PCMCIA Wi-fi External Antenna
If you are planning to use the PCMCIA wireless network card (802.11g) with external antenna for a laptop, then you need to know a few things on which models provide the best solution for you needs when it comes to the external antenna and the external antenna connector.
First of all, it all depends on the way your PCMCIA slot is used. If you already have a network card in there, then you should only consider buying an antenna that can be attached to it. If the internal laptop wireless card can not do a good job offering you the needed internet speed, then the next step is buying a new PCMCIA wi-fi card w/external antenna for your laptop. There are lots of choices here. Lately, people have been satisfied with the performances of the Orinoco gold card that includes these capabilities. It is a PCMCIA network card that operates on 802.11g protocols and on low frequencies as 2.4 GHz, that are less vulnerable to outside interferences.
Since the laptop computer already has an internal pc card, the antenna and the extra PCMCIA card need to be connected with the initial one through a bridge connection. It’s just like adding a new device that can boost your browsing experience, and the signal must travel through this one first, as it is captured by the antenna and goes into the PCMCIA device, and then transferred to the hardware included wireless card from your laptop.
There are several types of wireless USB antennas and wireless cards that can be used the same way, but their performances are much lower than the ones of the above specified type, mainly because there USB port does not offer that much speed when it comes to data transferring and communications. The best choice for internet connection is the external antenna, as it can give you up to 2 twice the scanning area for wi-fi networks in the vicinity.
Directional antennas can actually provide a better signal when you are trying to gain access to an internet hot spot from a certain location, if you know where the access point is located, because you can orientate the antenna in such a way that it can meet the incoming signal. But when you simply want to scan for various hot spots in different location that you have no idea about, neither can you tell where they are located, an omni-directional antenna that provides 360 radius scanning is the best choice, even if the length of the radius is actually smaller than the one presented by the directional antennas.
Regardless of the purpose, the PCMCIA antenna will increase the receiving capabilities of your laptop, but it can not increase the initial network’s signal. SO in the end it does also depend on the signal that is transmitted towards you and on its quality.
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