๐
There are plenty of excellent routers to bring home nowadays that support Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 6E. In fact, I bet you've done that already, which is why you're reading this postโyou want to do that on the other end of the connection.
And you're right! It's possible to do a Wi-Fi 6/6E upgrade on many, if not most, existing computers. This post will walk you through determining the possibility and the actual work of upgrading an existing Windows-based computer to the latest Wi-Fi standard.
Before continuing, make sure you're comfortable opening up your computer and installing/replacing a component.
Dong's note: I first published this post on May 27, 2019, and updated it on November 28, 2020, to add relevant information, including Wi-Fi 6E.
Wi-Fi 6/6E upgrade: What you need
First and foremost, you need a Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 6E adapter card to add it to your computer or replace the existing one.
There are many options, but generally:
- For (almost) all desktops, you'll likely need a full adapter card, such as this AX200 (Wi-Fi 6) card and this AX210 (Wi-Fi 6E) card. Both include an Intel AX2xx module and a generic NGFF-to-PCIe adapter.
- For a laptop (though this might work with some desktops), you need an Intel AX200 or Intel AX210 module. Most importantly, your computer must have an NGFF M.2 slot.
Intel AX200 vs. AX210 vs. AX201 vs. AX211 vs. AX411
The Intel AX200 chip supports Wi-Fi 6, which is a dual-band adapter (2.4GHz and 5GHz). On the other hand, the Intel AX210 chip features Wi-Fi 6E, which is a tri-band adapter with an additional 6GHz band.
These two are generic and will work on any computer that has the supporting slot and correct software driver.
There are variants, including the AX201, AX211, and AX411 with additional requirements:
- The AX201 is a Wi-Fi 6 chip that only works on a computer running an Intel 10th Gen CPU (or later).
- The AX211 and AX411 are both Wi-Fi 6E chips. They require a computer running at least an Intel 10th or 12th Generation Processor.
Of these options, the AX210 is the most versatile. Still, its 6GHz band is only officially supported in Windows 11. As is the case with the AX211 and AX411, a special software driver is necessary to make it work with Windows 10.
All Wi-Fi 6/6E modules I've known also have Bluetooth 5.2 built-in, which is a bonus.
Alternatively, you'll find Wi-Fi 6/6E upgrade options via USB adapters.
Wi-Fi 6/6E upgrade: Find out if your computer qualifies
All the Wi-Fi modules mentioned above and likely all future Wi-Fi 6/6E adapters use the next-generation form factor (NGFF).
Specifically, these are 2230 M.2 cards, which are 22m wide and 33mm long, that use the A or E key to connect to a host. To qualify for the upgrade, your computer must have a compatible slot for this card design.
There are Wi-Fi cards with narrower widths, but the length remains.
Wi-Fi 6/6E upgrade on a laptop: Highly possible
You can not perform this Wi-Fi 6/6E upgrade on all existing laptops, but the chance is high with most released in the past decade or so. The requirement is that the machine must use an NGFF 2230 M.2 slot to host its current Wi-Fi adapter.
To be sure, though, here's how to check:
If your laptop currently uses a Wi-Fi 5 adapterโsuch as an Intel AC-72xx, AC-82xx, AC-3160, or AC-92xx; or Rivet Networks Killer model 14xx or 15xxโit will likely support a Wi-Fi 6/6E module.
The bottom line is that the computer needs a 2230 M.2 slot and compatible antenna wires.
On the other hand, if the laptop has its Wi-Fi adapter soldered onto the motherboard or if it uses a Wi-Fi 4 or older adapter, it's time to give up.
Let's find out how to identify your computer's current Wi-Fi card without opening its chassis.
How to identify a laptop’s existing Wi-Fi card (on a Windows machine)
Right-click the Start button (lower-left corner) and choose Device Manager to open the Device Manager window.
- On the list of devices, click on the right arrow (>) button before Network adapters to extend the list.
- Look for the wireless adapter and note down its name. If it's one of the card models mentioned above, your laptop is ready for the upgrade.
In any case, you can always Google the existing card's model number to find out if it's a 2230 NGFF card. Look for a picture of the card and compare it against those mentioned hereโthey should look similar or share the same connector keys.
Also, check the antenna connectors to make sure it's the same as those of the existing card, which is almost always the case if it shares the same M.2 standard.
Wi-Fi 6/6E upgrade on a desktop: It’s all about PCIe
The chance is much higher on the desktop front. For one, some desktops have a built-in 2230 M.2 slot. Most importantly, all standard desktops released in the past decade have peripheral component interconnect express (PCIe or PCI-E) slots.
As a result, with an NGFF-to-PCIe converter card mentioned above, you can, for sure, upgrade the machine to Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 6E.
PCIe slots come in different lengths to represent performance gradesโthe longer the slot, the faster an add-on device it can host. You'll only need an x1 PCIe slot (the shortest one) for the Wi-Fi 6 upgrade, but a slot of any length will work.
How to identify PCIe slots on a desktop
PCIe slots tend to come in a few colors on a motherboard, including black, blue, yellow, or green, but they are rarely white, which is the color of older PCI slots. Also, no matter how long a PCIe slot is, its only key notchโa divider within the slot itselfโis always at the same spot, less than an inch from the left end.
If you buy a separate PCIe converter card, attach the Wi-Fi 6 module to it and have a Wi-Fi 6 PCIe add-on adapter.
Note: You might need an internal USB connector for the Bluetooth feature of the Wi-Fi 6/6E card. Most motherboards have some of these near their bottom, below the PCIe slot area. If you only care about the Wi-Fi function, though, you can ignore this.
Steps to perform a Wi-Fi 6/6E upgrade via adapter card installation
Now that you have done all the steps needed to make sure your computer supports the new card, here are the general steps to do the Wi-Fi 6/6E upgrade.
1. Buy the hardware
As mentioned above, buy the Wi-Fi laptop module and the converter PCIe adapter card (if necessary).
Again, if your computer, mostly a laptop, has a 2230 M.2 slot, you only need the Wi-Fi module. On a desktop, chances are you will need a full adapter card, which is the Wi-Fi module, and a PCIe to M.2 adapter.
2. Get the software driver
On your to-be-upgraded computer, download the Wi-Fi 6/6E module's driver software. Generally, use this link for the latest driver from Intel.
However, you'll need to follow the instructions in this post if you want to unlock the 6GHz band of the AX210 chip on a Windows 10 computer right away.
Technically, you can download the driver for Intel AX200-based cards using Windows Update. But that's only possible if the computer can connect to the Internet, which is impossible if the Wi-Fi card is its only network adapter. So, getting the driver software beforehand is a smart move.
3. Install the Wi-Fi module/adapter
Open up the computer, and install the module.
On a desktop, use any available PCIe slot. (Make sure you plug in the card's USB cable if you want to use the card's Bluetooth feature).
On a laptop, swap the existing Wi-Fi card with the new Wi-Fi 6 moduleโthe two should look very similar. (Make sure you reattach the antenna wires correctly onto the replacement card's connectors, marked as 2 and 1 on the moduleโreplicate their positions as seen on the old card.)
Close the computer back up.
4. Install the software driver
Start the computer up and, if necessary, install the software you downloaded in step #2. In my experience, the latest revisions of Windows 10 have a built-in driver for Wi-Fi 6 cards, and yours might work right away.
However, if you use a Wi-Fi 6E card, chances are driver installation is required unless you use Windows 11.
And that's it. If you're using a Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 6E router, your computer can now connect to it using a Wi-Fi 6 (5GHz) or Wi-Fi 6E (6GHz) connection, respectivelyโboth caps at 2.4Gbps using your newly installed adapter card.
Note, though, that you might have to tweak the router's setting a bitโmake sure it works in the 160Mhz channelโfor the card to connect at top speeds.
Some routers do not support this channel width at all; therefore, the newly installed adapter card will instead connect at 1.2Gbps in the best-case scenario.
Intel AX210 Wi-Fi 6E Chip's Rating
Pros
Adds Wi-Fi 6 and 6E to a computer; support 160MHz; affordable
Flexible application via NGFF form factor (2230 M.2 slot) or PCIe adapter
Reliable and fast Gig+ performance
Cons
No official driver for Windows 10
No USB option
Final thoughts
For now, it doesn't matter which card you use, whether Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 6E, you'll get the same performance that caps at 2.4Gbps.
