Re: Want to buy Notebooks with supported WLAN chip - Recommendations?

[coypu%SDF.ORG@localhost]

On Sun, Aug 07, 2016 at 07:53:44AM +0930, Brett Lymn wrote:
> On Tue, Aug 02, 2016 at 10:24:13AM +0200, Frank Wille wrote:
> > 
> > I'm looking for a recent Notebook which runs NetBSD. In spent a lot of time
> > to find out which drivers are needed for several models, and in nearly all
> > cases the WLAN chip is not supported.
> > 
> > Looking into the NetBSD-current source I hope that the new intel AC 3160
> > driver is partly working. Would that be an option?
> > 
> 
> Wireless LAN is always problematic, the devices change relatively
> quickly and getting details to write drivers can be ridiculously
> difficult.  Even with the documents someone has to have the device,
> motivation and time to do the job.
> 
> One thing which may be acceptable (and, in fact, I have been doing for a
> while*) is to get a supported USB wireless dongle and use that.  It is
> not ideal but you will get wireless network.
> 
> * My laptop has an unsupported realtek wireless chip, I am part way
> through the port of the driver but have not had the time to finish doing
> it :(
> 
> -- 
> Brett Lymn
> Let go, or be dragged - Zen proverb.

I've removed the Broadcom wifi device inside my laptop and replaced it
with a more reasonable manufacturer's card. not all laptops allow this,
though, they may whitelist cards.

But until that, I used USB wifi. the dongle is small enough to not get
in the way, I don't even have to disconnect it to put ti in a backpack.

Seems like much of the difficulty comes from the fact that there are
regional variants for cards.