Wi-Fi in Laptops...

When I was customizing one of the laptops I chose on dell to buy, to see how much it would cost for top quality...I ran across Wi-Fi (wireless internet im guessing). So there were three options, all with differenty price ranges, either +$30 or +$70 or something. I have no friggen clue what to look for when it comes to top quality or getting the best bang for your buck in the wi-fi department of laptops/pcs. So can someone list the different wi-fi connections/cards or whatever their called in order of crappy to highest quality and explain each one and how it differs from the other?

I'm not a tech savvy as I used to be, like 6 months ago oops

What are the options?

I wonder if they offer that new business wi-fi where you can get wi-fi from like anywhere? I'd be happy to take a look as well.

Yeah, like the nextel or cingular? I wonder what speeds you can get from those....

[quotec1eadf0603="TryinToGetPaid"]What are the options?[/quotec1eadf0603]
I assume they were the Dell branded B/G, Dell A/B/G, and the Intel IPW2200

The cheapest one (Dell B/G) uses the very common broadcom 43xx chipset.
If money is tight, you should be fine with that one in most cases, unless you need 802.11a... which you probably don't (if you do, get the Dell A/B/G).
If you can spare the cash, the Intel B/G card is quite nice. I've found it to have a fair bit better range than the basic Dell model, but it is quite a premium to pay over it too.

Why would I need the 802.1? What is it? Is it the more costly, the more range you get? More clear connection? And is there nay outside fees you pay if you get the longest rang/most expensive one? Pros/cons?

They are all 802.11b/g, just the one has 'a' as well.
b and g are compatible with each other (think of b as a subset of g). a on the other hand uses a different frequency and thus isn't compatible, and it is rarely used in comparison. If you don't know you need it, then you likely don't.

For most people the cheapest ($30) one will work just fine.

[quotef1b0007044="TryinToGetPaid"]Yeah, like the nextel or cingular? I wonder what speeds you can get from those....[/quotef1b0007044]

You seen those too? I've always wondered about those. Sorry to be off-topic off the thread but I was curious as to if anyone has tried one?

Well, there are heat issues too. Some brands of chipsets produce less heat, like Atheros. Intel can run a bit hotter.

I'm not a fan of Broadcom. They are on the cheap end, and I've run into issues with their utilities communicating with the hardware.

I'd say go with the cheapest default option if you plan on using your laptop on a home network near the router. There's no need to have more. For cafe's and mild wardriving, I'd recommend an Atheros.

That A/B/G card is likely an Atheros (Most A/B/G ones seem to be).

If money were not an object, you'd want something from Senao/Engenius. They have the best range.