I’ve got an Acer Aspire 3003lCi. I want to soup it up in two ways:
Buy a battery that lasts for 2-3 hours. My priorities for this purchase are (1) reliability (I don’t want to buy a no-name battery and have it crap out on my in a few months) and (2) low price. Where do I go? Are Acer brand batteries my only option?
Be able to use the wireless modem from any room in the house. I can’t use the wireless modem at all at home (Wifly isn’t in this area), and the router we use in concert with the desktop computer keeps going offline when I hook both computers up to it. Is there some kind of router I can buy for the house that will allow me wireless access wherever I choose to park myself? Are there any security issues I should be thinking about?
I thought I made it clear that price is a secondary consideration. If I can find a battery that is as reliable as an Acer-factory produced battery but sells for a bit less, then I’ll buy it. I know very little about computers and componentry, which is why I’m asking.
As reliable as Acer will be very easy to find.
For the wlan router just buy one where you can exchange the antennas. The actual wlan range in your house always depends on the construction. Start with the router alone, change the antenna or buy an repeater if necessary.
[quote=“Tomas”]I’ve got an Acer Aspire 3003lCi. I want to soup it up in two ways:
Buy a battery that lasts for 2-3 hours. My priorities for this purchase are (1) reliability (I don’t want to buy a no-name battery and have it crap out on my in a few months) and (2) low price. Where do I go? Are Acer brand batteries my only option?[/quote]
You can probably find a 3rd party battery for your laptop at Guanghua market on Bade Rd. However if such a battery is of the same quality (safety- and reliability-wise) as an original Acer battery is difficult to know (as you can’t tell from just looking at them). Dunno of any way to find out if there is a choice between different makes and you probably have to rely on the dealer’s word (well …).
Note that “cheap” batteries may actually explode (literally) and that will damage your laptop beyond repair, and in worst circumstances set your house on fire. So for peace of mind I would go with an original battery, even it comes at a higher cost. (There is still that risk but it’s much smaller than with the cheap stuff.)
There is one alternative though, an external battery pack (example), but I dunno if it suits you as it’s not so convenient: you will need the battery pack, a charger and some cables.
The pack needs to be matched to the laptop’s power supply, the data should be printed on the AC adapter of the Acer. There is still a risk if it’s “cheap” but at least it may not damage the laptop if it isn’t too close. Doesn’t help much though if the entire house burns down.
As robi666 says you can buy a wireless router (example) but if it covers the entire house is difficult to say, the location of the router, structure and building materials will all affect how the radio signal propagates. As well the quality of the receiver (the wireless modem) will have an affect, and the antenna it uses (internal, external, high gain etc.). Just try it, at worst you have to add a booster/repeater.
But before buying check what standards your wireless modem (I assume it’s a card that slots into the laptop?) supports - 811.2b, 811.2g, both … ? Select the wireless router to match that standard. Ask the shop to sell you one that connects to your ADSL modem, not one that can replace it (else you will have more hassle to set it up). The one I linked above should do, we use it at the office. Don’t forget to buy the cable to connect the two.
Security is build into all the new wireless routers, called WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access). If it uses the old WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) standard avoid the product.
