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TrueMobile 1180 (BCM4310)
Hi there,
I'm using a new Inspiron 8200 which has a TrueMobile 1180 built in. "lspci" tells me it is a BCM 4310. And that's bad... Broadcoms wireless chips are not supported under Linux.
Is anybody here using the TrueMobile 1150? Is at least this fully supported under Linux (f.ex. with the orinoco_cs driver)? So that I can ask DELL to change the card.
Or does anybody know another good Mini-PCI wireless card which works inside the Inspiron 8200 (I don't know how many antennas etc. the Inspiron has)? I've heard the d-link 520+ should work (you must disassemble the PCI card) with the notebook, but what about Linux?
Thank you very much,
Marcel Meyer
I'm using a new Inspiron 8200 which has a TrueMobile 1180 built in. "lspci" tells me it is a BCM 4310. And that's bad... Broadcoms wireless chips are not supported under Linux.
Is anybody here using the TrueMobile 1150? Is at least this fully supported under Linux (f.ex. with the orinoco_cs driver)? So that I can ask DELL to change the card.
Or does anybody know another good Mini-PCI wireless card which works inside the Inspiron 8200 (I don't know how many antennas etc. the Inspiron has)? I've heard the d-link 520+ should work (you must disassemble the PCI card) with the notebook, but what about Linux?
Thank you very much,
Marcel Meyer
- Great... I asked them by mail and web and didn't get any answer by now. My problem is, I have to suggest new notebooks for our IT and fair-team and I don't feel sure about suggesting a M$-fellow company since we are more and more using Linux only (no joke). And I was so happy with the inspiron and its great display :-(( (well, at least I got one to play around with it *g*)
Thank you for your experience! meyerm,
I would suggest to you to go with a another laptop manufacturer if you're looking for a laptop that will be supported under Linux. Dell seems not to support Linux on laptops (they do support Linux on ultra-expensive servers and workstations).
Although the newer Inspiron 8500 and 5100 models should work under Linux, the main problem is that the wireless built-in mini-PCI 1180 card is not supported under Linux. I bought an Inspiron 5100 and when I installed Linux I came to find out (to my surprise) this fact. I've spent hours trying to get Linux to use the wireless card, but nothing seems to work.
In another forum but similar post a person posted that he was also "in your shoes" so to speak. He was the decision maker for buying 50+ laptops for his company. He bought an Inspiron 8500 and after testing it out determined it would not suit his needs precisely because of the problem with the wireless card and general lack of Linux support from Dell. He even called Dell on numerous occasions for other things and the generic responses he got from Tech Support made him choose a different laptop manufacturer. I don't know who he went with.
As for myself, for personal use, I like the Inspiron 5100 but as a decision maker for a company I would never choose a Dell laptop for a business converging on Linux. Too bad for Dell, they should have placed more forethought in not supporting Linux on laptops. I think their business in this segment would be booming.
I was told by a Broadcom Rep that they are working on a Linux driver for this chip.
Check out http://www.petitiononline.com/BCM4301/
irregularjoe
18 Posts
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Posted July 14th, 2003 18:00
Thanks. I signed the petition.irregularjoe
18 Posts
497
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Posted July 14th, 2003 18:00
I read on a few linux sites that the 1150 is supported. I have the 1180 which is not. I'm thinking about just getting a pcmcia card that does support Linux.irregularjoe
18 Posts
497
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Posted July 14th, 2003 18:00
Dell is so lame I'm surprised they support Windows.
sixis
1 Message
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Posted March 26th, 2003 19:00
i think no chance to change.
i gently asked dell to change my 1180 with an 1150 but they refused it. The answer was "You bought the system with windows on it, and we don't support other operating systems".
The next time when i'll buy a notebook my decision well be another manufacturer with better hardware support. That's impossible that such a big manufacturer as dell is doesn't know the presence of OS Linux, or is the problem the an alliance between micro$oft to not support some hardware under concurent operating systems.