Wireless networking has been one of the hottest segments of technology, and will continue to be for a long time.  Over the past couple years, portables have been shipping with mini PCI Express slots for Wifi cards.  These are much smaller than the older miniPCI cards.  An mPCIe card is less than half the size of an mPCI card.  There was only one major provider of mPCIe Wifi cards - Intel.  Their most popular one was the 3945abg pictured here:

It has two antenna connectors, and its performance is atrocious.  With 20 feet line-of-sight distance to a wireless router, all Windows can manage is three bars?  And why is it some PDAs and Wifi-enabled phones are browsing the web faster than this Core2Duo notebook with the 3945abg?  Well, it seems that the 3945abg was simply designed that way.  Poor sensitivity and weak output power make it a terrible Wifi card.  See below:

Atheros then began shipping mPCIe cards.  They too, had abg cards, just like Intel's, and these started showing up in many new portables.  Fairly recently, SparkLAN launched a new card the WPEA-124N.  This one is based on the latest Atheros chipset, the AR5008E-3NX.  This latest creation not only provides better sensitivity and overall throughput, but also supports the 802.11n draft 2.0 standard.  Only Oxfordtec carries this product in North America. 

Click on the photos for a larger version.  Notice how the WPEA-124N has three antenna connectors.  Because of that, Oxfordtec also sent us three of their internal antennae, the WAEISO3-S0.  They are 10 inches long, so as to make it easier for casual upgraders to route the antenna wires inside their portable, not having to place them inside the lid.  See below:

We can see the difference in the number of access points picked up by Windows, as well as the signal strength from others:

Perhaps the best part about the WPEA-124N is its software utility.  Here, it shows the different access points, including hidden ones, and any enhanced features supported, such as 802.11n, Super G, and XR (Extended Range).  Signal Strength meters in dB and channel numbers being shown are definite pluses as well. 

In the end, the WPEA-124N provides a much more satisfying Wifi experience, and a future-proof solution for upcoming 802.11n hardware support.  It performs head and shoulders over the Intel 3945ABG, and with three antennas, you are more likely to get a usable signal.  The software utility rounds out the whole package with informative screens, very configurable profiles, and adjustable options.  If you have a mini PCI Express slot min your portable, make sure it has a SparkLAN WPEA-124N!

Specifications:

Standards

IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi compliant

Frequency Band

2.4 GHz ISM Bands 2.412-2.472 GHz, 2.484 GHz

5.15-5.25 GHz (FCC UNII-low band) for US/Canada, Japan

5.25-5.35 GHz (FCC UNII-middle band) for US/Canada

5.725-5.825 GHz (FCC UNII-high band) for US/Canada

Chipset

Atheros AR5418 (MAC/Baseband) + AR5133(Radio)

Number of Channels

802.11b

USA and Canada – 11

Most European countries – 13

Japan – 14

France – 4

802.11g

USA and Canada – 13

Most European countries – 13

Japan – 14

Modulation

802.11a/g/n: OFDM

802.11b: CCK(11, 5.5Mbps), DQPSK(2Mbps), BPSK(1Mbps)

Data Rate

802.11a: 54,48,36,24,18,12,9,6 Mbps

802.11b: 11,5.5,2,1 Mbps

802.11g: 54,48,36,24,18,12,9,6 Mbps

802.11n: up to 300Mbps

Antenna

Build-in inside host (U.FL-R-SMT)

RF output power

802.11a: typical 13dBm (54Mbps), 802.11b:

typical 17dBm (11MBps), 802.11g: typical 14dBm

(54Mbps) ,802.11n:typical 9dBm (MCS 15)

Receive Sensitivity

802.11a: typical -65dBm at 54Mbps

802.11b: typical -80dBm at 11Mbps

802.11g: typical -70dBm at 54Mbps

802.11n:typical -59dBm at HT40 MCS15

Environmental Operating Conditions

0 ~55oC; Storage: -20 ~ 65oC

Operating range

Open Space: ~300m; Indoor: ~100m(it may vary according to the environment)

Operating Voltage

3.3V + 5%,

Dimensions

51 X 30 X 3.8mm

Weight

25g