does integrated wireless use less battery?

[her34]

as opposed to a wireless pc card?

 

[IAteYourMother]

Originally posted by: her34
as opposed to a wireless pc card?

I don't think the difference is significant

 

[Lord Evermore]

"Integrated" wireless is done by installing a mini-PCI card. The only reason you can't just do it on any laptop with an m-PCI slot is that the antenna wires wouldn't be there.

So basically, it's the power used by a mini-PCI card compared to the power used by a PCCard, and Cardbus is pretty much just PCI, and the card itself would be mostly the same electronics in a different shape.

So, not much difference really, if any. However, some laptops have a hardware switch to let you turn off the wireless function of the mini-PCI card, others don't. I'm not sure how much power the card itself continues to use when "turned off" via the switch as compared to using the software control to turn the radio off. Removing a PCCard obviously completely stops any power usage, whereas the mini-PCI card will always be using at least a slight bit of power since it is never disconnected and is always accessible to the OS.

 

[bigal40]

When i disable my minipci 802.11g i go from like 2:15 batery lifer to 2:30.