I don't use my computer much, and I'm very much a novice with upgrading components. But I'm looking to upgrade my WLAN card, so I can use the 5GHz band of my router. I just upgraded to dual SSDs, and I maxed out the memory on this thing years ago. Its still very fast by my standards, so I see no reason to get rid of it. From what I've read, upgrading WLAN cards isn't as easy as storage. Some manufacturer's only allow specific models/brands? Can anyone recommend a good card that works for the N73JQ?
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Upgrading WLAN card on N73JQ
- Thread starter fatryan
- Start date
Lots of times random wireless cards don't work in laptops because they aren't whitelisted in the BIOS. I have no idea if Asus does this but many do. I don't know what exact cards match your note book, but I'd try a modern Intel for great driver support . That note book was originally advertised with the Intel Wifi 5100 so I'm going to go ahead and assume it would work. If it doesn't work you can just plug a dongle into the USB 3 port.
Just browsing over other peoples experiences doing upgrades on that notebook, no one has complained that their card didn't work so it seems like an unrestricted mini pcie port but I really can't say for sure.
Just browsing over other peoples experiences doing upgrades on that notebook, no one has complained that their card didn't work so it seems like an unrestricted mini pcie port but I really can't say for sure.
Forgive my ignorance with the subject matter, but what exactly do I need to get? PCI? Mini PCI? Half mini PCIe? Would this work?Lots of times random wireless cards don't work in laptops because they aren't whitelisted in the BIOS. I have no idea if Asus does this but many do. I don't know what exact cards match your note book, but I'd try a modern Intel for great driver support . That note book was originally advertised with the Intel Wifi 5100 so I'm going to go ahead and assume it would work. If it doesn't work you can just plug a dongle into the USB 3 port.
Just browsing over other peoples experiences doing upgrades on that notebook, no one has complained that their card didn't work so it seems like an unrestricted mini pcie port but I really can't say for sure.
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA1K656V1067
It looks like this will update my bluetooth too, right? I don't know that I've ever even used the bluetooth, but I'll take an upgrade any day!
Forgive my ignorance with the subject matter, but what exactly do I need to get? PCI? Mini PCI? Half mini PCIe? Would this work?
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA1K656V1067
It looks like this will update my bluetooth too, right? I don't know that I've ever even used the bluetooth, but I'll take an upgrade any day!
It wouldn't upgrade your Bluetooth it would add a second one, your module is separate from the network card on that laptop. I wouldn't get anything more complicated than I had to in order to avoid conflicts.
Basically your unit is not reporting any problems with any of the Intel mini pcie cards that have two antenna points. I would get one without bluetooth, in the mini PCIe size (also called half size)
This 6200 series from Intel is KNOWN to be compatible with your laptop, offer dual bands, increase network throughput and carries little risk on your part of it not working or glitching. I know this card works under Windows 10 as well.
Amazon's shortened link below.
http://a.co/7CHPVBJ
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
OK thanks. Sorry, I really don't know much about this stuff.It wouldn't upgrade your Bluetooth it would add a second one, your module is separate from the network card on that laptop. I wouldn't get anything more complicated than I had to in order to avoid conflicts.
Basically your unit is not reporting any problems with any of the Intel mini pcie cards that have two antenna points. I would get one without bluetooth, in the mini PCIe size (also called half size)
This 6200 series from Intel is KNOWN to be compatible with your laptop, offer dual bands, increase network throughput and carries little risk on your part of it not working or glitching. I know this card works under Windows 10 as well.
Amazon's shortened link below.
http://a.co/7CHPVBJ
So is that 6200 my best option? I'd like to get the fastest speeds, most bands, etc. without having to do any major tweaks or mods to the hardware or software. If it were simply a matter of disabling/removing the old bluetooth module so that I could use a superior PCIe card that has both Wi-fi and bluetooth, then that would be preferable, right? Can't have a conflict if you remove the old bluetooth card? If I'm likely to run into problems with a card like that or I need to solder or add other components, then I wouldn't bother. Is it really that hit-or-miss with these cards?
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
You can try the 7260 without making any others changes, it may very well work exactly the way it is just by plugging it in, but I can't confirm that. The only dual band card I can find that people have used on your notebook is the 6200.
I'd try it if you're feeling adventurous, I mean what harm can it do? None, it will either work or won't and you'll still have the old card while you wait for the 6200 to arrive.
I'd try it if you're feeling adventurous, I mean what harm can it do? None, it will either work or won't and you'll still have the old card while you wait for the 6200 to arrive.
With free returns on Amazon Prime, why not!? Ha ha. Whats the difference in the various 7260 cards though? They have a series of letters after them. A similar one is listed here:You can try the 7260 without making any others changes, it may very well work exactly the way it is just by plugging it in, but I can't confirm that. The only dual band card I can find that people have used on your notebook is the 6200.
I'd try it if you're feeling adventurous, I mean what harm can it do? None, it will either work or won't and you'll still have the old card while you wait for the 6200 to arrive.
https://smile.amazon.com/Intel-7260...71&sr=8-2&keywords=Intel+Network+7260.HMWWB.R
With free returns on Amazon Prime, why not!? Ha ha. Whats the difference in the various 7260 cards though? They have a series of letters after them. A similar one is listed here:
https://smile.amazon.com/Intel-7260...71&sr=8-2&keywords=Intel+Network+7260.HMWWB.R
This one has a revised Bluetooth for increased compatibility with some systems. This particular card is compatible with systems that have a physical on/off switch. I mean you can just go to intels site and read the white papers.
