wlan module-related & wifi dongle questions

[ImmaculateChimp]

my post, ignored from the Pandora takes well over 5 minutes to boot up and other problems thread EvilDragon said:

Nope, it's the wlan module.


If you check threads about the N900 (using the same module), you can see that it also won't go higher than 500 - 600 kB/s and doesn't like all routers.


Rev6d (the prototype run in Germany) had some additional tesing circuits for the WiFi module which Michael could use for some tweaks, but nothing could be made better.


The module just doesn't go higher, so there is nothing we can do unfortunately.

I replied:


That's a shame..(though I do understand that you are working very hard and doing your best, ED)..I guess then, that you either already have massive stock of that wlan module, or the board can't be set up for a better one, or a better one is just prohibitively expensive? Is there no chance the German-made Pandora's will come with a better wlan module?


I haven't got my Pandora yet, so I'm wondering if I'll really have to acquire a good, quality usb wifi dongle/stick, which is fine, I suppose.


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this part is new:


wireless adapters I'm currently looking at(assuming Pandora will only ever have the current module) include:


Linksys AE2500<-Dual-Band N, I don't know if it'll be compatible with Pandora..and random wifi in general as I don't know if it would need a Dual-Band N router for it to pull wifi from..also I don't know how long it will function/well it is made..


Linksys AE1200<-just Wireless-N, I don't know if it'll be compatible with Pandora..also I don't know how long it will function/well it is made..


Linksys AE1000<-just Wireless-N, but it is an older model and not widely available anymore..(and kind of chunky, though I guess that doesn't matter too much)..also I don't know how long it will function/well it is made..


I checked the Pandora Wiki for the list of compatible usb wifi adapters and the only Linksys one listed is the AE1000.


So you all know I'm not necessarily against getting another brand, I want one that will work well for years to come, stay connected, and be as fast as absolutely possible for use with the Pandora. I would be grateful for all relevant help the community can provide.

 

[ImmaculateChimp]

Ok, well, posts number 19 & 20 from the Pandora takes well over 5 minutes to boot up and other problems thread, sort of help answer questions/explain reasons somewhat for things relating to the first part of my above post, but I still would really appreciate some assistance with the second half of it.

 

[WizardStan]

You will not necessarily have to get a wifi dongle. Some people get reasonable wifi. I've got two Pandora and a coworker has one and neither of us has ever had any trouble getting online with the dozen or so routers we've tried to connect to.


Some people find they can achieve a stable signal only if they do things like disabling power saving features, or tweaking some settings on their router.


And then there are people who can't get a decent connection no matter what they do.


I remember there is a specific, tiny wifi module which OPT has tested and built the drivers for into the kernel. I'm not sure what the process is, but if you find your wifi really and truly sucks, you could probably just contact ED and order one of these modules.

 

[ImmaculateChimp]

Thanks for the reply, but I'd also like an option for wifi, in addition to being stable to be as fast as possible as well. That way if I need to download a large file, I could plug in a wifi dongle to make shorter work of it, and I could just use the more power-efficient built-in wifi of the Pandora for normal web browsing and downloading smaller files.

 

[WizardStan]

Yes, the last thing I said references that.


OPT has fully supported wifi dongles, just contact ED and find out how to get one if you really need it.