Integrated Wireless Antenas

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I have a Gateway 450X notebook that I purchased about 8 months ago. I really wish I had gotten the internal wireless network card but I didn't. I want to put in a mini pci wireless network card but since I didn't get the wireless when I bought it the computer has no antenas.

Anybody have any ideas on how I can make my own antenas to put in the computer or any other way that I can improve the signal of this card if I decide to put it in? Maybe I'm better off just sending it to Gateway to have them install something so I don't screw it up. I really don't want a regular wireless network card sticking out the side of the computer cause it will most likely get in the way and become anoying.

Anybody have any suggestions? Thanks in Advance.

[Big Calhoun]

You're not concerned that installing the mini-PCI card yourself will mess up the airflow of your laptop? You're probably better off with going for a 3rd party card for several reasons:

1. Minimal hassle/concern about damaging your laptop
2. Probably cheaper to buy the card than to install one yourself (cheaper in time, money, and mental health)
3. More options: I haven't seen any mini-pci cards supporting the 802.11g standard. At least with a third party card, you can select from all available standards and take advantage of dual/multi-standard cards.

A few months ago, I was doing a little research to increase the power of my router instead of my card and found that most antennas for mini-PCI cards are proprietary/custom-built. There are a number of companies that do sell external antennas for routers. A 3rd party card with the antenna sticking out of your PC-card slot is really not that obstrusive. However, I will say that my wifes laptop slipped off the couch one time with the 802.11 card plugged in. When it landed, it fell on the antenna and jammed the card into the PC-card slot...that laptop now runs Linux and just sits there.

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On my laptop there is a bay on the bottom of the notebook for Mini PCI cards. It doesn't look like it would obstruct the airfow however I could be wrong. I saw somewhere on the internet where a guy found a wireless Mini PCI card for the G standard inside his Linksys Wireless G router. He took it out and threw it into his laptop and it works great. I'll try and find that again. I'll keep searching the net to see if this is worth it or just better off getting 3rd party card.