PCMCIA PCI Adapter

[ant101]

3G PCMCIA phone adaptor for desktop pc

Hi guys,

I am in the process of purchasing a PCMCIA adaptor card for our destop pc, which will (hopefully) enable the use of the 3G datacard on a desktop pc. The adaptor plugs into the PCI plug and allows the card to slot in the back. Has anyone experienced any problems with this and sharing the connection for between a few PC ? The first adaptor I purchased was not compatable with the 3G data card, but hopefully this next one will be I plan to shuffle the 3G data card between our work PC and home PC.
Any info would be appreciated, cause subscribing to a 2 year contract is a bit "trusting" if things don't work out!

 

[Edinetz]

Ant101 I bought the PCMCIA adaptor card from Jump and it works (they say it also works with iBurst card). Just had a problem installing - the eject button prevented it being slotted into the PCI slot. Haven't tried ICS though.

 

[vodacom3g]

There are a number of PCI to PCMCIA adaptors available.

We've tested quite a few and selected the Elan Digital Systems P111 card (http://www.elandigitalsystems.com/adapter/p111.php) for use with our 3G data cards.

These will be available shortly through the normal retail channel. RRP should be under R300.

Please be aware of cards that extend the PCMCIA connector with a cable to the front of the PC. 32bit cards (most new cards including the 3G cards) will not work or will be very erratic in such a setup due to the higher bandwidth requirements. These extended adaptors are only recommended for 16bit PCMCIA cards.

This implies plugging the 3G card into the back of a PC, so keep in mind you need to get to the back of your system.

 

[ant101]

Okay, excellent. The Elan P111 is the one which is on its way, I couldn't wait till it was instore so ordered it, should be here Tuesday. The adaptor via Mustek (Mecer) is a back loading adaptor but did not come with any drivers, and they weren't even avaialble on the net, cause the manufacturer was untracable! Hopefully all goes well next week.Thanks.

 

[vodacom3g]

You can download the latest Elan drivers from their web site. I suggest you get these as they're probably more current than the ones shipped with the card. There was one issue (with Hyper Threading) that the latest drivers fixed.

What 3G data card do you have? (Option / Novatel)

Will you please give feedback on your experience with the adaptor?

 

[fergus]

Does anyone know how compatible the Elan P111 is with other pcmcia cards, eg. Wifi, iburst, etc? Sounds like an excellent card to get for someone with a laptop and pc wanting to use a card in both.

Vodacom 3G: I can't help being amazed at what a good job you guys are doing on this forum. Its such an exception to the kind of service that one normally gets in South Africa that it has a tendency to stop you in your tracks. Please, keep suprising us!

 

[vodacom3g]

In theory all PCMCIA cards can work in one of these adaptors, taking the 16/32bit issue into consideration.

Where we found them breaking down was when there was a driver issue between the PCMCIA adaptor itself and the desktop setup, not so much with the PCI->PCMCIA card and the PCMCIA card.

There is an architectural difference between notebooks and desktop PC's such as different CPU's, chipsets, etc.

The manufacturers of the PCMCIA card don't always test their cards (or even design them) for the desktop architectures.

Unfortunately the answer (as with most PC-related questions these days), is to test it.

 

[ant101]

Feedback on ELan P111

'ello,

Right, got the Elan P111 adpator. Had some problems installing the drivers from the supplied CD, at the end of it, I rather used it as a coffee coaster, this seemed more practical and some what more satisfying! I had to register my details on the ELAN website and only then could donwload the latest driver exe. Worked like a charm, I have no idea why they could not have included this file on the cd.
Just waiting for 3g simcard activaition ... hope it's not another horror story
But all is proceeding well...
Vodacom3g I suggest checking what drivers are distributed with this card, if you guys plan to distribute this card, cause the supplied cd caused more issues than solutions, even by following all the steps (and counter steps) outlined in their documentation.
cheers
ant101

 

[asmith]

the Ricoh PCMCIA/PCI adaptor (from Genex) works great! The drivers are built into Windows XP.

