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Dual Band Wireless 7260AC or 7260AN - What are the differences?

PN_A
Novice
5,823 Views

I'm buying a new laptop and I have the option of getting the 7260AC card or the 7260AN card. My primary network is 802.11N, but I want to be ready for AC since I might upgrade it. Is the AC one backwards compatible with G and N? Does the AN one not work with AC? Both are listed at the same price, which confuses me more. Both have Bluetooth 4.0.

Thanks,

P

7 Replies
tvete
Valued Contributor II
3,139 Views

AC is backwards compatible with A/B/G/N so no worries. Get the 7260AC and enjoy 866.7 Mbps connection on a line of sight with 802.11ac AP scenario.

PN_A
Novice
3,139 Views

The what's the AN version? Does the "A" in that also mean AC? Or does it just mean A through N and A through C? Most cards are just called "N." They're the same price, which is confusing.

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tvete
Valued Contributor II
3,139 Views

A = 802.11a while N = 802.11n

AC = 802.11ac; it's one word unlike AN where it's separate acronym.

FYI, there's also a 2.4 GHz band only version called BN where B = 802.11b and N = 802.11n. Notice that there's no A on it which should tell you that there's no 5 GHz band for that version.

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PN_A
Novice
3,139 Views

OK, so the AC will give me A/B/G/N/AC at both 5GHz and 2.4Ghz, while the AN will only give me A/B/G/N at 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz. I'll get the AC one! Thanks! It's odd that they're the same price...

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tvete
Valued Contributor II
3,139 Views

Well, all of them are the same chips. It's just that the AN and the BN are firmware limited to disable one of the radios and 802.11ac

I wonder how many people would sue if their 802.11ac equipped devices aren't backwards compatible and as such won't work with non-ac routers lol. Anyways that's the point of having backwards compatibility

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AQues
Beginner
3,139 Views

Not entirely related to your sbject.

Could you please tell me what operating system are you ging to use?

Because I'm experiencing an issue that I can't find a way to solve it:

Unable to connect to WPA2-PSK on Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit on device Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 802.11ac, Dual Band, 2x2 Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 4.0.

Link:

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Jose_H_Intel1
Employee
3,139 Views
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