[P1] iBook and PCMCIA Cards

[Zachary Heaton]

On Thursday, August 7, 2003, at 09:09 PM, Zachary Heaton wrote:

> Hello to all!
>
> I'm a student at a Windows-dominated campus, which has decided to put 
> in an 802.11a wireless network.  (For those list readers who aren't 
> familiar with 802.11a, it is a 54mbps wireless standard which operates 
> on a different frequency from the more common 802.11b (AirPort) and 
> 802.11g (AirPort Extreme) standards.)  I'm interested in accessing the 
> network, but I'm being badly hampered by the iBook's (500Mhz, Dual 
> USB) lack of a PCMCIA slot.
>
> <snip>
> Zach Heaton

Replying to everyone at once:

1.)  The incompatibility and the choice of 802.11a are closely related. 
  Apparently, the campus has chosen A because it occupies a different 
and less cluttered frequency band than B and G.  (This is also the 
cause of the incompatibility between the standards.)  My guess is also 
that using 802.11a probably cuts way back on the number of wardrivers 
who will stumble across the campus network.

2.)  Upgrading laptops, while feasible, is way more than I care to pay 
for wireless access.  I think that I will either hunt down a USB-based 
connector, or, more likely, just carry a good 30 foot length of 10/100 
cable in my laptop bag.

Regards,
Zach Heaton