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Does an M.2 Wifi card (Intel Killer WiFi 6E AX1690i) need an external antenna? (self.techsupport)

submitted 1 year ago by biofaust to c/techsupport

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I need to add Wifi and Bluetooth connectivity to my PC which is built on an ASROCK Phantom Gaming D5 mobo. Before buying I checked on this resource from ASROCK website and the adapter is meant to be fully compatible and a specification of a 2T2R antenna is matching it (which I until now assumed would be an internal feature.

I installed the adapter and the latest drivers and the device is recognized as both a Bluetooth device and a Wi-Fi adapter, but:

Wi-Fi, although technically working (on 802.11ac) is extremely sluggish, de facto unusable.
Bluetooth is not recognizing any devices when in discovery.

The Motherboard Manual (page 11) states that there are 3 x Antenna Mounting Points on the Rear panel, which I think I have identified as 3 holes to be punched out from the panel, but then I would not know how to proceed.

Would the installation of an external set of antennas likely solve the problem? If so, how do I choose one and how do I install it?

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[–] zetwinkie 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Just looked into the specific m.2 wifi card you mentioned and there’s definitely antenna connectors on it. You’ll want to get something like an ** ipex4 to sma** cable that you will plug into the m.2 wifi card on the Main and Aux ports and then thread the screw on ends into those holes you mentioned. You’ll then need an antenna that can connect to the screw on portion. This should greatly increase your wifi performance since right now your case is acting as a shield and blocking a bunch of the signal.

It’s likely you can get the cables and antenna in one package. Your card has 2x2 mimo antenna type fyi.

Edit: something like this should work https://www.aliexpress.com/i/2251832705421976.html?gatewayAdapt=4itemAdapt

[–] biofaust 2 points 1 year ago

Thanks a lot! I didn't even realize there were those connectors on the card!

[–] darganon 3 points 1 year ago

I'm not an expert on radio waves, but yes antennas help. Even on a laptop there routed around the screen inside the case.