To experience faster speeds, we'll have to wait till when or if higher-tier adapter cards (4x4) are available. But the upgrade process is the same for any future Wi-Fi cards of different speed tiers or vendors.
An tips for unsuccessful multiple attempts to connect antenna leads on Intel AX211NGW just added to a Dell 3660 tower ?
The antenna connector should snap right on. If not, you might want to go with the PCIe approach as mentioned.
I am running a Thinkpad X1 Carbon Gen 6 (8th Gen Intel Chip) and based on your write-up above, it seems like the Intel AX210 chipset would be a good replacement for my current AC 9260. Would there be an even better or newer Wi-FI/BT chipset than the AX210, that would still fit my X1C? I know the AX411 and others would not be compatible. Thanks!
I don’t know every computer model, Rosa, but for Wi-Fi 6e, the AX210 is the best. You can also consider Wi-Fi 7, however.
Perfect, thank you Dong. I will stick with the AX210!
I have a Elitedesk G5 mini 800 with Intelยฎ Coreโข i5-9500T Processor and a Intelยฎ Wireless-AC 9560 wlan. I want to upgrade to wifi 6 or 6E preferable 6e I guess. I’m not sure what adapters I can upgrade too.
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/sku/99446/intel-wirelessac-9560/specifications.html
Thx
Read the post, Matt.
Hello,
I am looking to upgrade my Thinkpad X1 Extreme Gen2. from the AX200 to the AX210. I know physically the connectors on the cards are the same, and it SHOULD work. However, when I install the AX210, the computer BIOS gives an error code at boot saying: 1802 unauthorized network card is plugged in. It will not allow the computer to boot (or even get into the BIOS settings)
Do you know anything about Lenovo BIOS whitelists? Any workarounds that you know of? Thanks
You can try to reset the BIOS or customize the security section of the machine (also in the BIOS.) Another thing to try is to disable the WLAN in the BIOS, turn it off, remove the existing Wi-Fi card, turn it on, then off again, install the new card, and now enable the WLAN in the BIOS, then restart. Sometimes upgrading the BIOS to the latest version will help, too.
Anyone happen to know whether an 2017-era MSI GS73VR 7RF laptop (i7-7700HQ CPU) is upgradeable to Wifi6? Current wireless network is Killer 1535 n/a/ac. From what I’ve read, I think it might be a generation too old, but I haven’t been able to be certain. If so, which chip(s) are recommended for easiest upgrade? Thank you.
Yes it can be, as explained in the post.
Give it a good read!
Thank you! Upon first reading, I didn’t see the Killer 1535 mentioned, but prompted by your response, I now see that “Killer 15XX” is mentioned. I’ve ordered a replacement part and hope to have it upgraded this weekend.
I need your help, please!
I bought an Aurora R13 (Alienware/Dell). The website advertised having the Intelยฎ Wi-Fi 6E AX210 card with Wifi 6E capability, 6 where 6E is unavailable. I’m in the U.S, so 6E should be available.
I got the PC last year and finally need to use Wifi. I’m now noticing that the 6/6E band from my Asus ET8 isn’t showing at all. I made sure I had the newest drivers for everything and then contacted Dell. In summary, Dell is saying that the card is def. 6/6E capable but the R13 motherboard is not. I said, but the website shows that it should be and he linked me to a manual where it shows 2.4/5ghz capable. Here is the line from the email – “The Intel Wireless AX210 is 6Ghz capable
but the computer is not 6Ghz capable, the motherboard it self doesn’t support 6Ghz.” and then the link he sent – https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/desktop-computers/alienware-aurora-r13-gaming-desktop/spd/alienware-aurora-r13-desktop#configurations_section . My PC is the i7 with the 6700xt. He underlines “Wifi 6 where 6E is unavailable”, but I’m unsure why, lol.
I could really use some help on this.
Thanks!
If your computer runs Windows 10, Tyraelos, you need a special driver. If it runs Windows 11, I have no idea. The card should work.
Tyraelos: You likely know that WiFi6 uses both the 2.4GHz and the 5GHz band. WiFi6E additionally makes use of the 6GHz band. There’s a very fine article about this:
https://dongknows.com/wi-fi-6-explained/
I can offer a couple of suggestions right off the top of my head.
1) Check the settings on your Asus router to make sure that the WiFi network you have configured is set to use WiFi6 (and/or 6E).
2) If you can verify that, and the PC still doesn’t see the SSID of your WiFi6 network, you may want to peek at your desktop computer more closely…
2a) I’m not sure if there would be a BIOS setting that affects/enables the use of WiFi6/6E. Might be worth a look.
2b) Failing that suggestion, you might want to take a look inside. A number of desktop computers use the same little WiFi transceiver cards that are used in laptops (this is a VERY modular industry). If true in your case, it means that you can find it and take a closer look. I would take a picture of the label on that card so that I could magnify it and verify that it is the right radio. It should show AX210, if it is indeed an AX210-based radio. These cards are approx 1-square-inch, so they’re quite small.
Hope there are some good leads here for you to follow towards a resolution!
Hey SteveB,
It’s the Intel Wifi AX210 WLAN card (M2). I am running Windows 11. I don’t see anything in the BIOS, but it has gotten 3 updates since I bought the PC, so I’ll check on the next update.
Dell support says the card is 6E capable, but due to motherboard limitations, 6E doesn’t work. I don’t believe them.
Thanks for the help. I’m going to argue with them till I find some resolution!
Tyraelos:
I have to admit that I purposely avoided that detail in my 1st response. Due respect to Dell support, but I do not believe they are correct, technically. (Good luck convincing them, though; I’ll leave it up to you whether it’s useful to try.) If you think about the partition of functions in a PC and their modular nature, it does not make sense. By the time any signals reach the mainboard level, they have nothing to do with WiFi6, nor do I believe that the mobo knows whether the radio is WiFi6, 5, etc. Importantly, this presumes that the radio isn’t integrated onto the motherboard, rather that it’s a module connected to it. Even in the former case though, this may be true. With no settings for it on your mainboard’s BIOS, I suspect that I’m correct. Moving on from technical stuff…
I can also suggest trying another computer with WiFi6 capability to verify the function of your Asus ET8. Maybe you or a friend has a capable laptop, for example. This is probably a priority now in the troubleshooting procession of steps. You want to be sure it’s working as expected to have as solid a case for Dell if you choose to pursue convincing them.
Since it’s a bit of a long shot without more data about the problem, I’ll mention it with that in mind:
If your desktop PC indeed employs a standard module that plugs into the mainboard, you could consider an outright replacement. I did this successfully to two laptops in my household just before turkey-day. The AX210 modules cost approx $25.
…I hope this is of some help.
Hey SteveB,
The manager simply apologized for the “inconvenience” and offered me a coupon. He said there’s really nothing else they can do. I’m OK with this, I have to be, really. Not going to keep arguing and fighting.
I’m sure the 6E (6ghz) works on my ET8 because other devices use/see it.
I’m sure the 210 in the PC can but for some reason isn’t allowing 6E because there’s an option, in fact, several inside the driver settings that refer to the 6ghz band. As I said, I just think that Dell has somehow blocked it or used a locked-down Intel card.
One detail I forgot to mention, is that my Alienware shipped from Mexico for some reason. I don’t know at all if that matters. I do know that Mexico hasn’t adopted 6E, so if the PC were sold to a customer in Mexico, this would be, par for the course. What I don’t know is how they lock it down. Is it at manufacturing? Is it through special software? Is it a special card that has it blocked somehow in the hardware? Is jt location locked? No clue. I’m in the U.S on a U.S version of Windows 11, so…
If I really wanted to get to the bottom of this, I have 3 options….1: Slap Windows 10 on a SSD and try the old, guaranteed-to-work 6E driver everyone is talking about on the web. 2: Remove and try the card in another machine. 3: As you’ve mentioned, replace it with another 210 or 6E capable card. Not sure if I’ll go down any of these roads, just to prove that Dell is lying though since they already have provided an option.
I just feel bad for other customers that will lean on buying this PC for the Wifi 6E capability over say, the HP Omen 25L which is almost identical in specs and price but clearly states that it comes with a Wifi 6 card. This happened to me.
