x-micro?

Has anyone heard or tried any of the cards by x-micro?
they have the cheapest cards ive seen^^;;

Im deciding between getting their llb pc card or usb adaptor
or
dlink 650+ llb pc card
or
http://www-132.ibm.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=8708610&storeId=124&langId=124&catalogId=-124

my uni is set for 11b and i dont really care if they might upgrade to g later on or not...
but i do want something that will last a while

Thanks!

 

I am not aware of x-micro but there are only a few radio producers and most vendors are simply repackaging those radios and selling them under their own brand. No name brands like that tend to provide less support but generally work fine.

I am a little confused by the choices you list though. You suggest you are looking at a PC Card or a USB adapter and then show a link to a notebook card as a separate option. Since you are here, I'll assume you have a notebook that you are attempting to connect rather than a desktop. Generally speaking, if your laptop has a built in antenna system, then internal cards are preferred as they are embedded and save you from having to carry and connect an extra device when you travel. USB devices give you extra flexibility in placing the antenna and make sense for desktop machines or when you use your notebook in a location where it wouldn't get good reception and you need your antenna to extend away from the machine.

 

hey thanks for your reply

Well, im a (poor) student and ive already spent the bulk of my $$ on the actual laptop, so im trying to find the best <cheapest?> option to go, and the mini pci card would be the most expensive one right now... plus i would have to pay for shipping costs too.

pc (pcmcia right?) card or a usb adaptor one is the cheapest option. But considering that my laptop has already built in antenna thats why im thinking of that mini pci card. When i bought my laptop the guy gave me a used pc card, but it only worked for 1 day (hahah , good thing it was free...), and so since im unsure of how long they last, if a mini pci card lasts substantially longer than a pc or usb one, then i would rather pay more now and get that.

Just wondering then, which one will give me better reception? the mini pci card or pc/usb one?

Thanks!

 

They likely both give reasonable reception. I don't think I can make a recommendation based on reception without a whole lot of additional information (and even with the information, the difference likely wouldn't be all the great). The advantage of the built in is, well, that it's built in. If you travel around with your laptop, it is just plain easier. The advantages of the USB device are that you can move it between machines (if you have more than one) or you can position it separately from your laptop in the rare instances where the laptop is sitting somewhere with bad reception but there is a spot with good reception in the general vicinity (for example, you could position the antenna in a nearby window while leaving the laptop on a desk).

And yes, it is PCMCIA. Those cards typically are fairly durable so don't get too bad an opinion of them based on your bad experience. If you bought one and that happened, any reputable store would replace it. As an aside, someone once told me a joke that I still remember - what does PCMCIA stand for? People Can't Memorize Computer Industry Acronyms.

 

I believe PCMCIA stands for Personal Computer Memory Card something.
BTW, talking about returning. just a recommendation, most store do not allow return of a software, and just to be on a safe side, if possible, don't open the software/drivers package, leave it seal inside the case. and get the latest drivers from the manufactor website instead.
<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by jchastain