Until now, the suitable WLAN adapters were missing for the breakthrough of the fast WLAN standard 802.11ac. But now they are there and we show you how to retrofit a notebook with a WLAN AC card. With the WLAN standard IEEE 802.11ac adopted in 2013, the wireless wireless network has reached a new evolution level.
More channels and radio: The 802.11ac standard
Up to 1.3 GBit per second can theoretically be transmitted over two devices via 802.11c, with the widespread 802.11n standard is at 450 Mbyte / s end. WLAN routers and adapters with 802.11ac use a whole range of techniques to achieve such a speed increase: They radiate in the 5 GHz band with a transmission channel that is wider than 802.11n from 40 to 80 MHz. For this, up to four channels are bundled on the 5 GHz band. In addition, 802.11ac devices can increase the number of parallel data streams (MiMo) to up to eight, while 802.11n maximum four MiMo streams are defined. For a better connection over unfavorable connection distances the Beamforming specified in the 802.11ac standard ensures.
Finally: Matching WLAN client hardware
This technique allows the router to some extent to align its radio signal with the adaptation of the transmission power of individual antennas to the client. The router and the client first exchange data to determine the position of the client. Both AC routers, as well as WLAN adapters for 802.11ac can generally also radiate on the 2.4 GHz frequency and are thus compatible with the older standards 802.11b, g and n. The routers can even simultaneously be an 802.11 N network on the 2.4 band and one for 802.11ac on the 5GHz band.
Step 1: Open the notebook and remove the old WLAN card
A major obstacle to the spread of the new WLAN standard was initially the lack of suitable WLAN client devices for mobile devices such as notebooks. Because here were only USB 2.0 adapter on the market. In addition, Intel was initially waiting for the new standard. This has now changed both, there are now also WLAN AC adapter with fast interfaces such as Mini-PCI-Express or M.2. And it is now available from Intel in the form of the WLAN card Dual Band Wireless- AC 7260. The card supports a maximum of two antennas and a theoretical transmission rate of 867 Mbps. In addition, a Bluetooth 4.0 controller is integrated on the card. With a suitable Intel processor and chipset, the card has Intel's Wirless display function and with Windows 8.1 also Miracast.
Step 2: Installing the new WLAN card and connecting the antennas
The approximately 25 Euro expensive plug-in card is available in two different designs, as a mini PCI Express card with half-height or in the new M.2 design, also known as Next Generation Form Factor (NGFF). In this case, you must pay attention to buying the card in the correct form factor, as the connections are not compatible. For the upgrade of some older notebooks, however, a mini PCIe card should be the right choice, since the M.2 interface is only used with completely new devices. With newer notebooks the installation of the WLAN card is usually without problems. But there are some rules to consider.
The first step is - before the purchase of a new WLAN card - to clarify whether the notebook can be opened without a special tool at all. Because that is a hurdle with many Ultrabooks and Windows tablets. Here you have to get either a suitable screwdriver or a 802.11ac for a WLAN adapter with USB 3.0 interface. This is particularly recommended for tablets, such as the Surface Pro from Microsoft, since these components are partially glued. In conventional notebooks, however, the WLAN card is usually accessible, either behind a flap in the case floor or under the keyboard.
The notebook should be disconnected from the power supply before opening the housing, and the battery should also be removed if possible. Then you should ground yourself, for example by a handle on a heating pipe. Static electricity can quickly damage the electronic components in the notebook irreparably. If the old WLAN card is accessible, first remove this or the antenna cable.
Note with two cables, which was attached to which plug, the cables are differently colored. The plugs can be removed without great effort. Then unplug the old WLAN card and remove it.
Some cheap notebooks like the example used here only have a WLAN antenna, which is also used for Bluetooth. For 802.11n cards, the maximum data rate is therefore only 150 Mbps. In principle you can buy WLAN antennas for notebooks separately, they cost about five euros. The problem is, however, the installation of the antenna in the notebook, since often there is no space provided. With 802.11ac, on the other hand, a data rate of up to 433 Mbit / s is possible with only one antenna, if a suitable router is available as a remote.
The mounting of a new card is easy, only when plugging the filigree plug is caution. For two cables, they should be connected in the same layout as the old card.
The card is delivered without drivers, which you must obtain before the installation on the Intel Downloads page. You need two drivers, the actual WLAN driver Intel PROSet / Wireless software and drivers and additionally the Bluetooth driver. Select the appropriate 32- or 64-bit version for your operating system. For the WLAN drivers, there are two packages, once only the drivers and a package with additional configuration tool and diganose program.
Even older notebooks helps the fast Intel card on the jumps. But here there are some fall cords.
Step 3: Install the WLAN and Bluetooth drivers
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