Just a further comment about the BIOS. I suspect that if previous versions of the BIOS had nothing about the WiFi radio in it, there won’t be that addition in any update.
I don’t generally recommend updating the BIOS if nothing’s amiss, and not on the notion that a feature might be added.
Tyraelos: I’m glad that Dell offered you a coupon. I hope it’s of use to you. I’m pleased to hear that you have done a thorough troubleshooting job, covering suggestions I have made.
I agree with you; continued arguing isn’t useful. Mostly it really is a shame for you and customers that the PC disappoints those who want WiFi6/6E. I doubt that it doesn’t work because it was assembled in Mexico. These things are built for the US market, like many other electronics, and should conform to regional specs. Dell wouldn’t cross that line.
If the WiFi module is locked-down somehow, it must be in hardware because you have no access to it via software/firmware (the BIOS). Besides, Dell told you it was a mainboard limitation. All that speculation now wisely set aside, it’s less about the coupon and whether Dell is lying to you, and far more about getting something working for you, imo.
My initial feeling about trying Win10 is that it won’t work, but I could be mistaken. If I had doubts about spending money to buy another radio to try (rightly so because there’s no guarantee), I would perhaps instead remove the module and temporarily install it in a laptop to see if that computer then exhibits the same limitations with respect to WiFi6/6E. That’s if you really want to find out- now just to find out. Even if the card isn’t removable, I’m sure that PCIE-1x boards for that 1x slot on your mainboard and/or USB-based WiFi6E adapters aren’t out of the question, and are an easy install.
Anyway, I wish you the best of luck! It has been interesting for me to read your story. ๐
They are not lying to you. Itโs not compatible because it doesnโt have a 6Ghz antenna. Itโs as simple as that.
Hello Dong
I have a DELL Vostro 15 3500 laptop and I have replaced an ac card in it with an ax card (Intel AX210 card). I have a UPC 750 Mbps link. I have an ASUS XD6 router (the latest firmware) connected and a 5GHz 160MHz network configured. The connection between the laptop and the router is set at 2.4 Gbps, i.e. max. If I do speedtest, I get a maximum of about 500 Mbps, sometimes less. During the test, when I look at the set up connection, I see that the values drop from 2.4 Gbps to 1.4 Gbps, etc. What could be the reason why I only achieve this speed on this card? From what I saw on the Internet, people tested and achieved 900 Mbps calmly. The settings in the router are definitely OK. I have a laptop about 3-4m from the router in the same room, so there are no obstacles. I have the latest drivers for the AX210 card from Intel’s website.
Please give me a hint.
It’s likely your Internet speed, Krystian. More about testing in this post.
Thanks
But on my iPhone 13 in speedtest I have download about 650 Mbps… why on my AX210 I have only about 500 Mbps?
Read my previous reply, Krystian.
I read and tested everything correctly, the iPhone probably still uses the 80MHz band and gets better speeds on it than on 160 MHz ax210 …
Is there any difference how I connected the antenna to the ax210 card, where do I connect the black and white cable?
Follow the steps in this post, Krystian.
By the way, you didn’t read the other post carefully. Trust me! I know from your questions what you’ve read and what you’ve missed. Please no more questions until you’ve read carefully.
Respect the comment rules, please.
Greetings, Dong.
Thank you for this helpful article. When looking at Intel’s download site, I also noticed a Bluetooth driver package available there (although the current AX210 adapter boasts Bluetooth 5.3 support and this driver doesn’t show a version number that high). Bluetooth is already available on the laptops I’m planning to upgrade to WiFi-6, of course. Should I (will it offer any benefit) to install the Bluetooth driver package?
When you upgrade, chances are you’ll upgrade your laptop’s Bluetooth, too, Steve. That’s because your laptop’s current Wi-Fi adapter handles both. But, if not (unlikely) it doesn’t hurt to have two Bluetooth adapters. Once you’ve installed the new card, Windows will automatically handle the Bluetooth portion when you connect the computer to the Internet.
Indeed. I apologize for not being more clear in my original comment. Knowing the super modular-nature of the laptop world, it would be pretty exceptional for someone to do this ‘outside the box.’ I fully expect the Bluetooth to reside on the WiFi adapter and thus for it to be “upgraded” when I swap the WiFi adapters.
I guess what struck me as remarkable was the vast differences in Bluetooth versions. Come to think if it however, the Bluetooth 5.3 advertised on the adapter product listing is likely a hardware version, so the version I saw on Intel’s download site (being a far lower number) is likely not an issue of supporting the hardware properly, rather just a software (driver) version. I should have thought a little bit longer about it. ๐
Thanks again for your useful articles; I look forward to learning more from them!
Yeap, it seems you were confused between Bluetooth generations and driver software versions. That was a tough one. ๐
Since I have an Orbi mesh system that supports Wi-Fi 6E, and my Google Pixel 6 Pro smartphone gets amazing speed with its Wi-Fi 6E modem (over 1Gbps consistently), I thought I’d upgrade the Wi-Fi 6 AX201 card in my laptop to an AX210 to get the same amazing speeds. The upgrade went pretty smoothly, but I’m disappointed in the speeds, which never get above 500Mbps. I have the latest Intel driver and I even set the adapter to prefer the 6Ghz band. I don’t know what went wrong, but I’m not opening up my laptop again – too many screws to remove! Hats off to Google for their modem choice.
Make sure your laptop connects via the 6GHz band, Ron — generally, that’s only possible if you use Windows 11. If you use Windows 10, you might need this particular software driver.
I tried to upgrade my Acer laptop with CNVIo2 AX201 (intel 10th gen) to CNVIo2 AX211. It fit perfectly, but my windows11 never recognized it despite many driver re-installs.
Can the AX211 be used on a 10th gen Intel laptop? Would you recommend I try an AX210 in my CNVIO2 interface laptop?
I’ve only tried the AX200 and AX210, V. But my take is the AX201 should work. Make sure you install it securely and don’t disable it in the BIOS.
See the link below…
I don’t think AX210 is correct form factor for your laptop.
From the link below AX201 and AX211 should be plug & play…
possible Windows 11 driver or BIOS ?
https://www.intel.fr/content/www/fr/fr/products/compare.html?productIds=204836,204837,217242,130293
Hi there, Dong
My name is Isaac. I just bought an ASUS ROG Rapture AXE11000 which is crazy overkill for my needs but is hands down the fastest thing I have experienced-I pay for 1.2 Gps and my S33 consistently sends 980 from the ethernet port with an ethernet 6A cable and this monster sends 950 to my HP Spectre which is supposedly using an Intelยฎ Wi-Fi 6 AX 201 (2×2) and Bluetoothยฎ 5 Combo (their claim, not mine) and I decided to see how much better installing an Intelยฎ Wi-Fi 6E AX210NGW would do. I looked up videos and saw other HP Spectre (same model too!) and they showed the M2 slot on their W11 64 bit. And then when I opened up my PC, low and behold they had soldered a tiny chip onto the motherboard instead. I thought I was mistaken, took it to a PC shop and he confirmed it and said there was now way to upgrade it. My advice to anyone doing this is to open up your laptop BEFORE ordering the wireless adapter. I doubt I could have even gotten a smidge faster, but I was curious. I also wanted to have just 3 devices using the 6GHz band, but alas, it was not meant to be. Thanks for the awesome reviews!
Sorry to hear that, Isaac. But yes, some PC vendors have gone the Apple way and made Wi-Fi (or even storage) part of the motherboard in ultra-compact models.
But Wi-Fi 6E has the same performance as Wi-Fi 6, the only difference is it has a better chance of delivering the top speed. More in this post. Considering the speeds you mentioned, though, chances are you didn’t miss anything.
Hi Dong,
Do you have any advice attaching the wires to the module? I worked in IT for 25 years and swapping out the mediatek wifi module with an Intel ax201 in my legion 5 pro is probably the most challenging hardware task Iโve ever had to do. I cannot attach the wires to either the new or the old card. Iโm worried Iโm damaging the antenna leads. I never get the โclickโ that the videos all say they hear. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.
