If a reflector of appropriate design can boost the signal input to a
usb dongle's integrated antenna, can't you do the same for a laptop's
internal antenna?

I have my laptop set up as a desktop replacement with an external
screen most of the time, so I don't mind having a reflector close to
the screen (where the antenna is.)

Why carry the cord and dongle when a wok alone would do?

I've tried with a carefully shaped and positioned approximately
parabolic-ishly shaped (40 cm diameter) piece of al foil, but I'm not
seeing any signal strength variation at all with netstumbler. In
fact, the Al foil doesn't seem to even significantly block the signal
(tried putting it in front of the antenna.)

I know where the internal antenna is for sure, because I have
disassembled my laptop and seen it there.... and the antenna etc. is
in complete normal working order. I have an r60 thinkpad, which if
you look at the marketing stuff, is implied to have 2 antennas or
something ("ultraconnect",) but I only saw one coax cable connected to
the card when I opened the thing up.

Any help?

Gret.letol@gmail.com wrote:
> If a reflector of appropriate design can boost the signal input to a
> usb dongle's integrated antenna, can't you do the same for a laptop's
> internal antenna?
>
> I have my laptop set up as a desktop replacement with an external
> screen most of the time, so I don't mind having a reflector close to
> the screen (where the antenna is.)
>
> Why carry the cord and dongle when a wok alone would do?
>
> I've tried with a carefully shaped and positioned approximately
> parabolic-ishly shaped (40 cm diameter) piece of al foil, but I'm not
> seeing any signal strength variation at all with netstumbler. In
> fact, the Al foil doesn't seem to even significantly block the signal
> (tried putting it in front of the antenna.)
>
> I know where the internal antenna is for sure, because I have
> disassembled my laptop and seen it there.... and the antenna etc. is
> in complete normal working order. I have an r60 thinkpad, which if
> you look at the marketing stuff, is implied to have 2 antennas or
> something ("ultraconnect",) but I only saw one coax cable connected to
> the card when I opened the thing up.
>
> Any help?

here's the breakout diagram -
http://uosiu.info/PRZENOSNE/lenovo_serwisowa.pdf
and the LCD layout is on PDF page 203 of 268

it looks like the R60 uses the new Mini-PCI Express card
and has all the wireless capabilities - Wifi, WAN carrier, Bluetooth