Intel 2200 vs Dell 1350 - which WiFi chipset is better?

[RossMAN]

With tomorrow's Dell Hot Deal (save $750 off $1500) less than 12 hours away I'm considering getting a Dell Inspiron 8600.

What are the differences between these two WiFi chipsets and which is better?

 

[CombatChuk]

The Dell's Chipset will probably have better range but require more juice. The Intel chipset however will work with the power saving features of the CPU so you'll get a little bit better battery life with the Intel Chipset.

 

[RossMAN]

Originally posted by: CombatChukso you'll get a little bit better battery life with the Intel Chipset.

How many minutes is a little bit?

 

[CombatChuk]

I dunno, maybe 15 min more at the most.

 

[RossMAN]

Anyone else?

 

[Maverick2002]

No clue, I went with the Intel though. Might as well save power if you're buying a Centrino.

 

[arcain]

I would go with the 1350 personally. My experiences with Intel's previous version (was it the 2100?) that was 802.11B only soured me. Their B version had nasty compatibility issues with older access points. Their 2200 might be more compatible, and newer access points don't seem to have issues with the 2100 but if I were spending money on it I'd get the 1350. You can probably search to see if people are still having compatibility issues.

My old laptop was a Centrino with the 2100, and it would have connection issues to the point of locking up the access point. I had to use a PCMCIA wireless card, and turn off the built in one. I ended up swapping it the Dell 1350 (my laptop wasn't a Dell). I've been happy with it up to the point that somebody spilled coffee on my laptop.

The 1350 uses a Broadcom chip, so it's not exactly a no name crap wireless card.

 

[cw42]

i bought an 8600 last week with the dell 1350, battery performance is great!

if i'm not doing alot, and on wireless... the batt life can last 4-5.5hrs!

 

[vegetation]

The Broadcom chipset offers speedbooster technology, which if you have a router with the same tech you can get about 25% real-world increase in lan speeds, and this isn't channel bonding crap either, so it's friendly to your neighbors.

 

[WobbleWobble]

I personally went with the Intel 2200 because I use one in my current laptop and it's great for me. I also chose it because I know there are Linux drivers readily available for it. I'm not so sure about the Dell 1350 as I didn't have time to look it up because I knew the hot deal would go by quick!

 

[rimshaker]

On the configuration page, if you clicked on the "Help me choose" links, you get a nice comparison table of all four wireless options (2100, 2200, 1350, 1450). Intel uses up the most power, even in standby mode. The Dell 1350 used up the least... which is why I picked that one. Also, the Dell options are using a much newer Cisco standard.

 

[hytek369]

Originally posted by: WobbleWobble
I personally went with the Intel 2200 because I use one in my current laptop and it's great for me. I also chose it because I know there are Linux drivers readily available for it. I'm not so sure about the Dell 1350 as I didn't have time to look it up because I knew the hot deal would go by quick!

me 2

 

[febuld]

I have a Dell 600m with the Dell 1350 wifi card. It's pretty good, but I haven't tried the Intel ones...But what I do know is that the Dell wireless cards can only handle 64-bit encryption. I have a Belkin router with both 64 bit and 128-bit encryption, but only 64-bit works... After seeing if something was wrong with the router, I realized that the Dell card can only decrypt 64-bit... Don't know if that's a deal breaker for anyone, but I seem to run fine with it...

 

[jpeyton]

Dell does 128bit.

 

[Carnivore99]

Don't you need to get the Intel card instead of the Dell card in order to get the Centrino sticker on your machine (assuming the chipset and Pentium-M CPU are already Centrino compliant)?

 

[RossMAN]

Originally posted by: jpeyton
Dell does 128bit.

Thanks.

If I had ordered a Dell laptop (kinda wish I had ordered a Dell 8600 with DVD Burner) I would have opted for the Dell 1350.

 

[SKORPI0]

Originally posted by: RossMAN

Originally posted by: jpeyton
Dell does 128bit.

Thanks.

If I had ordered a Dell laptop (kinda wish I had ordered a Dell 8600 with DVD Burner) I would have opted for the Dell 1350.

Ouch, forgot to add the Dell 1350 with the Inspiron 8600 I ordered. I was looking at the 1450 for 802.11a/b/g compatibility too.

NE1 know if they work better than Wireless CardBus adapters? I just hate that card sticking out on the side. Pic

The 8X DVD+R/4X DVD+RW is a NEC ND-6100A. Haven't tried burning a DVD+R yet.

 

[OneEye]

Actually Skorpio, go here and you can still get the internal wireless seperately, its really easy to put in, like RAM, but with two wires you have to plug in, check the user manuals you can find on the DELL site.


Cards!
http://www1.us.dell.com/conten...n&s=bsd&~tab=4

 

[b3b0p]

OK, I made a mistake on my order. I ordered the 1350 thinking that the 2200 was NOT compatible with Linux. I guess I was wrong. The Dell uses a broadcom chipset which has zero linux native driver support from doing a little google searching. So, my question is can I buy the intel card from Dell spare parts and just replace my Dell 1350 card? It is just a Mini-PCI card no?

Chris

 

[datalink7]

I am an idiot. I forgot to order the 2200 instead of the 2100.

Oh well I am selling it anyway but it would have made it more appealing.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Originally posted by: SKORPI0

NE1 know if they work better than Wireless CardBus adapters? I just hate that card sticking out on the side. Pic

I got the Intel 2200 on my 600m, and it's worlds better than the MS PC Card wifi adaptor I had been using. That may be a function of getting the right PC card, but the reception is much better and less sensitive to obstructions. I suspect it may be a question of the size of the antenna - I believe the MiniPCI ones are connected to an antenna that extends along either side of the screen.

 

[MazerRackham]

I got my 700m with the Intel 2200, and it's been solid.

I like this laptop, but the 8-cell battery is HUGE!