That part should be easy, Mike. Hint: Do that before you attach the cart to the M.2 slot. I’ve done that dozens of times but it was easy the very first time. As long as the wires are attached securely — they don’t fall out as you move the module — you’re fine. Don’t follow those videos to a t, if at all.
Hello Dong. I like your post about upgrading WIFI to 6E. However, by my opinion, you should update text with some very important info, especially important to some who is doing that for the very first time. Many older laptops can be upgraded too to WIFI 6E by using NGFF to miniPCIe adapter, however crucial part is that most of those laptops use an older standard for antenna connector IPEX1 which is larger than MFH4 type antenna connector on newer NGFF cards. Difference in size is not so obvious to an amateur. So it is very important to notice the difference and be aware that upgrading to a new WIFI card also requires upgrading antennas with MFH4 connectors if laptop was equipped with older card. However, If laptop has already contained WIFI 5 then it probably has proper MFH4 antennas and you do not need to change them. Trying to connect older IPEX1 connector to a newer MHF4 connector on NGFF card WILL DAMAGE THE CONNECTOR FOR SURE.
I only recommend upgrading when the laptop supports the card of the same standard as that of Wi-Fi 6, SC. And in that case, the antennas will fit. No adapter! Make sure you read the post.
Sure, but I am guessing that Mike possibly have that issue because he tried to connect antenna and he has never heard the click. That can be the reason. Trying to connect IPEX1 to IPEX4 antenna connector will damage connector permanently.
Mike should have read the post, too. And that’s the assumption I’d make about every comment, per the rules. ๐
My Dell 3301 Ultrabook currently has an Intel AC9560. Can I upgrade to the AX211 (or AX201)? Some say AX211 is only for 10th Gen Intel CPU. My 3301 is 8th Gen i5.
You can upgrade to any of those, Pao. Don’t believe in those “some”. But there’s no reason why you don’t want to get an Intel AX210.
Pao,
From what I research… AC9560 or AX200 is compatible since same form factor but not AX211 (CNVio2)… other words CNVio and CNVio2 is not interchangeable. I think Intel is poorly documents about this. I got Dell Latitude 7400 and upgrade AC9560 to AX200 with no issue but I can’t turn on computer with AX411 because M2. CNVio2 form factor.
Hello Dong,
I need your help!
I upgrade to Linksys MR-9600 router a few months ago, my old desktop Dell XPS8930 i7-8700 original with Killer 1535 – 802.11ac wifi card, the spec that is M.2 2230 (Wifi/BT) after checking dell website, but I don’t know what it means, ha!
I would like to upgrade the Dell XPS8930 wifi card to 802.11ax, but after reviewing the amazon, it really makes me very confused to select.
What is your opinion, which one of Killer 1650i or 1650X, fit my old Dell XPS8930 upgrade to AX? Or another suggestion you feel better than me for the upgrade.
They all are going to fit, Marco. So you can get any that I mentioned in this post, but there’s no reason why not go with the Intel AX210.
Dong,
Thank you very much for your prompt reply.
You’re right, your recommendation is correct, I have already placed the order from e-bay of Intel AX210.
Sure, Marco. Have fun with it! ๐
A couple of stupid questions –
All my gear is wifi4 or 5 at best, will a wifi 6 router be of any benefit to me, will any new wifi 6 features even work – I’m guessing no?
With dual band routers like wifi 6, do I have to set which band each device uses, eg phone, laptop etc or is this done automatically by the router, and changes band as needed? Or do I set the band in the router once and for all for all connected devices?
Thanks for your help,
Ray
Hi Ray, those are valid questions. There’s no quick answer but this post will help you understand.
Hello Dong,
I have been following you since the Asus AiMesh technology and you always provide great answers. Regarding the Wi-Fi 6 I do have a dilemma and I hope you can help. I got an HP EliteDesk 800 G4 with intel core i7-8700 @3.2 MHz, which carries an Intel 9560 Wi-F-i card. Since I have an Asus RT- AX88u I would like to be able to use Wi-Fi 6 on my PC. My questions is if I should buy an Intel ax200 or ax201 Wi-Fi card. I read on several tech post such as reddit that the AX201 works only on 10th generation. Also on the Intel web site they say this :”..The main difference between the two is that the Intelยฎ Wi-Fi 6 AX201 is a CRF module that uses the Intel proprietary interface, and thus can only be used with select Intel chipsets and platforms..” Any help is truly appreciated!!
Giovanni S.
I’d go with the AX210, Giovanni since there’s no reason why not — it’ll support the 6GHzb and, too. If that’s not an option, go with the AX200.
Hello i have a dell 7390 2in1 and it has the
qualcomm QCA61x4a card.. The bluetooth rang is soo bad.. so i am locking for an uppgrade.. i dont have wifi6 att home.. My laptop does not support CNVio .. so What card is the best possible for me? thanx for the guide
You should be able to use the Intel AX2xx modules mentioned here, Mattias. They both include Bluetooth 5.0.
Hi can i upgrade from realtek 8821ae wireless lan 802.11ac to AX210?
My laptop is lenovo ideapad 320-14ikb with the i5 7200U.
Read the post, Shah.
But the picture not same as my wireless card, the connector is divided by the screw, it means that the connector plug have both side, left and right, but in the picture above, both connector plug only on the right side.
Put two and two together, Shah.
Ok, so my laptop can run the wireless card. Thanks.
Hello Dong. First of all, thank you for actively running this site and responding to each and every comment posted, it truly is a huge help to a lot of people. Secondly, due to the nature of this site, occasionally you will stumble upon people that are VERY computer-illiterate. They mean well ๐
You’re welcome, Christopher and thanks for the sympathy! ๐
Hello! It will unfortunately not work, as your laptop uses a different kind of wifi card form factor than what the AX210 is, as you yourself have pointed out :/
Hi can i upgrade from AC-9462 to AX210?
My laptop is dell vostro 5590 with the i5 10210U, 20Gb Ram,
Yes, Hieu.
Can i upgrade my dell wireless 1506 to Wifi 6 by any chance – any input/suggestions are appreciated.
Thanks
Nope, Rick. You need a new laptop. If you have a desktop, follow the steps in the post.
Hi Dong,
Great review, I wanted to ask when I set my 5ghz to 160mhz channel then a lot of my other wifi 5ghz devices won’t connect.
So I cannot get the maximum throughput, I had to move the channel down to 60mhz to get around 1.2gbps connection.
Is that normal?
Yes, thatโs normal, T. More in this post.
I remeber too having problems with a computer that had the PCE-AC68 antena from ASUS. What I did was let the router transmit on both 160 and 80 mhz.
Hi,
I would like to add another M.2 2230 WiFi card to my laptop which already has a Intel AX200 installed. I am thinking about getting another AX200 or AX210 and use an M.2 2230 adapter to get it fit inside the second spare M.2 2280 slot. Would that work? One of them for access to the internet and the other one for the Quest 2 wireless streaming only. Would Windows recognize both Intel chips as separate or should I rather go with an external USB WiFi as the second WiFi (for internet, while using the internal Intel WiFi 6 for Quest 2)?
Nope, Jason. I don’t think there’s any laptop that has two slots for Wi-Fi adapters. You’d have to wait for a USB one. But for your needs, you can get a Wi-Fi 5 USB card.
Thanks for that fast reply Dong.
The laptop in question doesnt have two slots for WiFi cards but one for WiFi (M.2 2230) and two for SSds (M.2 2280). One of the SSD ones is not in use right now and I thought about getting an adapter to fit a M.2 2230 card inside the M.2 2280 slot. In the end, isnt M.2 a PCIe connection so it should detect the second WiFi card on the second M.2 2280 slot?
But I think I would be better of using the one internal WiFi card (Intel AX200) for internet or Quest 2 wireless AND use another USB WiFi card for the other use case (Quest 2 or internet). What would you recommend, using the WiFi 6 card inside or using an external USB WiFi 5 card for Quest only? And if I choose the external one, do I need to re-configurate it everytime I unplug it / restart my laptop to be able to use it again for the Quest?
You can’t use the slot for an SSD for a Wi-Fi card. I think either card will do fine since there’s just one client — assuming you’ll use a USB 3.0 port for the extra card. Just make sure you use the 5GHz band for the job. You do need to turn on the Laptop into a Wi-Fi broadcaster each time you install/remove the signal broadcasting card. More in this post.
