Wireless n notebook cards

[Kel]

I am just about to purchase a new laptop and plan to get wireless n built in card - probably a Intel WiFi Link 5100 a/g/n. - here is a very basic question - will these cards work for both 5 ghz and 2.4 ghz bandwidths? Is that part of draft 2.0 n? Tim mentions in his reviews to make sure you have the same chipset in your notebook wireless as in your router...

 

[thiggins]

802.11n devices are not required to be dual-band, i.e. 2.4 and 5 GHz. However, the Intel adapater is dual band, as denoted by the "a" in a/g/n, which stands for 802.11a. 802.11a is a 5 GHz only standard.

I do recommend matching the adapter chipset to the router's if possible. This is most likely to provide maximum throughput (speed). However, Intel does not provide router / AP chipsets. They are focused on the PC end of things only, hence the notebook adapters.

I can't speak for the Intel adapter's performance because I have not had the opportunity to test it.