Upgrading the Gateway M275 Tablet PC to 802.11G
By
Steve Sanchez
Created 2/4/04
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Here�s the info on upgrading the Intel 802.11b
Wi-Fi card to a Broadcom 802.11G card on my Gateway M275 Tablet PC:
- First, before changing any hardware, you
need to install the latest drivers onto your Tablet. You can find a
wealth of information at Gateway�s M275 Support Home:
http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/Gateway/M275/3501734nv.shtml
- It is interesting to note that at this time
while you can order the Gateway Tablet with the 802.11G Broadcom card,
you CANNOT order ONLY the Broadcomm card to install in your Tablet. I
even called Gateway and spoke with a technician who confirmed that I
was out of luck. The Broadcomm website is also of no use since they
don�t provide drivers for cards they OEM to manufacturers like
Gateway.
- Fortunately, since Gateway does sell a
configuration with the Broadcom card, they do provide the drivers on
their support site (but they�re really hard to find). Trust me: here�s
the file you want:
http://support.gateway.com/support/drivers/search.asp?st=pn¶m=3501734
It�s driver #: 9526044.exe. In the documentation, it specifies that it
contains the drivers for the Broadcomm card, and not the Intel card.
- Download the file to your desktop and
double-click the file (9526044 .exe). Follow Gateway�s instructions to
install the driver which I have included here:
Files
self-extract and copy into the C:\Cabs\9526044 folder on the hard drive.
1. From
the Start menu, click Run.
2. In the Run dialog box, type: C:\Cabs\9526044\Setup.exe. Click OK.
3. In the Welcome dialog box, click Next.
4. The driver installs.
5. In the InstallShield Wizard Complete dialog box, click Finish.
6. Click Finish to restart the computer.
- Now you need to physically swap out the
wireless card. Gateway has provided an excellent doc which covers most
of this. Go to the Gateway Support Home link listed above and click on
: Upgrade Information
- Click on: Adding or Replacing Memory Under
the Keyboard. This takes you to:
http://support.gateway.com/s/Mobile/Gateway/M275/3501734faq40.shtml
- Follow this doc up to step 11. The wireless
card is the card just to the left of the memory slot. See included
photo 204. Instead of replacing a memory card (Gateway Steps 11-14)
you will follow those steps to replace the wireless card. EXCEPTION:
there are two additional wires attached to the Wi-Fi card which you
need to CAREFULLY disconnect and reconnect to your new card. See the
close-up on photo 205.
- In my case, I used a slim flat blade
screwdriver to GENTLY pop up the two antenna wires off the Wi-Fi card.
See photo 206. They snap in so you need a little pressure to get them
disconnected, but not too much to break the card or the wires. If you
gently put pressure under the connectors they will pop off. DON�T
FORCE IT or you could break the antenna. Note that the antenna wires
crossover so you can reattach them correctly to the new card.
- Once the antenna wires are disconnected,
replacing the card is identical to replacing the memory module. Follow
Gateway�s steps 11-14 to remove the old card and insert the Broadcom
card. NOTE: the Broadcomm card is slightly taller than the Intel card
so you will have to carefully move the wires above or below the card.
In my case, the fat wire that was above the Intel card I kept under
the Broadcom card and the Wi-Fi antenna wires I kept above the card.
- Once the Broadcomm card is in place, you
need to snap down the antenna wires onto the new card. This is why I
kept the fat wire underneath the Wi-Fi card; it provided a surface for
me to push against to avoid bending the card. Push the wires until you
get a good connection with the adapter which will click into place.
- With the antenna wires reattached, follow
Gateway�s steps 15 and forward to replace the keyboard and reassemble
your Tablet.
Since you have replaced your
wireless card, when you boot up you will need to configure your new card
to talk to your wifi network. As soon as you have done that, you will be
cruising at 54G! |