Hi Dong, I read every line and saw that laptops that already have wifi 5 have antennas that are also suitable for wifi 6E, I have a ThinkPad T470 which has a wifi 4 module (AC8265). Do you think the AX210 module (wifi 6E) makes sense or settle for the AX200 (wifi 6) without 6GHz?
Thanks for the many clarifications you have given.
Iโd go with the AX210, Alessio. If you use Windows 10, make sure you get the driver I mentioned here. Or just upgrade the machine to windows 11.
Thanks a lot Dong, I’ll keep Windos 10, certainly download drivers, and mostly dual boot Ubuntu Mate.
The whole 6ghz antennas doesn’t matter at all.
Hi
I wanted to ask if anyone can help with an upgrade I would like to do for my laptop. Below is the model.
I wanted to upgrade the WiFi card to the latest one the laptop can handle. Its a old laptop but stillin good order. I have upgraded the Ram to the maximum of 12. And while it was still open will upgrade to a 1TB SSD. And the wifi card.
If any one an advise I will be very grateful.
Sony Vaio SVF15A1S2ES
You can’t Miah. There’s no way to upgrade that laptop to the latest Wi-Fi internal add-on card. It uses Wi-Fi 4. Your best chance is to disable the current Wi-Fi adapter and use a USB Wi-Fi 5 adapter like this one. Good luck!
Many Thanks for the quick reply.
Hi. Is there anything close to the dongle speeds that I can put inside the laptop. Just because I don’t want anything sticking out the side. Thanks
Yes, Miah. Get a new laptop. Otherwise, see my previous answer.
Hey!
I recently purchased a Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 Pro that has a Realtek RTL8852AE wifi 6 card, and I’m having a really difficult time figuring out if the antennas in the machine supports wifi 6e, were I to replace the card with an AX210. How would one go about finding out?
Cheers!
Generally, if the machine has a Wi-Fi 6 adapter card then you’ll be able to put the Intel AX210 in its place, Chris. They share the same antenna connector, check the photos in this post for more.
Thanks for the very quick reply!
Will it also be able to run on the 6GHz connection?
Best regards.
Yes, if:
1. You use the supported driver on Windows 10. (Windows 11 supports 6GHz natively.)
2. You have a Wi-Fi 6E router.
More on Wi-Fi 6E in this post. Please read the linked posts and use site search before posting more quetions. ๐
Thanks for replying, Dong.
I have thoroughly read all posts. The reason for me asking, is that I’m reading a lot of conflicting information about this all over the internet. Some insist that in order to gain access to the 6GHz spectrum on a laptop not manufactured for it (i.e a model that’s only shipped with a Wifi 6 card), one would have to not only install an AX210 card but also manually replace the antennas themselves inside the laptop. I’m having a difficult time reaching a conclusion.
Kind regards Christoffer.
There’s no real difference in the antennas. I’ll work fine. Yes I read those antenna masters, they’re wrong. I’m using mine with my “5ghz antenna”, working perfectly.
Sure, Chris. The Internet is a crazy place, which is partly why I started this website. You won’t need to deal with shenanigans where. That’s a promise. But serious reading is generally required. There’s no quick answer. ๐
This information is incorrect. If a laptop has a dual band antenna installed you can’t magically transform it into a tri-band antenna. You will need a 6ghz capable antenna for to send /receive in the 6ghz band. For most laptops this is a no go.
Try it, Jaron, before you state something is correct or not. By the way, since you seem to be into deductive reasoning, the “antenna” on the receiver is just a passive piece of metal. It’s how the firmware/software driver works that maters โmore in this post.
There’s no such thing as a triband antenna. The are different antennas, and all of them will be able to catch 6ghz.
My pc has wifi 6 capability. I would like wifi 6e. I get that I need a 6e adapter. Question is, I have a wifi 6 cable modem, (no such thing as a cable modem with wifi 6e yet that I can find), will that suffice? Or do I need an actual 6E router? Thanks
There’s no such thing as a modem with Wi-Fi, period, David. And yes, you need Wi-Fi 6e hardware.
Hi Dong, am looking to upgrade my Thinkpad X220 & X230 with a WiFi6 adaptor card. what would you recommend
You only have options mentioned in this post, Java. Read it!
I am looking to upgrade to ASUS TP550LD Laptop. I see the following wifi card currently installed on my computer: “Qualcomm Atheros AR9485WB-EG Wireless Network Adapter” & it also says “Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller”.
Would I be required to get an adapter as well to get WIFI 6? Will Bluetooth be working with it as well?
No and no, Nikku. You need a newer laptop.
Hello, Dong. Thanks for the article! I almost found the answer I’m looking for everywhere ๐ The question is: if I want to use simple M2 2230 Intel AX210 adapter in the M2(E) Wi-Fi slot in PC mobo (ASRock z370 pro4 if you want to check), will Bluetooth(5.2) work since it demands external 9-pin USB connection in other cases, like with all pcie builds? Will Bluetooth signal transmit through regular Wi-Fi antennas or how it works? It’s just I don’t have a spare 9-pin USB port, and using a splitter seems like not a good idea… Better go with dongle in this case.
That M.2 slot is for SSD, Roman. For a desktop, you need to get a PCIe adapter as mentioned in the post, then use one of the USB pinouts at the bottom of the board for the Bluetooth.
But this particular M2 says “WiFi” on the very slot. From the mobo manual: “1 x M.2 Socket (Key E), supports type 2230 WiFi/BT module”.
https://www.asrock.com/mb/photo/Z370%20Pro4(L2).png
I don’t have the same board, Roman, so I’m not sure, but if you’re using that slot, then you don’t need any extra for the Bluetooth but the board should come with antennas cables, though.
Actually there are antenna slots in mobo backplate, but I’ll have to buy antennas and cables separately ๐ Also, today I’ve found so called “wifi desktop kits”, which is exactly adapter+cables+antennas. So this might be the alternative to pcie to desktop people with corresponding M2 WiFi slot.
Thank you one more time! ๐
Sure Roman! Glad you figured that out.
Hi Dong,
I want to install an wifi6 module in my HP EliteDesk 800 G2 Mini. I got a model with an empty m.2 slot and after I saw the prices for a WIFI module I really want to set it up.
I tried to read up a lot as HP could only provide spareparts no. for older cards. I found it really difficult to find information about compatibility and requirement for AX200, AX201 and Ax210. Your site was the first to nail it for me. Huge thanks!
I have 3 questions:
1. If I want to go with the AX210 there seems to be variants like AX210.NGWG.NV and AX210.NGWG. I can’t seem to understand the difference?
2. I have an i5 with vpro – does it make a difference if the Ax210 says no vpro?
3. What to look for when trying to buy external 2x antennas and cables?
Hi Jonas,
1. EIther will work.
2. No.
3. In your case, you need a PCIe adapter card mentioned in the post. It should come with antennas. If your computer’s M.2 is designed for a Wi-Fi adapter (not all M.2 slots are), it should have antennas already.
Thanks Dong for taking the time to reply. Appreicate that.
It helped me to move forward to be able to order the needed parts. Have a blessed day!
For other people having the same issues and maybe finding the blog from search engines here are my findings:
Since my HP Elitedesk G2 800 Mini came with an empty M.2 WLAN module slot and no antennas I found these:
INTEL NIC WI-FI 6 AX210 2230 2×2 AX R2 6GHz + BT No vPro
Dual band 5dbi Wireless WiFi Antenna RP-SMA + MHF4/IPX Pigtail Cable for NGFF M.2 Card
Hi Dong, another very informative article. I have previously upgraded my home WiFi using the ASUS XD4 following your suggestions. The system had been performing very well — thank you! I recently built a new desktop PC using a MSI Z490 Gaming Edge WiFi motherboard, which has a onboard WiFi 6 adapter Intel AX201 (https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/130293/intel-wi-fi-6-ax201-gig.html?wapkw=ax201). However, I find that my PC is not getting ideal speed using this adapter — getting about 300Mbps download and 100Mbps upload with my ATT Fiber 1G. My previous Alienware PC that uses a Killer AX1650x card usually gets about 600Mbps download and 400Mbps upload (in the same location with similar signal). I don’t really understand why because this two cards should have theoretically very similar performance. I actually tried replace the onboard AX201 with a Killer AX1650x but it didn’t work because the motherboard uses a M.2: CNVio2 interface that only works with AX201 or Killer AX1650i. The PCIE slot on the motherboard is hard to access due to some fan location. Do you think the speed difference is a hardware issue or there might be something in the software or router settings that I can tweak to get the AX201 to a higher speed? Thank you!
