Network adaptor upgrade [Solved]

[bilyo]

I have a Lenovo 550 laptop.  I would like to replace my Broadcom 802.11b/g network adaptor with one rated for b/g/n or just /n. My understanding from Lenovo is that it is replaceable, but, so far, they haven't provided me with a replacement model number.  Has anyone done this? If so, what replacement adaptor did you use? Any problems?
Thanks

[T6]

do you want to replace the internal adapter?

isn't this more expensive than just buy a usb adapter?

[bilyo]

My first thought was to replace the internal adaptor, but I don't yet know what I need to look for compatibility wise. I've done some preliminary looking on Amazon and saw a variety including USB adaptors and PCI adaptors. I can't use the latter. They range in price from about $10 to more than $50. Are the USB adabtors just as good?  Are there any that are better than others?  Does it matter to PCLOS which one I install?  I have a blue tooth dongle in one of my USB ports.  It is so small I hardly know it is there.  I have two more ports.  I could use one of those, I guess, leaving one for external drive, camera, etc. If I use a USB adaptor, does it supersede the internal adaptor or do I need to disable it?
Thanks

[T6]

no, internal is not superseded by external so you have to disable internal or set external to connect and ignore internal one

yes, it matters which one you choose, as you know, there is some hardware that doesn't cooperate with linux at all, also the enable/ disable wifi button on your laptop might stop working too

you could post specific models of the wifi adapters you want to buy so we can find more information betwwen internet and what other pclinux users have experienced

i wouldn't change the internal card, the new card you get might not work well or at all unless it is guaranteed to work 100% by the laptop manufacturer, supposedly the mini pci slot is standard but lots of cases where nothing works in the slot except the original device that came with the laptop

the speed of the device, is it really important?  if you don't have at least a wireless N 300 router with 2 good antennas you won't feel any improvement

if it is just for internet, you won't see difference if you internet service is not over 50mbps so the upgrade wouldn't have a reason

about internal vs external, i have used internal and external wireless adapters and i never found real differences between them, some usb models have a extended antenna that can be detached and replaced by another antenna with better signal so if you have coverage problems this could be helpful

[bilyo]

T6,
Thanks for the good info. I'll start with your last question.  Our internet download speed is nowhere near 50 mbps. So, perhaps speed is not important. It's the old knee bone connected to the thigh bone connected... thing. The issue came up when we bought a wireless internet ready DVD and started watching Netflix movies. When connected wirelessly, the movie pauses several times to load and will sometimes freeze during this process. When connected by ethernet cable it works fine.  I asked the router (802.11n, 150 mbps, 2.4 Ghz) tech support for suggestions. I explained that due to one our computers only having /g capability that the router was also set to /g.  They offered several settings that I could experiment with, but also suggested that there is a considerable drop in speed between /g and /n. So, while experimenting with different settings, I'm also looking into upgrading my adaptor. I will likely complete my experimenting with settings before I buy or change anything else.

I have also asked Lenovo tech support to tell me which adaptor to install.  They haven't yet given me the information. As you suggest, I certainly want one that is compatible with both computer and Linux (and windows; I dual boot).

I really don't know enough about any of them to post questions about specific models. I was hoping to find someone here that has gone through this and could recommend one or more to pick from or give me some specific criteria to go by.

Thanks

[T6]

"When connected wirelessly, the movie pauses several times to load and will sometimes freeze during this process"

supposedly netflix is designed to work with a 1.5 mbps connection for low quality video, i read somewhere that 1mbps could be enough but i highly doubt this or worthwhile

if you experience such situations it is not related at all with the adapter, it is the internet connection itself

a 802.11g connection will offer at least 12 mbps when signal is weak and as high as 54 mbps when signal is good, but usually will do 36mbps all the time

a wired connection in older laptops is 100 mbps so as you see both devices will be able to handle a 1.5 mbps connection without a single problem

the internet connection, is it shared with many pcs? if one user is downloading netflix, another watching youtube videos, another one listening music and other one downloading or uploading multiple files, the 1.5 mbps connection required exclusively by netflix won't be able to handle such load and you will experience the hangs you describe

what internet connection do you have?  you can run www.speedtest.net to see what results you get, if you run a couple times the test and get very different results your internet connection is being used by more than one pc or you are experiencing connection problems

[bilyo]

T6,
Our connection is 6 mbps via a DSL modem.  We have two laptops that also connect wirelessly.  However, when watching movies, they are not in use.  I have checked download speed a few times at internet sites (probably the one you cited) that do this. Each time the speed checks at or slightly above 6.  Also, the dvd player is only about 12 feet away from the router in an adjoining room. Our laptops seem to get strong signals at the opposite end of the house about 50 feet and several walls away.

Looks more and more like router settings are the culprit.

[bilyo]

Well. Whoda thunk it? All I did was change a router setting from /g to b/g/n.  That fixed it without affecting anything else.
Movies now play straight through without interruptiion.
Thanks for all the help and suggestions. You saved me from needless spending on a new adaptor.

[T6]

no, the idea was yours, the merit is all yours, i suggested that the connection was the problem, not the router

glad you didn't had to spend money on hardware you didn't needed

in my router there is settings to improve stream video, not sure if yours have such feature, worth to check that