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Wireless Switch

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7 replies

by ekomaasu

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Ok, this may seem like a stupid question, and it could very well be...however, I have to still ask.

I have a Compaq r3000 notebook that came without an internal wireless card and no wireless toggle switch. I intalled an internal wireless card and the notebook recognizes the hardware and states that it's working properly. But bc I do not have a wireless select switch to turn on the hardware, there is no wireless networks can be detected.

So the question is...is it possible to get a wireless switch intalled for turning on the signal. I know I could make life easy for me and get a PCMCIA adapter, however, I want to first find out if a wireless select switch is doable.

7 replies

by hal 9000

From the Keyboard to press so I would suggest that you look at the owners manual for this NB for clarification on this subject.

As you didn't state which type of R 3000 that you have an AMD or Intel here is the Users Manual for the AMD version which is the same manual as the Intel one so the directions for toggling between WiFi and LAN will be the same.

http://tinyurl.com/3jzso

Col

by balthor

There might be some software that came with your router.

by rmatz71

If your R3000 was not originally purchased with a wireless option the button to turn the internal wireless on and off was not provided (as you already know).

I have been unable to locate a suitable means to switch the wireless on and off from the keyboard.

I have encountered a post elsewhere that indicates that covering one of the contacts on the internal wireless card (Contact 13) itself will de-activate the on/off requirement. That method seems a bit crude but, I'm not above it if it's the only way to get it working.

The bios do not provide any options, and I have been unable to locate any settings in the registry which might activate/deactivate the internal wireless card.

It is not related to drivers, it is not related to a faulty installation.

Update (9/11/2007)
Solution!: Covering the contacts 11 and 13 works. A friend located the information in a post regarding the the card itself.

The contacts are numbered with even on the back and odd on the front. There are a total of 104 contacts on the card (52 pin).
Contact numbers 11 & 13 are adjacent to each other, on the front of the card. I reinstalled the card, fired up the system and was immediately detecting no less than 1/2 dozen connections within range.

by etherkeiffer

I had the same problem on an Intel based R3000. Was not originally fitted for wifi so no switch present and no internal antennas.

After discovering that HP require that you only fit one of the specific cards intended for this model - and the mini pci card also has to be made by HP or the system will refuse to boot ("Incompatible Network Card") Broadcom BCM94306MPS worked for me, I installed software and found it still wasn't seeing anything.

Same problem - the card needs the 'hardware switch' which diodn't exist to be switched on.

Following your tip, I placed a sliver of sticky tape over the two contacts listed (11 and 13), put it back in the slot and it worked a treat. It's only low signal at the moment but that's not bad considering I'm still waiting for the antennas to arrive in the post :)

Thank you very much for passing on the info. I'm sure many people trying to install wifi in the Compaq Presario R3000 or HP Pavilion zv5000 and spin off models will be most grateful, I know I am :) Many thanks!

I suppose the next project should be how to fit a switch :) (and where)

I imagine that the motherboard probably has a two-pin connector somewhere on it to which the switch would be connected. Will have to see what I can find out.

p.s. there is a good site that shows how to dismantle the screen section in order to fit the antennas. Beware however this series of notebook is incredibly vulnerable to damage. I have read of people who have found that the bezel is double-sided sticky taped to the LCD. HP do not want you dismantling the screen on the R3000 / ZV5000 and even authorised service centres are apparently shipped only with the whole assembled top section. Nevertheless it looks easy, when my antennas arrive I'll know for sure :) These instructions are for a V2000 which is very similiar. http://www.screentekinc.com/lcd-removal-instructions_en,compaq.shtml

by bigdickmagoo

Thanks everyone, covering the pins fixed the problem for me also.
Could not find any HP software solution nor keystroke combination to achieve turning the radio on.

by 1bn0

Most of the notebooks I have dis-assembled or otherwise removed the wireless NICfrom had a pair of wires terminated to studs on the card that ran to an antenae in the LCD panel of the notebook.

Since you do not have the on/off switch installed I would have to assume the antenae may not be installed either. This would contribute to reduced signal strength.

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