Customer Reviews

Intel PRO WIRELESS 2915ABG-802.11 A/B/G MPCI ( WM3B2915ABGNAX )

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

On some computers, there is a keyboard shortcut to turn the wireless off and on. It may be Fn-F2 or Shift-F2. If you get an error message about the unit being turned off, try this.

I bought this card to replace a 2200BG in an Acer TCM300, and had no problems.

The drivers and utilities that Intel makes available are very robust, and are update on a regular basis; I would even dare say that you’ll get the best driver support, since it comes from the source itself, and there is not need to wait for the laptop vendor (or whoever) to slap their logo on the release and make it available to you.

However, you should keep up with the latest releases, especially if you are using it in a WPA/WPA2 environment, since there has been noticeable improvement with recent releases.

I installed it in a Dell Latitude: C400, Pentium III, Windows XP. A CD was supplied with the card; however, I used the latest software from Intel's website.

The card looks good. However, you may need to upgrade Embedded device controller and BIOS to support these miniPCI wireless card. In particular, the latest BIOS from ibm site does not support the card WM3B2915ABG NA (or NAX) with Intel PBA: C51962-020. Once you install it and power T40 on, a msg "ERROR 1802: Unauthorized network card is plugged in -- Power off and remove the miniPCI network card." is shown immediately. C51962-018 or C51962-019 may be fine because they are a little "old". If T40 does not take it, what do you do?

This card plugged into my Dell Latitude C640 and was recognized by Ubuntu 7.10 without installing anything extra. For range, it bests the Orinoco Gold 802.11b PCMCIA card I was using by a factor of 3. I'm sitting at my Toyota dealer writing this review with it now.

The card did not come with any software, but I just Googled "intel 2915abg" (without the quotes) and the first listing was one click away from Intel drivers for Windows 2000, XP and Vista. I do not suspect driver availability is an issue for modern Windows.

The only moderately difficult task of installing the card was attaching the antenna wires which are built into the laptop. The task requires small nimble fingers or some patience. Be sure to support the circuit board (don't let it bend) while pressing on the antenna wires.

Before buying this card, be sure your laptop has an available mini PCI slot (not mini PCI express!), and that the laptop has a built-in antenna.

This card worked for my laptop, but I noticed the two sided chips on the board made it much "fatter" than other cards, and so I had trouble closing the cover on my laptop. I had to force it in and noticed it didn't affect the performance. Overall, it works and is a great alternative if you received a shoddy onboard wireless card that doesn't work, or don't have one at all.

I was not satisfied with the range or the software offered with this card. I ordered this card to replace the original. My old external wireless used in the interem has better range, faster thru-put, and is more user friendly.

I was excited about getting a WiFi card that was internal. After installing it, I had a problem with connectivity. After plugging in the Antenna, that problem went away! And now I am able to write this review! I picked the Intel device for a couple of reasons. One it was compatible with my 2003 model Laptop, Toshiba Sat 2455 S306. I was able to search the internet, and discover compatibility. Two somewhere sometime ago, I had read that Intel Network Interface Cards (NIC) or network cards, have a more efficient system. Making it easy for the processor. I just assume that meant that know how, went into the design of the WiFi cards. Okay the price was the finally the one thing that pushed me to go ahead and Upgrade my WiFi.

Tobie A.

The only problem I have with this card is that it was shipped only in a plastic case; no software or documentation. If you are not tech savvy, don't know where to look for solutions, prepare for headaches. I wonder if it is a good buisness practice to ship product without any docs and software.

Otherwise, this card works just fine.