Common Wi-Fi Card Stats
The following are all stats for operating in 802.11b mode where there is a choice (e.g. for cards with a/b/g support). This pretty much gels with anecdotal experience with these units---the 350s rock, the a/b/gs are slightly more sensitive, the 2100s have poor range and seem to contribute to battery lifetime woes, and the 2200s feel close performance-wise to external cards.
Minimum Receive Sensitivity
| Card | 1Mbps (dBm) | 11Mbps (dBm) |
|---|
| Cisco Aironet 350 Series PCMCIA | -94 | -85 |
| Cisco Aironet a/b/g PCMCIA | -94 | -90 |
| Intel PRO/Wireless 2100 | -89 | -82 |
| Intel PRO/Wireless 2200 | -97 | -88 |
Maximum Transmit Power
| Card | Output (mW) |
|---|
| Cisco Aironet 350 Series PCMCIA | 100mW |
| Cisco Aironet a/b/g PCMCIA | 100mW |
| Intel PRO/Wireless 2100 | 40mW |
| Intel PRO/Wireless 2200 | 40mW |
Maximum Power Consumption
| Card | Transmit (mA) | Receive (mA) | Sleep (mA) |
|---|
| Cisco Aironet 350 Series PCMCIA | 450 | 270 | 15 |
| Cisco Aironet a/b/g PCMCIA | 539 | 327 | 203 |
| Intel PRO/Wireless 2100 | 606 | 455 | 61 |
| Intel PRO/Wireless 2200 | 545 | 424 | 18 |
Card Notes
- Cisco Aironet 350 Series PCMCIA data is from Cisco. I believe this is discontinued, but is basically the gold standard in PCMCIA 802.11b cards.
- Cisco Aironet a/b/g PCMCIA data is from Cisco. Straightforward to use on Linux now that MadWifi is very mature.
- Intel PRO/Wireless 2100 is from HP. This unit the common internal 802.11b wi-fi option on HP Compaq tc1100 tablet computers.
- Intel PRO/Wireless 2200 is from HP. This unit is the common internal 802.11b/g wi-fi option on HP Compaq tc4200 tablet computers.