I ordered a pair of AR5B22 mini PCI-e cards (\$12 USD each,) a few days ago. I plan to put one in the T430 and one in the X230. Both of these are Guix systems with only free software and so neither has the blobs needed to run the WiFi hardware they came with. One NIC arrived today and I've already installed it in the X230. It's older and slower hardware, but it's getting the job done, so I'm happy with it. Like Nix, Guix has a concept of software channels, and there's a channel for non-free software that could make the original hardware work, but I'm really liking that I don't have to resort to that.

While I had the system open, I noticed there's a little bit of free space. I'm wondering if I could fit a LoRa radio inside the laptop and then run a cable to the edge of the case and drill a hole to mount an antenna on the side. Right now I have a Heltec v3 velcroed to the lid and the antenna pokes up above the monitor. If I did put one inside the case, the antenna would have to be mounted much lower and I'd have to keep it out of the way of the screen (it's a t model with the rotating screen). But with the radio velcroed to the back, I have to remove the radio from the lid before I scan spin the screen around and use it for writing/drawing.

Now, what to do with the cards that were in them...

Tags: index, guix

created: 2026-05-22

(re)generated: 2026-07-17