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    please excuse my ignorance... wireless question

    Discussion in 'Networking and Wireless' started by Flounder911, Sep 25, 2008.

  1. Flounder911

    Flounder911 Notebook Consultant

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    so im very very new to the world of wireless... i hear people talking about firmware alot, and i have a question... is this firmware something added to upgrade the router? so is it installed directly to the router? or is it added to the computer making the computer better at acquiring or keeping / strengthening the wireless signals ?
     
    Flounder911, Sep 25, 2008
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  2. blue68f100

    blue68f100 Notebook Virtuoso

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    Firmware is a piece of software loaded into the router. Drivers/firmware is also used on pc hardware too.

    Yes it can add function to the router.
     
    blue68f100, Sep 25, 2008
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  3. venkateshkumar99

    venkateshkumar99 Notebook Guru

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    A firmware is sort of an OS to your device (just like windows is to a PC, but a lot smaller and efficient).

    The firmware is installed by the manufacturer when the device is made and under normal usage need not be touched.

    Just as you can use other OSes (like Linux for example) on a PC for more specific tasks, you can use custom firmware for wireless routers which will give you more advanced features and capabilities.

    For more general day-to-day stuff, the original firmware is more than enough.

    Hope that helped :)
     
    venkateshkumar99, Sep 25, 2008
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  4. makaveli72

    makaveli72 Eat.My.Shorts

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    A firmware is basically used to *update* a device...a variety of devices can be updated using firmware. Firmware fixes bugs/issues that might be in the current firmware of your device and/or sometimes also add extra features to the said device.

    Edit: Some devices that uses firmware:

    Cell phones

    Routers (Home/Office & Business types)

    MP3 & PMP players

    *Almost all electronic devices...even the Toaster :D
     
    makaveli72, Sep 25, 2008
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  5. Flounder911

    Flounder911 Notebook Consultant

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    so, with a laptop at school theres nothing i can do to upgrade the firmware... or is there a way to upgrade my ethernet card xxxware to get better reception or speed out of the school network?
     
    Flounder911, Sep 25, 2008
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  6. blue68f100

    blue68f100 Notebook Virtuoso

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    Most all mfg release driver updates. This is what you need to upgrade your drivers/firmware. Normally mfgs release these on a regular basis as long as the NB/pc is still in production. So it's always good idea to check regurlarly.

    On wireless, sometimes you need to go to the mfg site to check.
     
    blue68f100, Sep 25, 2008
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  7. KrieGLoCK

    KrieGLoCK Notebook Evangelist

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    Firmware is programming that's written to the read-only memory (ROM) of a computing device. Firmware, which is added at the time of manufacturing, is used to run user programs on the device.
     
    KrieGLoCK, Sep 26, 2008
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  8. makaveli72

    makaveli72 Eat.My.Shorts

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    You could have at least provided the link or "quote" the source KrieG!
     
    makaveli72, Sep 26, 2008
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  9. KrieGLoCK

    KrieGLoCK Notebook Evangelist

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    That's too fancy ;)
     
    KrieGLoCK, Sep 29, 2008
    #9