Various types of wireless network interfaces

Wireless Internet access is the current trend, and wireless network interfaces are also essential fashion. Today's rapid development, wireless network interfaces are also a wide variety of dazzling. If you still don't know what kinds of wireless NICs are available today, please read the following article.

When 802.11n is officially approved, low-configuration laptops may only be compatible with 802.11a, 802.11b, or 802.11 GB, but cannot meet the new needs of the 802.11n era. At present, wireless network interfaces are widely used, and the price of wireless network interfaces is very approachable, while the performance is more powerful. Wise users may choose a good wireless network card for their own, to enjoy the convenience and convenience of the wireless network.

Comprehensive Understanding of wireless network interfaces

When upgrading a wireless network card, you must first understand the situation of your laptop in order to upgrade it more cheaply and conveniently. Generally, there are two kinds of wireless networks in low-price laptops:

First, there is an expansion slot inside the body (MINI-PCI or mini pci-Express) and a preset antenna. In this way, you only need to purchase the wireless network card of the corresponding interface and connect the antenna. If you have an expansion slot (MINI-PCI or mini pci-Express) that is not cabled, you can also install and use the antenna after purchasing it.

There are two types of expansion slots in the fuselage: Mini-PCI or Mini PCI-Express. The Mini-PCI wireless network adapter can be supported from the end of the PII model to many models of the second generation. However, because currently popular models of the third generation are not supported by this interface, they are gradually exiting the market.

MiniPCI interface wireless Nic

Mini PCI-Express wireless network card is a mainstream new generation of built-in network card. Although few products can be seen on the market at present, but with the Mini PCI-Express bus Replace the MINI-PCI era, will certainly become the mainstream of the market.

Mini PCI-Express interface wireless Nic

The biggest advantage of the above two built-in wireless NICS is the reasonable wiring inside the fuselage. The signal effect is much better than that of the external wireless Nic, and it does not need to occupy the additional port of the local machine, there is no disadvantage that external wireless NICs are cumbersome. The biggest drawback is that the upgrade operation is troublesome, especially for low-cost models without built-in antennas. In addition, some brands (such as ThinkPad) use wireless network cards only to install products that pass their authentication, other products will report an error. In addition, because the built-in wireless network card is provided to the OEM market, most of the products on the market are for dismounting, there is the possibility of impersonating new goods as old goods, and the sale and purchase are more uncomfortable legal protection.

The second is that the corresponding expansion slot is not provided. Some low-end laptops may not provide related expansion slots on the motherboard to further reduce costs, so you can purchase external wireless NICs. External wireless NICs are commonly seen in USB and PCMCIA. However, with the popularization of the Third and later versions of the company, Express Card wireless NICS will gradually become more popular.

Among the three external wireless network cards, the advantage of the USB wireless network card is that it is easy to install and has a wide range of applications. It can be used in both a laptop and a platform. The disadvantage is that the temperature of the USB wireless network adapter increases rapidly during long working hours, especially in summer, when the battery is used for power supply, the operation may be unstable due to insufficient power. In addition, the USB wireless Nic occupies a USB port, which is prone to tension for laptops with limited ports. In addition, when using a USB wireless network card, it is not convenient to place the notebook in a small space. It is easy to break or lose the notebook when you move it to another place. You need to unplug it when you take it with you, which is inconvenient.

USB interface wireless Nic

The PCMCIA wireless network card does not have these disadvantages: it does not occupy USB ports, it produces low heat during work, and is plug-and-play like a USB wireless network card. Although the antenna is still out of the fuselage, however, the rest is in the PCMCIA expansion slot, at least not as easy to break as the USB wireless Nic. Generally, the PCMCIA expansion slot is under the palm. In actual use, both hands will inadvertently block the wireless network card. Therefore, the signal of the PCMCIA wireless network card may be weaker than that of the built-in wireless network card. In addition, the PCMCIA wireless network card can only be used for laptops and is applicable only to a specific range.

PCMCIA Interface wireless Nic

As for the latest Express Card wireless network Card, because the three generations of the company only support this interface, it will certainly become the mainstream wireless network Card on the market. However, the problem is hard to find this interface product on the market. What you can find and what the price is expensive is unbearable. At present, the Express Card standard is still being modified, it cannot be said that the current Express Card interface is only an excessive solution, so you do not need to consider it for the current upgrade.