It’s likely your router, Roger. Make sure your card connects to the 5GHz band and not the 2.4GHz. More on testing here.
Hi Dong, thanks for the reply. I read the other testing article and did some more testing. I can confirm that the card is connecting to the 5Ghz band. This is the network properties I copied from Windows:
SSID: XXX
Protocol: Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax)
Security type: WPA2-Personal
Network band: 5 GHz
Network channel: 44
Link speed (Receive/Transmit): 576/432 (Mbps)
Link-local IPv6 address: xxxx
IPv4 address: xxxxx
IPv4 DNS servers: xxxx
Manufacturer: Intel Corporation
Description: Intel(R) Wi-Fi 6 AX201 160MHz
Driver version: 22.40.0.7
Physical address (MAC): xxxxxx
The Speedtest.net still gives me just about 350 download and 90 upload. This is bizzare because my iPad and other WiFi 6 devices are getting much better speed.
It’s your router, Roger. Look at the link speed, that’s the negotiated speed, the real-world is just about 2/3 of that. Either that or you didn’t install the card correctly and it’s missing an antenna — the cable may be unplugged.
Thanks. I agree it is probably the router since I just reinstalled a new AX201 and made sure the antenna are secured and I am getting same speed like the old AX201. When I did the comparison with Alienware PC using Killer AX1650x, the connection quality for both cards is around -65 dBM but the Killer card performs way better. What kind of router settings you think might impact this so I can try tweaking them? I tried tweaking the network channels to no avail. I am using the ASUS XD4.
Weird thing windows shows sometimes like 300 link speed on the 6ghz, but perfect signal and max speeds. Must be some bug on the info.
Yeah, that happens. Sometimes, it shows just a single bar, too. But generally, when it shows a non-rounded number or one that keeps changing, then that’s real.
Mine is ok with the bars, but then again, this is working amazing, zero hiccups. Simply fast. I also like when you’re tinkering with the settings, it detects the 6ghz band so fast, so you don’t have to wait like with the 5ghz band after making a change.
I connect my desktop directly to my 6E router. Since it’s directly connected, do I still need to change the wireless on the desktop to 6E to take advantage of my 6E router? Thanks
Your question makes no sense, Krish, unless you mean your desktop connects to the router using a network cable, in which case that has nothing to do with the wireless (“direct” doesn’t imply it’s either — it literally means “there’s no party in between”). If not, chances are you’re NOT using Wi-Fi 6E on your desktop. More here.
enho um Acer A515-52G. Tenho uma internet acima de 400megas e comprei o roteador TP-Link ax1500 com WIFI 6. Para aproveitar melhor a internet e o roteador troquei a placa de rede do notebook por uma ax200 (placa WI-FI 6 Intel Ax200 Bluetooth 5 Dual Band 2400Mpbs) O Wifi funciona normal, mas o bluetooth nรฃo aparece no gerenciador de dispositivo. Jรก instalei os drivers vรกrias vezes direto da fabricante (intel), formatei o note, tirei e coloquei a placa novamente e nada. Jรก fui no gerenciador de dispositivo e pedi para exibir os dispositivos ocultos e nรฃo estรก lรก. Alguรฉm, sabe o que poderia ser? Obrigado
I don’t really speak Portuguese, Jose, but it seems you have driver issues. Here’s what you should do:
1. Download and this Bluetooth driver: https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/30061. Save it on your computer — don’t install it yet.
2. Disable your Internet access on the computer (unplug the cable, turn off your Wi-Fi router, etc.). Now *completely remove* the current software driver for the AX200 card from your computer.
3. Restart your computer.
4. Install the software you downloaded in step #1 above.
5. Install the software driver for the Wi-Fi. Restart your computer.
6. Turn your Internet back on.
Buena Suerte!
So I own the s33 modem.
I don’t know why, this raxe500, first router ever, no way to get the internet to work unless I plug the router first, and then the modem… If someone can explain I’ll appreciate it.
This actually happened to my routers after activating ipv6, but never by default.
Anyway, just wanted to let you guys know so you don’t waste the amount of time I did. I thought this thing was broken.
I can’t find the 6ghz yet LOL
But who needs that anyway? I hope it stays the same, this thing is insanely fast.
My link speed is 1.7gbps at 35 feet away, in a different room with a little hallway in between and I’m getting over 1.4gb down every time. Granted my walls are crappy as hell, even lacking insulation lol
I was checking on the tests documents for the AX211and I found this:
“Please be advised that the Model AX211D2W 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax + BT Wireless LAN mini-PCIe card is manufactured for the global market but when marketed in the U.S. under FCC ID: PD9AX211D2 and in Canada under IC: 1000M-AX211D2. The non-volatile memory (NVM) will be programmed at the factory to only actively scan and operate on these specific channels during normal WLAN operation.”
Now thinking about it, it makes sense that the AX210 isn’t working properly. Should work better? Maybe, but we could still be working with a partially crippled AX210, since what we get on amazon, eBay or whatever is not marketed for the US. And for the same reason we don’t buy a router sold in the UK we shouldn’t be buying these AX210 coming straight from china. For right now the AX210 hasn’t been sold officially for the US market by any reputable brand.
Forgot to add the source. It shows in here at the beginning of the page.
https://fccid.io/PD9AX211D2/Attestation-Statements/Passive-Scan-Attestation-5138074
Yeap. That makes sense. Like I said, patience is a virtue. ๐
And it can’t be changed at any other stage after the fact. Basically, if I don’t get the AX210 to work properly on the 6ghz I’ll be switching back to the AX200 that came with my antenna.
https://fccid.io/PD9AX211D2/Letter/Software-Security-Letter-5138071
Then the one AX210 I have, it has the fcc identification number on it, like if it was the American version. I bought it at amazon under the rebranding of “wise tiger” lol.
Hard to think they’ll have access to original stickers without being the original chip, but still something worth to chek out before you purchase one of those at amazon, ebay etc… The sticker on mine looks legit, but it is definitely written on a different format than the AX200 has, so I don’t know haha. Maybe the best way to check is with some sort of forensic software tool out there.
You can make it work if you use the preview version of Windows 10. Sign up for Windows Insider program!
Work well?
The only thing I’ve done for now is to change my registry settings. I can’t apply for the insider program since I don’t pay for windows, never will and I have all the diagnostic data blocked. I got the latest windows 10 and office 19 activated with KMS lol
Not really well. That you need to wait till Q2 or Q3.
I think we should just wait until Wi-Fi 7 lol
I hope I can keep this router until then. As long as I get the speeds I’m paying for I am happy. I just don’t understand the youtubers who get these routers with 50mb down at home.
Or 8. Time to freeze yourself… again! ๐
Just received an ASUS GT-AXE11000 which I was hoping would work with my Lenovo Flex 5 with AX210 card installed running the latest Win10 from the release channel. Getting WiFi 6 speeds on the 5Ghz band, but laptop is not seeing the 6Ghz SSID, which is enabled and configured on the router.
Should this be working or is Windows not quite ready for 6e?
Patience is a virtue, Doug. Did you read the review of the GT-AXE11000?
Patience is a virtue. With only one 6e router and one 6e endpoint, it is difficult to determine which one or both are at fault. Plus, there has been an AX210 driver release since your GT-AXE11000 review, so perhaps I was being overly optimistic that this should be working by now.
Thanks for the quick reply. I will post again if/when I get this working. ๐
Sure, Doug. It’ll work in a couple of months. Chances are though, it will not be as rosy as it’s been cracked up to me. ๐
With the latest Intel driver, the 6Ghz radio on the AX210 can be enabled with simple registry hack found through a web search. Finally got it working on my laptop and have no complaints so far.
That registry hack fix is hit or miss, Doug. I think folks should wait till the official support is available. That’ll happen soon. Thanks for sharing though. ๐
Agree on this one. There are multiple registry “hacks” too… I chose the one that I thought it makes more sense, but I also have to format my computer soon so I don’t even care.