 

[vodacom3g]

ant101, Thanks for the feedback. We'll make sure we distribute the correct drivers.

asmith, maybe you can post where you bought the Ricoh card for other members? Cost?

 

[diabolus]

I've seen a few cards being mentioned, but can anyone give links to where i can actually order these cards? [in south africa].

Jump.co.za mysteriously gives me this message.

The Product (PR004361) you requested is not available to be viewed at this stage. This could either be becuase we no longer provide this product or becuase it was de-activated.

If not, can anyone tell me if this will work with the Novatel 3G card?

[expansys card : R483]
http://www.expansys.co.za/product.asp?code=PCD-RP-101CE

 

[Edinetz]

Its been removed from my wishlist so maybe they don't stock it anymore

 

[ant101]

Diabolus - I couriered my card in from Germany - local ones via the Mecer(comXpert?) site did not work correctly, as no drivers were supplied and I couldn't even read the manufacturer name off the card. I tried shopping around but no luck, i can't believe the uptake is so slow.
I don't know where else in SA you can get them, maybe someone else can help. Your best bet is to wait for vodacom to get their shipment in of the Elan P111, which I read somewhere is going to be at a really good retial price. (compared to paying through your nose like me! -we were in a rush to get 3G up and running, cause our other ISP services expire next week.)

 

[vodacom3g]

The shipment of the ELAN PCI cards were held back from distribution as we picked up a problem with the drivers on certain P4 systems. New drivers are now available so the cards should be available soon.

Will post date as soon as it's available.

 

[vodacom3g]

PCI Cards now available

Vodacom today released the Elan P111 PCMCIA -> PCI adaptors to the retail channel.

This adaptor card allows you to use a PCMCIA card such as the Vodafone 3G Data Card on a desktop or server system.

You can read more on: http://www.elandigitalsystems.com/adapter/p111.php

The shops won't have stock yet but you can order using this product code:

V3GPCADAPT -- PC ADAPTOR 3G DATA CARDS

Pricing should be <R300.

Please be warned that this is very new to the channel, so be gentle on them Insist (kindly) they get you one using the above product code.

The latest drivers should ship with the card, but rather get the very latest from Elan's support site.

 

[vodacom3g]

PCI Adaptors now available

Vodacom today released the Elan P111 PCMCIA -> PCI adaptors to the retail channel.

This adaptor card allows you to use a PCMCIA card such as the Vodafone 3G Data Card on a desktop or server system.

You can read more on: http://www.elandigitalsystems.com/adapter/p111.php

The shops won't have stock yet but you can order using this product code:

V3GPCADAPT -- PC ADAPTOR 3G DATA CARDS

Pricing should be R259.

Please be warned that this is very new to the channel, so be gentle on them. Insist (kindly) they get you one using the above product code. Should take a few days to get it in.

The latest drivers should ship with the card, but rather get the very latest from Elan's support site.

 

[diabolus]

Placed an order at my nearest Vodashop. They quoted me R256 and that stock is limited, so now i'll wait and see

 

[ant101]

Vodacom3g - can you explain what problems you were having on certain P4 models?
50% of the time I plug my card in the adaptor -my PC hangs. Disconnect the power cord and reboot is the only solution I have found. I have tried inserting the card with and without the dash loaded, and given appropriate time delays between my actions. Maybe you can offer some advice?

 

[vodacom3g]

There were some issues with P4 CPU's with Hyper Threading. Not to sure of the exact symptoms but I believe the card did not work at all.

You've loaded the latest drivers from Elan's web site?

The symptom of having to power down, sounds similar to what some laptop users are reporting, so it might not be a PCI card issue but rather something else, possibly a card driver problem.

 

[Harley79]

anyone found a vodashop that knows anything about the pci cards yet? anyone got a pci adaptor from a vodashop yet? Westgate gave me a blank stare and Vodaworld referred me to jump.co.za