Mini-PCI WiFi in Mini-PCI Modem Slot?

gdea73

Older laptops are often equipped with a Mini-PCI modem, the same sort of bus as a wireless card, except it's merely a 56k modem with a connection to a phone jack on the side, in the port bay. My friend and I both have old laptops, mine's a Dell Inspiron 5000, and his is an old P3 ThinkPad, and I was wondering if in either, it would be possible to install a mini-PCI wireless card to replace the internal modem.

An obvious complication to this would be the antenna - old laptops, at least P3-era ones, would probably not have an antenna ready for wireless use. Accordingly, if an antenna could be bought separately and somehow routed to either (a) the now-vacant phone jack, which I could cover with something, or (b) alternatively through the plastic lining of the screen or something.

The antenna part may be unrealistic, and this is just a thought, but do you think this would be feasible given the proper materials? Would the wireless card even register in place of a modem that is locked as [Installed] (enabled) in BIOS?

BlueSun

The physical shape of the card might make things difficult and like you said, the antennae would be a problem. But other than that, I think it would work.

Would be worth it to experiment with if you had the wireless card laying around. Not sure I'd buy a wireless card just for this application though. Maybe if the price was low enough.

DeepFriedCookies

Thinkpads require a BIOS patch to enable non-IBM PCI cards to be used. It's on the Thinkwiki. For the antennae, you could probably just ghetto rig that into the screen.

I'm interested to see how this works out.

BOD

DeepFriedCookies wrote:

Thinkpads require a BIOS patch to enable non-IBM PCI cards to be used. It's on the Thinkwiki. For the antennae, you could probably just ghetto rig that into the screen.

I'm interested to see how this works out.

http://www.benodell.co.uk/2010/07/14/ev ... trics-ish/

Works pretty well. (well it did, that laptops been buried in storage upstairs for ages now).

DeepFriedCookies

LOL that was ghetto but amazing. I should probably do that to this, it'd probably get better signal than the standard antennae does. XD

gdea73

Cool, thanks for the input. I've got extra cards, I may want to wait for a crappier laptop, but this could be cool to try...

wingzeroismine

I gotta say, current Lenovo laptops are using antennas that are designed similarly, wires route up to the top of the lid which are then attached to small strips of foil adhered to the cover.