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Step 5The ins and outs of Wireless Networking
If you decide to use the wireless capabilities of your laptop, there are some things to keep in mind:
First, laptops have very, very tiny antenna connectors. Most use the U.FL connector (two of them-one primary and one alternate) and have cables snaking throughout the body of the laptop where they end in a printed circuit board antenna up near the screen. This provides better reception when the lid of the laptop is open, but these tiny antennas are very susceptible to interference from nearby electronics, and are specifically tuned to work in that laptop. To get good reception to your HTPC you'll need to extend these connections outside the box where a more traditional antenna can be used. To that end, click this link to find cheap U.FL to SMA or TNC cables. You'll also need a couple of antennas which should be easy to find on eBay.
Secondly, most laptops have the ability to switch the wireless on and off to conserve power. If your laptop has a physical switch you're in luck. If your laptop has a key combination that you hit (or even worse, a single button), you'll have to get creative. For those with the key combination (Fn+F2 on many Dells), there is typically a bios setting that can be enabled for the wireless radio. Turn it on and you're golden. If you have the button, you'll need to extend that button to the outside of the housing to turn your wireless on should it ever turn itself off. And it will. Every time you turn the stupid thing off.
At the time of this writing, I haven't gotten the wireless networking 100% figured out, but the cables are on the way. I'll post pictures once it's all complete.
First, laptops have very, very tiny antenna connectors. Most use the U.FL connector (two of them-one primary and one alternate) and have cables snaking throughout the body of the laptop where they end in a printed circuit board antenna up near the screen. This provides better reception when the lid of the laptop is open, but these tiny antennas are very susceptible to interference from nearby electronics, and are specifically tuned to work in that laptop. To get good reception to your HTPC you'll need to extend these connections outside the box where a more traditional antenna can be used. To that end, click this link to find cheap U.FL to SMA or TNC cables. You'll also need a couple of antennas which should be easy to find on eBay.
Secondly, most laptops have the ability to switch the wireless on and off to conserve power. If your laptop has a physical switch you're in luck. If your laptop has a key combination that you hit (or even worse, a single button), you'll have to get creative. For those with the key combination (Fn+F2 on many Dells), there is typically a bios setting that can be enabled for the wireless radio. Turn it on and you're golden. If you have the button, you'll need to extend that button to the outside of the housing to turn your wireless on should it ever turn itself off. And it will. Every time you turn the stupid thing off.
At the time of this writing, I haven't gotten the wireless networking 100% figured out, but the cables are on the way. I'll post pictures once it's all complete.
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Nov 20, 2009. 9:26 AMcforrest
says:
Probably a stupid suggestion, but why not use an external wireless adapter that plugs into the ethernet port on the laptop. A little more money, but saves you some major headaches with trying to make the on board wireless card work properly.
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