Now, based in simple math difference, the reach of the 6ghz band should be basically the same than 5ghz, with a very negligible difference. Once is working right we’ll see.
I have some general feedback on wi-fi networking.
To start with, wireless routers donโt always allow certain band and channel selection. Unless you fix a SSID per band it will connect to the best band/channel combination for each client.
Also, if you donโt fix the band of your client wi-fi adaptor it again may not select the band you expect.
Setting up your router with different SSID per band helps keep your network organized and more predictable.
I had just bought an iphone with 5G wifi AC but the router that supports 5G AC kept connecting the iphone to the 2.4G band. After assigning a separate SSID for each band and telling my iphone to only use the 5G SSID the issue was fixed.
In your case the 6G band may be a poor connection so the router and client are auto selecting the 5G band.
Hope this helps.
lots of wrong answers but sure new things, sure…. SOP
HP and lenovo white list their cards, this word means, list of only valid cards.
the shorter list is white, dig?
and longer, endless is black. so nobody puts blacklists in BIOS.
this is well know about HP and Levovo.
dell does not use white lists.
you get to just try it. and many do work , YMMV
Thanks for the input, Dim.
Hi, I bought on aliexpress to ax200 chip. I have Asus z390-e gaming model motherboard. I changed default wifi chip 9560 wifi 5. But not worked. I just ask for you why ? I using windows 10.
It definitely should work. You probably forget to download and install the the driver software as mentioned in the post.
Hi, I have thinkpad t440s with bios version 2.54. I am trying to install ax200 but my bios is whitelist. Do you have any idea how to unlock bios.
Thanks
I’m not sure what you mean by BIOS whitelist. Generally, change a hardware component has little to do with the BIOS, but the software driver.
I went through the same thing about 2 yrs ago when I tried to update my Wifi card on Lenovo ThinkPad. Other than a new laptop, you’d have to hack the BIOS to change the whitelist. Unless you’re HIGHLY experienced in computer programming the other choice is a web search and you can find people to create a new BIOS. Paying a stranger sounds like an even worse idea. YouTube has a few How To Do It video’s but you have to have special equipment in addition to knowing what you’re doing or you’ll brick the BIOS.
Yeap, Chandler, some vendors are more anal in hardware replacement than others. That’s partly why I generally don’t use Thinkpad or Apple laptop (unless I have to.) Thanks for the input.
I have an HP DV7T-7000 and it came with an Intel AC-7260 WiFi card. I want to upgrade to an Intel WiFi 6 card. Your article says if the current card is a 72XX, then it will work. The 7260 card has a different edge connector key than the WiFi 6 card. Are you sure the WiFi 6 card will work as a replacement?
No, I’m not sure, Marshall as I stated in the post — you misquoted me. But the chip you have comes in TWO form factors and only one of them shares that with the new Wi-Fi 6 module.
I have a wifi 5 adapter on my Lenovo ThinkPad x1 Extreme which has an M2. E interface; I wanted to upgrade it to the new Intel Wi-Fi 6E ax210 adapter, however, it came with an M.2 E/A interface. I the wifi to work, but not the Bluetooth. It would not show up nor does it visible in the device manager. Do you know any way to fix the problem.
PLEASE HELP. I love this adapter and wish I can get to work.
Try to make sure you install the module and connect the antenna wire properly. Update the driver software to the latest. Also, you can always get a Bluetooth USB adapter. They are cheap and very tiny.
Ive got 2 Laptops, one with an intel AX200 and the other with an AX201. I can copy with about 80MB/s over wifi with the AX201 adapter but only with ~6MB/s with the AX200 adapter. to my understanding both support wifi6 2×2. are those speeds to be exspected? both laptops run windows 10. the AX200 one has a HM370 chipset and i7-9750H CPU. Thanks a lot!
It’s impossible to know since you didn’t specify coping from where to where. Check out this post on testing. Also, the computer’s chipset has little to do with anything in this case.
So basically if I understand correctly I could just upgrade my Pce-AX58BT to Wi-Fi 6A? Some other people were saying that you’ll need a different antenna and different board with different capacitors, but it didn’t sound right to me.
Not possible on a hp pavilion 15 cs0025cl could be bios blocked. Help
Try updating the BIOS, E. Not sure what the issue is but you might just need to install the software driver if the new card fits. In that case, read the post again.
Hi Dong took your advice got the Asus rt-ax92u and I am very happy with it. I’ve also upgraded my 2017 dell xps 13 laptop with an Intel AX200 card, all working great.
New question, can I upgrade my 2019 Samsung 8k tv model QN75Q900RBFXZA wifi card to a wifi 6 if it isn’t doesn’t already a wifi 6 card? I have been unable to find anything on this.
Sincerely,
Tom
Unlikely that you can upgrade your TV, Tom. You can in the future with a streaming device, like an Amazon Fire Stick, that’s Wi-Fi 6-ready.
How much better is the security with wifi 6?
It’s the same as that of Wi-Fi 6, Morse. In fact, Wi-Fi 6E is just a different flavor of Wi-Fi 6.
I meant older none wifi 6 routers, thx
Sorry i guess i am misunderstanding/miss communicating? My connection rate says is 1300/866.7mbps. With an RT-AX58U ax3000 meshed with an RT-AC68R ac1900 & ex7300 ac2200. I am seeing an average local speeds of 1820/495 mbps on a usb-68 adapter. If min 30% wouldnt that be ~1300 mbps down? also if i may ask i see these cards are connecting @ 2.4 gbps but what speeds are you seeing from them? i am concerned going from usb 3.2 gen 2 (5 gbps) to pcie4.0 1x bandwidth will only allow an increase to 1.97 gbps max. so for me its not really worth it unless it will do the full 2.4 gbps (ie waiting for the usb 3 5 gbps version). Yes it would increase my upload speed on the 160 mhz band but going from 3×4 mimo ac to to 2×2 mimo ax also gives me some hesitation. am i overthinking this or lost my mind? was looking @ PCE-AX58BT model that uses the intel ax200 card.
LAN Speed Test Results:
Date: 2020-07-08 07:15:01
Packet Size: 3 GB to 3 GB
Total Test Time: 8.639032 sec
Throughput: Average
Write: 6.0575 (3,962,014,189)
Read: 1.6479 (14,564,158,456)
Tx Speed: 495.25 Mbps
Rx Speed: 1,820.52 Mbps
Write Cache: Disabled
Read Cache: Disabled
Looks like you’re using a testing app. It’s very synthetic that way. I don’t do that. Here’s how I test Wi-Fi speeds.
Still waiting for the 2004 update, tried forcing it and wasn’t compatible with my settings yet, good to know and good stuff ๐
The latest windows 10 2004 wireless card drivers work much better than the Intel drivers. No more loss of wifi on laptops using AX200 cards!
Good to know. Thanks for the input, Tom.
thanks for the review and info. i have been looking at these to replace my current USB-AC68 ac1900 were real world i am see ~1.3 gbps. assuming this is pcie 4.0 1x max bandwidth is 1.97 gbps. even if the cards connects @ 2.4 gbps ax wifi6 and will you ever see the max speeds even @ perfect conditions? so unless u are using this in a laptop m.2 pcie x4 shouldnt we just wait for usb 3.2 gen 1 @ 5 gbps ?
You don’t have real-world speed of 1.3 Gbps out of any Wi-Fi 5 card, E. The number you see there is likely the “negotiated” speed. You need to discount 30% to 50% to get the real-world speed out of it. And, yes, when there are USB Wi-Fi 6 adapter, chances are it’s going to use USB 3.2 Gen 1 or faster.
Upgrade your router first. A WiFi 6 router will deliver faster more reliable connections to even WiFi 5 devices. A WiFi 6 card while you’re still rocking a WiFi 5 router buys you absolutely nothing. Get the router first, and then upgrade your devices as it makes sense.
This for the input, Chris. What you said might be true on paper, many of the Wi-Fi 6 routers I’ve tested didn’t work well with Wi-Fi 5 clients. In fact, some of them need new software drivers to work at all. It’s more true the other way around, though, current Wi-Fi 6 clients — there is just a handful of them — work well with Wi-Fi 5 routers. But you’re right that one should get the router first, before upgrading/getting their clients, which I mentioned briefly at the top of the post.
