Wifi adaptor for my old laptop

A

adityamunshi

Contributor
I have an old laptop - Compaq Presario 1600 Series. Its used it mostly for downloading and some browsing. It has a cardbus slot and a USB port.

Now, should i get a USB 2.0 PCMCIA card + USB wifi adaptor or a PCMCIA wifi adaptor ? The PCMCIA wifi adaptor will be completely useless if i buy a new laptop whereas i can use the USB adaptor for my desktop but im concerned about it protruding from the side of the laptop. Someone who has used it, please advise.

Also, how important is the brand ? I can get Netgear, TP Link, T link, Linksys...
 
Why do you need a PCMCIA card at all? Just plug the wifi adaptor into the vacant USB port on the side.

I have two desktops connected to the wifi network in my house via some el-cheapo Sagem-branded adaptors that I grabbed off Ebay. Most adapters in India are quite expensive, so you might want to look at the ones available online.
 
Ahh gotcha. Grab a PCMCIA card then. Check the type of slot (type II or type III) in your laptop since a type III slot can accept either type II or III but a type II can only accept type II cards.

Most PCMCIA cards take external power from a DC source or the USB port, so take care not to occupy the latter with something else.
 
How do i find out if its a Type II or a Type III slot ? The user manual isnt much help.
gforce said:
Ahh gotcha. Grab a PCMCIA card then. Check the type of slot (type II or type III) in your laptop since a type III slot can accept either type II or III but a type II can only accept type II cards.

Most PCMCIA cards take external power from a DC source or the USB port, so take care not to occupy the latter with something else.
Click to expand...
 
Check out the thickness of type II and III cards in the picture out here and do a guesstimate for your laptop. Anyhow, to stay on the safe side, get yourself a type II card since it works in both types of slots. A 4 USB port typeII card costs about $6 shipped on eBay.
 
Back
Top