Generally, it is recommended that you purchase a built-in wireless network card if you reserve an internal expansion slot for your laptop. After all, a wireless network card is less than RMB, which brings great convenience. If you can only use an external wireless network card, you should first select the PCMCIA Interface wireless network card, followed by the USB wireless network card. For a notebook that can only use Express Card, it is recommended to accept the high price. What is unacceptable is the USB wireless Nic.

Upgrade by yourself

Find out the internal information of low-price laptops and the advantages and disadvantages of wireless network cards with various ports. After purchasing the corresponding products, you can upgrade the wireless network card. Because the built-in wireless network card and external wireless network card have a great difference in the upgrade process, the following describes the upgrade process of the two categories of wireless network cards.

1. Upgrade the built-in wireless network card:

From the current design of the motherboard for low-price laptops, the expansion slots on some low-price notebook boards are designed at the bottom of the fuselage, but most models are still the front of the fuselage, located under the keyboard and palm, the dismounting process between the two is still quite different.

For models with expansion slots designed at the bottom of the fuselage and with built-in antennas, the upgrade is very convenient. The upgrade method is similar to memory upgrade. You only need to remove the screws on the back cover board of the fuselage, and open the cover to see the expansion slot of the wireless Nic. The wireless network card can be inserted into the expansion slot at a 45-degree angle just as the memory is inserted. Then, the two antennas on the edge of the expansion slot-white and gray-marked with "MAIN" and "AUX"-are connected to the corresponding bayonet on the wireless network card.

For models with built-in antennas but with expansion slots designed on the front of the fuselage, there is no big difference between the method of inserting wireless NICs and connecting antennas, but the process of dismounting is complicated. Generally, you need to remove the laptop keyboard and palm tray. Different brands of keyboards and palm trays have different disassembly methods. Now let's take IBM T40 as an example to introduce how to disassemble the keyboard and palm rest-first remove the four No. 3 screws at the bottom of the fuselage, then flip the fuselage and push the keyboard forward, the keyboard will jump out of the body. Unplug the data cable from the interface on the motherboard, and the entire keyboard is completely detached. Be sure to note that there is a data cable under the keyboard connected to the motherboard, must be gently forced, so as not to break. It is a little troublesome to remove the palm tray. First, remove all the No. 4 screws at the bottom of the fuselage and all the No. 1 and No. 2 screws at the front of the fuselage. You can then open the palm tray with a slight force on the right of the front, you can see the expansion slot of the wireless network card. After attaching the wireless network card and connecting the antenna, you can install the palm and keyboard in sequence. Other brand models can follow the relevant user manual or disassemble manual, refer to the above steps to upgrade the wireless network card to complete.

If the above expansion method is a little troublesome, it is more troublesome for models without built-in antennas. Some users deploy the antenna around the fuselage for convenience, and their signal has little advantage over the external wireless network card. From the actual upgrade instance, the signal is strong only when the antenna is placed around the screen. Therefore, it is best to remove the screen frame for reasonable wiring. The antenna can be circled from the screen, leading from the center of the screen axis to the expansion slot. When wiring the motherboard, avoid hot components, such as CPU fan, beiqiao chip, video card, and memory. With transparent tape, fixed antennas at a certain distance can achieve twice the result with half the effort. If the expansion slot is located at the bottom of the fuselage, the antenna needs to pass through the gap between the motherboard and the fuselage, which may be a little troublesome. Because different models are designed differently, it is best to pass through the largest gap during upgrade. Therefore, it is recommended that the antenna be longer to avoid insufficient wiring length.

The upgrade method requires a strong hands-on capability for users. If the DIY effort is weak, it is also a safe way to upgrade the external wireless network card.

2. Upgrade an external wireless network card:

Compared with the built-in wireless network card upgrade, it is more convenient to upgrade the external wireless network card. You only need to insert the wireless network card into the corresponding slot. So I won't go into details here.

Note that when inserting a PCMCIA or PCI-Express Card wireless network Card, you must pay attention to the insertion direction. When it is difficult to insert, remember not to use brute force, this is the anti-stay function of the expansion slot. The direction of the reminder insertion is incorrect. Please unplug the slot and try reverse insertion. When you need to unload the wireless network card, it is best to shut down now, click the trough side of the blue back button to remove the wireless network card, remember not to force out, so as to avoid damage to the expansion slot and wireless network card.

In general, although low-price laptops do not have a built-in wireless network card, they are often much cheaper. purchasing such laptops and purchasing other upgrades is a method of saving the country by curve. It is worth consideration from some shy consumers. Of course, with sufficient financial resources, it is the safest way to buy a notebook with a built-in wireless network card.