I plan on upgrading my household to WiFi 6E when routers are available later this year. I want a mesh network with each router on opposite sides of the house. I’d also like to upgrade older WiFi 4 and WiFi 5 mobile cards.
QUESTION: Do you know if the Intel AX200 will support 6GHz in the future? If so, I’ll definitely buy one and replace the WiFi 4 at least.
Thanks in advance!
Don’t make a plan based on something that doesn’t exist, yet, David. And no, chances are the Intel AX200 will NOT work with Wi-Fi 6E. More on that here.
Wow, that’s a pretty cinchy upgrade all right. Is there a mildly less cinchy way to make an old laptop (lol ProBook 6445b) with M2 slots be a good citizen on Wi5 and WiFi6 (until I can sail a Ryzen 4000 on a scooter to sites?) It seems the M2 (BCM943224HMS) card in there is either allergic to Debian or dead (heat x 10yr.) and of course won’t have the bandwidth to handle NGFF, but maybe there’s an evolution model other than via USB?
I leave here my feedback in case it is of interest to someone… I have a MSI GE63VR 7RE Raider and I am having problems with my Killer Wireless 1435. I bought an AX201, thinking it was compatible, as I understood from this article, and it is not detected by the laptop, I guess that it is not compatible.
The 1650x works in the pc with a pcie adaptor with wifi and BT, I bought another killer card which is an AC 1550 and that too doesn’t work with BT in my laptop, WIFI does. On a closer look at the two little cards, the original card has a all pins there where the A key is on the killer card, but the killer card isn’t using the same pins between the A & E key, but uses all pins before the A keywhere the original is missing a couple.
Im guessing this Acer laptop motherboard was built to match the original wifi card and might not have the tracers on the board where i need them. Bugger for that. I doubt a reinstall will fix anything.
I might leave the killer card in and use a USB bluetooth dongle when i need it just so i have the wifi performance and low latency in games.
Cheers Mick
Sorry, that happened, Mick! But thanks for the input. Good decision on keeping the card and getting a little USB BT adapter!
That’s what I thought.
I installed the BT driver from the killer website, no errors but didn’t show up any BT device. I have bought a Pcie adapter to see if it all works in my other rig, if it does then I might try a fresh os install on a spare drive ๐ค
When I put original wifi back in I noticed BT driver for that was this years version so something happened.
I’ll get back either way when adapter arrives. Cheers
Hi Dong, I have a 2018 predator helios 300, it has Intel 9560NGW (AC 9560) wifi board with E key notch, socket has exactly the same on laptop. I bought a Killer AX 1650 which has A & E key, it fits and wifi works but there is no BT. Should this work and is my wifi unit broken or aren’t they compatible?
Thanks in advance. Mick
If it fits perfectly (including the antenna cables,) BT should work, too. Check the Device Manager on your computer to see if maybe the drive for BT wasn’t installed properly.
7260AC has both mPCIe and NGFF cards btw, so remember to make sure.
Hi!
The Lenovo X1 Extreme Gen 1 has the Intel 9560 802.11AC vPro (2×2) & Bluetooth 5 card while the Gen 2 version does have the newer Intel AX200 Wifi 6 802.11AX (2×2) & BT 5 card.
Currently, there’s NO information from Lenovo’s Support website on whether or not the X1EG1’s wifi card is ‘upgradeable’ to a wifi 6 card (though it can be upgraded manually as in remove old wifi card and put in new wifi card).
Do you recommend any reliable laptop Wifi 6 cards?
Thanks!
No vendors intend to support Wi-Fi 6 on their old laptop, Michael. They want to sell you new ones. That said, the X1 will *highly* likely support the cards I mentioned here. They are the ONLY cards on the market for now. Basically all cards you can find are based on the Intel AX200 chipset. And yes they are both reliable.
Hi Dong
I have a HP – 17z LaptopProduct number: 1EX13AV I have a Realtek RTL 8188EE 802.11 bgn 1×1 WiFi Adapter.can I upgrade my WiFI adapter to or like the Killer with two wire connectors. If so do I connect my one wire to 1(Aux) or 2 (main)???
Thanks
No, Mo, the new card won’t fit in your laptop.
Dong, it looks like the connectors that came with my Fenvi card are the same size as the connectors on the ax200. I had a friend of mine look at it who is an engineer and he said the Fenvi card has the wrong size connectors. That may also explain why the card is recognized in device manager but no routers are detected. The signal isn’t strong enough maybe. I decided to instead buy two ready-assembled cards from different vendors and will try them tomorrow. The new router (Netgear AX12) is super fast. Compared to the Google Fiber modem (which tends to overheat and drop wifi occassionally), it’s much faster and more reliable. Even with an AC client (iphone XS), I get over 500mbps up and down over 30 feet away downstairs (Netgear which I am using as the wifi access point is upstairs). No more dead spots anywhere and almost double the speeds that I got prior. Can’t wait to get the ax200 to work on my new workstation. Upgrading from fiber is finally starting to make sense. ๐
Good sleuthing work there, Mike. Yeap, I think those Fenvi-like cards have bad quality control. I might try some different ones and update my post. And yes, the upgrade is totally worth the effort.
Dong, thanks for the advice. I got a new Fenvi and Intel ax200 card today and installed them in the PC. Device manager is seeing both the bluetooth and wifi card but I don’t see any wifi networks in Windows 10. Latest Intel drivers for both wifi and bluetooth installed today. Do I need to connect the small antenna cables on the Fenvi card to the ax200 M.2 card and if so, there doesn’t seem to be an easy way to just connect them.
No, you just use the external antennas and connect them to the card itself from outside the computer. Check to make sure you connect everything of the fenvi card properly. You’re very close.
Dong, I ordered the Fenvi PCI.e card as well as the Killer 1650 card from Amazon. Installed the Killer on the Fenvi and them on one of my PCI x1 slots (Asus TUG X570 with Ryzen 3900x). Installed the latest drivers and control software for the Killer card. The software isn’t even detecting the Killer card. Windows device manager sees it as a wifi device as well as the blue tooth but wifi isn’t working. No routers are displayed. After hours researching, it looks like lots of people are having problems getting these Killer cards and their software to run. Net, I suggest sticking with the Intel card and waiting until robust choices become available. Have you actually installed and configured this on a workstation and not PC and got this to work on Windows 10?
You probably got a faulty Fenvi card (or might have forgotten to plug in the card’s USB cable — check on that!) If so, get a different adapter or a new Fenvi. Yes, I’ve been using two cards on two Windows 10 machines for my testing, no problems so far.
Any idea if I can upgrade from a Intel AC-9560? I’d love to future proof my machine and these cards don’t seem that expensive.
I haven’t tried that but it’s HIGHLY likely that you can. The Intel AC-9560 card uses the same connector. Good luck! ๐
It’s highly likely that your laptop won’t support the Wi-Fi 6 card. And you do need the antenna wire.
will this work with a e7250? how do i get the attani wires to hook up? the card thats in there rn is a ac7265.
Yes, that card should use the same slot as that of the wifi 6 card. You can just use the same antenna wires that connect to the connectors marked as 2 and 1 on the card. Basically, just swap out the old card with the new one and reattach the wires accordingly.
The Killer card antenna connections; Do the antenna wires push/pull from the top of the card connector post, or slide sideways from them?
Do you have input on the new Asus AiMesh AX6600 kit, being two RT-AX95Q routers; (Q3 ’19 release)?
Thank you greatly for your technical articles, kind sir!
Push/pull from the top, Kerry. You can see the connector in the first photo in the post, marked as 2 and 1. It’s the same for the Intel AX200 card. Hope this helps! ๐
Would you recommend any of the Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200 network/bluetooth cards listed on eBay? Some of them include antennas and converter cards too and most of the sellers like “integrity-e” ship from China as well.
I got mine from Intel and the Killer card from Amazon (sold by Rivet Networks itself). I can’t really say much about stuff on eBay. Shopping there has been hit or miss for me, personally.
I guess the one I have is the HMC form factor. I would need an HMC to M.2 adapter, if one even exists.