering if the opinions of the dell salespersons were based on what they had available to sell for my particular laptop?

    this is one of the cards i'm looking at: Amazon.com: Cisco-Linksys WPC600N Ultra RangePlus Dual-Band Wireless-N PC Card: Electronics

    any input would be appreciated,
    thanks
     
    B.J. Johns, May 8, 2011
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  2. downloads

    downloads No, Dee Dee, no! Super Moderator

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    Wireless n adapter will work in PCMCIA slot and in USB port too- both full speed (as in not affected by bus speed or anything).
    Your best bet would be to replace TrueMobile 1300 with a mini-PCI card that supports 802.11n. That would be tidy- no external adapters and you could use internal antennas that tend to give better reception than USB adapters or PC Cards.
     
    downloads, May 8, 2011
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  3. B.J. Johns

    B.J. Johns Notebook Enthusiast

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    thanks for the response. i agree that's definitely a good way to go, and what i'd prefer doing. it was my first thought before a pmcia or usb but just wasn't sure if it was possible after what i was told by dell.

    after a little more research i see that others with the same laptop have successfully made that same upgrade. i guess in the end the good folks in the sales dept weren't interested in answering my question as to what i could use, but rather what they had to sell that i could use. :rolleyes:
     
    B.J. Johns, May 9, 2011
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  4. Sxooter

    Sxooter Notebook Virtuoso

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    Does Dell whitelist certain adapters like Lenovo?
     
    Sxooter, May 9, 2011
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  5. B.J. Johns

    B.J. Johns Notebook Enthusiast

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    not sure about that, but what i have noticed is that their sales dept will only recommend products that can be found on their site that lists upgrades for a particular system. Dell Computer Parts - Notebooks, Laptops & Desktops | Dell

    this may not be the case with the tech dept, but again i don't know.
     
    B.J. Johns, May 9, 2011
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