Cheers, good luck.
What does "white papers" mean?This one has a revised Bluetooth for increased compatibility with some systems. This particular card is compatible with systems that have a physical on/off switch. I mean you can just go to intels site and read the white papers.
Cheers, good luck.
That doesn't explain what said "white papers" are for Intel. Is there a specific Intel document I'm supposed to be looking for, or are you just telling me to "go look for compatibility documents...if they exist"?
The white paper pertaining to the product you linked is called PCN113028-02.pdf .
There are no compatibility documents for an antique laptop as it relates to modern cards, why the hell would you make such a thing? It's up to the laptop manufacturer to tell you what's compatible in their products and yours is well out the support phase.
No offense, but you can buy what I linked and it's pretty much supported and guaranteed to work or you can learn to do some research and gain your own understanding of these things. I'm getting a little frustrated here.
There are no compatibility documents for an antique laptop as it relates to modern cards, why the hell would you make such a thing? It's up to the laptop manufacturer to tell you what's compatible in their products and yours is well out the support phase.
No offense, but you can buy what I linked and it's pretty much supported and guaranteed to work or you can learn to do some research and gain your own understanding of these things. I'm getting a little frustrated here.
You are the one who told me to go look for the white papers. I already made it abundantly clear that I am not a computer guru, yet you still decided to be a dick by speaking in vague generalities. As far as I know "white papers" is computer slang for a standardized document by Intel or Asus or anyone else for that matter. Again, I don't even know what I am supposed to be looking for in the first place, and I will probably not understand a lot of what's in it when I find it. I could spend days or weeks learning the ins and outs of computer hardware in an effort to replace one single component that I will likely never replace another time in my life...OR I could talk to someone in this community who could quickly point me in the right direction and save me hours and hours of time. The latter is how this conversation with you began; the former is how you want it to end. I already figured out how to swap out HDs and memory on my own, but like I said in the OP, this network card seems to be trickier from what I've already read. There's no guided tutorials on network cards for N73JQs (that I can find). So I was hoping someone in the know could help me find a good card or help me figure out how to determine if a card is compatible. The card you recommended may work fine; I'm not shooting down your suggestion. I'm just trying to future-proof this laptop. I already have a gigabit router, why limit myself with a slow network card? I wanted to see what higher-end options I have, which is why I asked about the other cards. If there's simply no way to determine compatibility besides trial and error, then just say that.The white paper pertaining to the product you linked is called PCN113028-02.pdf .
There are no compatibility documents for an antique laptop as it relates to modern cards, why the hell would you make such a thing? It's up to the laptop manufacturer to tell you what's compatible in their products and yours is well out the support phase.
No offense, but you can buy what I linked and it's pretty much supported and guaranteed to work or you can learn to do some research and gain your own understanding of these things. I'm getting a little frustrated here.
I wanted to see what higher-end options I have, which is why I asked about the other cards. If there's simply no way to determine compatibility besides trial and error, then just say that.
You can try the 7260 without making any others changes, it may very well work exactly the way it is just by plugging it in, but I can't confirm that. The only dual band card I can find that people have used on your notebook is the 6200.
I'd try it if you're feeling adventurous, I mean what harm can it do? None, it will either work or won't and you'll still have the old card while you wait for the 6200 to arrive.
But then you said this:
This one has a revised Bluetooth for increased compatibility with some systems. This particular card is compatible with systems that have a physical on/off switch. I mean you can just go to intels site and read the white papers.
Cheers, good luck.
And that theme continued when I tried to figure out what you were telling me to do.
Look, there's no sense in drawing this out any longer. I get it now. I'm just going to try out a newer card and see if it works. If not, I'll go back to the one you suggested. Thanks for the help.
UPDATE:
In case anyone comes searching for new wireless cards for the N73JQ like I did, I thought I'd post a follow-up.
I eventually purchased an Intel Dual band AC 7260 + Bluetooth card on Amazon:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MV3N7UO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I downloaded the drivers from Intel's site ahead of time, did the swap, installed the new drivers, and was good to go in like 2 minutes flat. I had zero issues. I simply disabled the old bluetooth card in the device manager, and confirmed the new integrated bluetooth card is functioning properly. I did a pre-test on the old card on the 2.4GHz network, and got 27Mbps down. With the new card on my 5GHz network, I got 203Mbps down (I only have 150Mbps Comcast service).
Very satisfied with the results.
In case anyone comes searching for new wireless cards for the N73JQ like I did, I thought I'd post a follow-up.
I eventually purchased an Intel Dual band AC 7260 + Bluetooth card on Amazon:
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MV3N7UO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I downloaded the drivers from Intel's site ahead of time, did the swap, installed the new drivers, and was good to go in like 2 minutes flat. I had zero issues. I simply disabled the old bluetooth card in the device manager, and confirmed the new integrated bluetooth card is functioning properly. I did a pre-test on the old card on the 2.4GHz network, and got 27Mbps down. With the new card on my 5GHz network, I got 203Mbps down (I only have 150Mbps Comcast service).
Very satisfied with the results.