HSPDA problem

[Snoopy_inc]

BTW if you need any hardware etc... PM me i can either help or give you somone in your area that can help

BTW the PCMCIA slots on laptops are still ok its the Laptop that was the issue. What type of laptop you got dave..... popular brands still work fine.... IE ACER

[Dave A]

BTW the PCMCIA slots on laptops are still ok its the Laptop that was the issue. What type of laptop you got dave..... popular brands still work fine.... IE ACER

In my case Fujitsu Siemens (2006 model). However, I understand Apple has already gone this route overseas, and others are expected to follow.

Could be just sales talk, but the folks I was talking to were calling the PCMCIA card "redundant technonlogy". Advanced slots are supposed to be the new thing.

I still don't get why they wanted to change. The only apparent difference is the card is smaller and accordingly takes less space in the guts of the laptop.

[Snoopy_inc]

i wouldnt listen to ppl talking..... Rather see it first.

I look into this industry cause i work in it and i have yet to hear anything about this.

[irneb]

I've been looking for this for a while now. There are 2 options I could find in the forums & doing a few Google Searches.

1. PCMCIA through a USB port with the Elan U132 (http://www.microd.co.za/catalog/prod...products_id=44)
This through the local suppliers at about R1600.

2. PCMCIA through the newer ExpressCard slot with the Roalan DuelAdapter (http://www.roalan.com/dueladapter_ex..._to_pcmci.htm). Unfortunately I can't find a local reseller for this. It is however the better option, as it is much faster (up to 5 times the speed of USB2) and also slightly cheaper (if baught directly from the UK company) at £95 (converted today R1332.25).

[duncan drennan]

It is however the better option, as it is much faster (up to 5 times the speed of USB2) and also slightly cheaper (if baught directly from the UK company) at £95 (converted today R1332.25).

I'm not really sure how speed plays a role at all. USB2 is 400Mbps (mega bit per second), and HSPDA is only 1.8Mbps with theoretical maximums of 7.2Mbps (I think). Basically, whatever you attach it to your PC with is MUCH faster than HSPDA will ever run. The HSDPA connection is the bottleneck, not the PC connection.

[irneb]

The HSDPA connection is the bottleneck, not the PC connection.

Although true about the HSPDA speed being the bottle neck - it's always best to not have any other possibility of a bottle neck. I've found USB2 to sometimes become to slow when using an external hard-drive (it should copy at max of 400MB/S or at about 50 mbytes/s). The best speed I've ever found was 20 mbytes/s (160 MB/s), sometimes it even went down to 120 kbytes/s (960kB/s) which is less than HSDPA.

Also, if you have the faster converter you could use it for a 1GB/s LAN card, which is also only available in PCMCIA (in SA). Most laptops only come with built-in 100MBps wired and / or 54MBps wireless LANs.

[MonaMoo]

Hi,

I've been reading through all the posts and I'm still a little confused about everything.

Ok, here is my problem. My boss bought a new Amilo Pro V3205 Laptop - the PCMCIA slot is there but is not longer called that but an express slot (I get the difference but still need help!). I've been onto the Micro-D website and have looked at the U132 but that still doesn't help me as I'm unsure as to wether it supports what we need it for.

Ok next part of my problem (where I could actually go to I-Burst and rant/rave/scream/ throw a tantrum - but it still wouldn't help!) Is there a card out there that actually supports the OLD I-Burst cards?? And if there is please point me in the right direction as I'm getting shunted around from this person to the next and I'm at my wits end! (Not to mention the phone bill we will be getting from all the phone calls including international ones where no one can still help!) My boss has made some specific requests that is HAS to be a USB to PCMCIA converter (as the U132 is).

So please, I am on my knees begging you to help me or point me in the right direction ASAP because I'm about to loose it and just give up hope on actually finding the right thing!

[duncan drennan]

What exactly do you have, an iBurst PCMCIA card?

[irneb]

If what you're after is a converter from your old HSDPA PCMCIA card to a USB slot the U132 should work. The problems are:
- it's slightly more expensive than getting a straight off USB HSDPA modem @ about R1000. I know that iBurst & the Cell companies sell these straight off or on contract.
- Also it's much more bulky than the modem, which is a touch larger than a matchbox. Whereas the u132 is about the size of those old PDA's - just thicker & not designed for its looks.
- The u132 also requires extra drivers over and above the HSDPA card. Not so for the modem, which installs itself the moment you plug it in. No CD's required.

So unless you've got some other reason for sticking with the PCMCIA card, I'd suggest scrapping the thing & getting hold of the new modems. Much less hassle & cheaper.

As per my previous post about the speed, this only happens in extremely stressful circumstances so the USB modem should work fine for HSDPA. It also means that only one thing is used when connecting - i.e. the modem. If you're using a converter there's at least 2 things which could give problems.

[MonaMoo]

What exactly do you have, an iBurst PCMCIA card?

Hi dsd,

Thanks for your reply, my answer in very short is yes. He has one of the very old PCMCIA cards (he's had it for about 3 years) thus me running around trying to find a solution to the problem!