Any suggestions for laptops with ath9k NIC?

Someone stole my previous laptop I was using for ath9k testing...

Any suggestions for a new mid-range laptop that comes standard with ath9k NICs, or is known to work with ath9k NICs w/out having to hack the NIC eeprom or laptop BIOS?

I'd prefer a 3x3, but not sure they exist, so a 2x2 a/b/g/n would be OK as well..

Thanks,
Ben

Ben Greear <[email protected]>
Candela Technologies Inc  http://www.candelatech.com

Hi,

In the free software community ath9k are quite common, because many other cards require non-free firmware and so are not supported by 100% free software GNU/Linux distributions.

http://h-node.org/ is a website that reference laptops that work with 100% free software distributions.

So there are a high number of laptops that have ath9k in that list, however the number of users is quite low.

There is also the website https://www.thinkpenguin.com/ which sells laptops(and wifi cards).

Since many electronic devices are changed without changing the product name, double check the hardware before buying...

Denis.

Ben,

It may not be an ideal solution, but I've used a Expresscard to PCI-E Mini adapter that basically plugs into the common express card slot and provides a pci-express slot so you can use your choice of AR9xxx radio. That way the BIOS of the Lenovos or HPs of the world don't stop you up.

Admittedly, it's less than elegant having a 10 cm card hanging out of your machine, but it does allow great flexibility in testing different radios.

If you have any difficulty finding an adapter PM me and tell you the one I use.

Brandt

I'd like to have something I could potentially sell to a customer, so probably that would not work for me.

I ordered a Samsung x86 chromebook on another person's suggestion. I understand it comes standard with ath9k NIC, so hopefully even if I need a different variety of ath9k, it will function OK in the system.

Thanks,
Ben

Ben Greear <[email protected]>
Candela Technologies Inc  http://www.candelatech.com