Engineering has tested a new PCMCIA Ethernet card for laptops. Our current supplier has been "Socket". This card was chosen for its rugged connection. The new card is made by Microsoft. Its part number is MN-120 (Geometrics part 20-000-048). It has a rugged RJ45 jack mounted on the side.

We have discovered that the existing Socket PCMCIA Ethernet card does not provide a link signal under XP. This is an inconvenience and does not prevent the Seismic Controller software from functioning. The Socket card works well with all Windows products prior to XP. 

Geometrics has made the new Microsoft card standard for shipment with Geodes since most customers use XP these days. The new card is thicker due to the RJ45 connector. The additional thickness prevents a second Ethernet card from being installed. If you are going to build a system with 2 lines, it is acceptable (If the laptop has one internal Ethernet port). For systems with more than two lines either use the USB to Ethernet adapter or make the next line a Socket card (Geometrics part 20-000-045). We will keep the Socket card for larger systems.