wireless upgrade for laptops

[Capt. Manuvar]

I have just bought a laptop and am currently finding it hard to catch up to the new technology (I think i'm currently in 1998). I'm interested in making it internet wireless capable
My laptop has the following wireless /network capabilities: IEEE 802.2, IEEE 802.3, IEEE 802.3U.
But it seems that 802.11 a/b/g is one of the capabilities to have for wireless internet. Since i'm don't want to mess with the laptop hardware i'm thinking of buying a USB 802.11g thingy(?) for around £30-60 instead of the PCI or PCMCIA (whatever that is). Could someone please point me in the right direction or be kind enough to explain some of this jargon?
Thanks capt. M

[stagger]

I wouldn't get a USB device - get a PCMCIA card - no messing around with the hardware - it just slots in. That way you can have your laptop on your lap without anything extra dangling from it. (A PCI card in contrast would be for a desktop system - and you would have to open the box to install one).

You can get a 802.11 b card for as little as £20. I just bought a Belkin one from PC World yesterday in fact.

802.11 b is the connection type that is the current standard - it works at 11 Mbps (mega bits per second).

802.11 g is the new standard and is significantly faster - 54 mbps(and 802.11 g cards are generally backwards compatible with 802.11 b).

For accessing the web 11 Mbps is more than enough because who has a connection to the internet that is anywhere near as fast as that? Faster speeds are only really useful at the moment for transfering files between computers in local network - e.g. large video or music files.

Now once your wireless ready - you are going to need a wireless network to connect to. Did you want to set up a wireless network at home? Or did you just want to use wireless networks in airports, hotels, cafes etc?

[Evo]

Be careful with really cheap 802.11{b/g} cards - I got myself a Xterasys 802.11b PCMCIA card off eBay and it's a piece of junk. The driver is rubbish, and I can't get it to remember WAP keys.

Not buying really cheap hardware is a lesson I've never managed to learn :O

[Naples Air Center, Inc.]

Evo,

I agree with you completely.

When it comes to wireless, you want a good name brand. D-Link, Linksys, Netgear, and USRobotics are all good brands that will give you reliable service.

Take Care,

Richard

[stagger]

The £20 802.11 b card I bought is a Belkin one - a decent brand and for some reason it's getting better reception than an old Compaq card I had lying around. All the routers I've bought have been Belkin and work fine.

[ORAC]

What´s the make/model of the laptop?

[stagger]

Some terminology...

IEEE 802 = a set of standards for local area networks (LANs).

IEEE 802.2, 802.3, 802.3U are networking protocols/ standards but not wireless standards/protocols.

IEEE 802.11 = a set of wireless LAN standards/protocols.

802.11a - operates at 5GHz, data rates up to 54 Mbit/s but not widely adopted.

802.11b - operates at 2.4Ghz, data rates up to 11 Mbit/s and widely adopted (although slower than 802.11a it typically has better range)

802.11g - operates at 2.4Ghz, data rates up to 54 Mbit/s and likely to become widely adopted since it is fully backwards compatible with 802.11b.