[ale] Throwing in the towel

[Geoffrey]

Barlow, Jim D wrote:
>> Brian Pitts wrote:
> 
>>> I've heard about laptops with BIOS checks that refuse to boot if a 
>>> different wireless card is installed. Does anyone know if there's any
> 
>>> truth to this?
> 
> Geoffrey wrote:
> 
>> This is true for the minipci slot on this hp pavilion ze4900.
> 
> This is true because the notebook vendors sell the notebook with minipci
> slot.   They need to get the notebook/radio/antennae combination
> certified in each country / geography in which they want to sell the
> product.   They cannot allow customers to swap out elements per those
> certifications, and the "closed" software modules are there as well as
> vendors cannot allow an end user to change the radio parameters around
> frequency and power envelope per those certifications.  Taking a look at
> the spectrum for 802.11 abgn is a real eye opener as to why this is.
> 
> Open swappable radios are the domain of the Amateur Radio bands.

So you're saying the antennae varies from one laptop to the other? 
That's the only difference I see in an internal minipci card and an 
external pcmcia card.  I understand the issue of antenna length when it 
comes to the old cb radios as well as the even older military radios, so 
you're saying it's the same thing with wifi?  I find it hard to believe 
when you can find all kinds of hand crafted mods to extend range for 
various wifi devices.

I don't think this is the whole picture, as they could make the system 
smart enough to recognize a supported card.  My hp laptop will not 
accept anything minipci except the hp card.  So I was told by hp.

-- 
Until later, Geoffrey

Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little
temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.
  - Benjamin Franklin