Looking to Upgrade Wireless Card - Which one?

[stef204]

I am trying to replace (upgrade) an Intel Centrino Wireless-N 135 (single band 2.4 GHz) on an MSI GE60 I just picked up on the cheap, with a newer card which will have dual band (2.4 GHz+ 5 GHz).

Which card can you recommend?

2 cards I am looking at are:

1) Intel 7260.HMW Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 Network Adapter PCI Express Half Mini Card 802.11 b/a/g/n/ac 

2) Intel AX200 IEEE 802.11ax Bluetooth 5.2 Dual Band Wi-Fi/Bluetooth Combo Adapter for Notebook 

But there might be others which could be a better fit.

I am concerned about compatibility, slots, etc.  Not clear to me what to go with.

Thanks for any pointers.

[AlHill]

You need to consult with your device manufacturer for compatibility and integration.

Doc (not an Intel employee or contractor)
[Maybe Windows 12 will be better]

[stef204]

That's not a helpful answer.  This is a legacy laptop from 2012 and the manufacturer couldn't care less about answering questions regarding an obsolete product.

These are the specs though: https://www.msi.com/Laptop/GE60_0NC/Specification 

[AlHill]

But, it is the correct answer.  You just do not want to spend the time to ask MSI and find it easier to come here and argue.

Contact MSI for compatibility and integration.

Doc (not an Intel employee or contractor)
[Maybe Windows 12 will be better]

[stef204]

The reason I posted here is because there is no getting informative feedback from MSI on this particular issue.  As I mentioned, they don't care about a 2012 product which is obsolete.  I've already tried and the answer was a very uninformative: "you cannot upgrade the card.  Use an external USB device." This is just a brush-off.

Maybe someone else will chime in and provide informative feedback.  In the meantime, I will try to determine the exact type of interface, etc., the existing card is on and try to match that with a card which has at the very least dual band (like #1 above.)

[DeividA_Intel]

Hello stef204,  

Thank you for posting on the Intel® communities. I am sorry to know that you are having issues with your Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 135, Single Band.  

Due to this product being discontinued, Intel Customer Service no longer supports inquiries for it, but perhaps fellow community members have the knowledge to jump in and help. You may also find the Discontinued Products website helpful to address your request. Thank you for understanding.  

Discontinued Products: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/discontinued-products.html 

Please keep in mind that this thread will no longer be monitored by Intel.  

Regards,  

Deivid A.  

Intel Customer Support Technician  

[stef204 · Accepted solution]

For anyone with similar problems, the MSI GE60 uses the PCI Express Mini-Card format and does NOT have Key A or E.

I was still able to upgrade the wireless card with a third party card using the "Intel AX200 IEEE 802.11ax Bluetooth 5.2 Dual Band Wi-Fi/Bluetooth Combo Adapter for Notebook " Chipset.

It works flawlessly (WiFi 6.)  Something to take under consideration is the connectors (both male and female, from the antennas to the wireless card itself.)  For this laptop, you cannot use MHF4 or IPEX 4 but need to use U.FL.

Drivers for Windows.

Linux should work out of the box (drivers for this chipset included in most recent kernels.)

Hope this helps.

[AlHill]

For upgrading wifi, you always need to consult with the laptop manufacturer regarding compatibility and integration.

Doc (not an Intel employee or contractor)
[Maybe Windows 12 will be better]

[stef204]

More completely unhelpful post from you.  Don't you have anything better to do...?

[AlHill]

It is the proper answer, especially for the uninformed (such as you) who want to peddle incorrect information.

You need to learn what is correct and stop the drivel you are posting.

Doc (not an Intel employee or contractor)
[Maybe Windows 12 will be better]

[stef204]

LOL.

People come to forums to get answers to technical questions they have.

This means posts need to ADD VALUE.  Not be utter platitudes like:  "You always need to consult with the laptop manufacturer...."

There is NO value to uttering such platitudes--all users already know this and likely have already checked and not received a satisfactory answer--which is why they post in the first place.  Platitudes don't help.

ADD VALUE when you post.

[AlHill]

It is ok for you to be wrong, @stef204   People come here for correct answers. 

Doc (not an Intel employee or contractor)
[Maybe Windows 12 will be better]

[stef204]

I just explained users of an MSI GE60 (an 11 year old laptop)  how to upgrade their crappy (by today's standards) stock N-135 single band WiFi Card to an updated card so they can have working WiFi 6 card using the "Intel AX200 IEEE 802.11ax Bluetooth 5.2 Dual Band Wi-Fi/Bluetooth Combo Adapter for Notebook " Chipset.  (In spite of the comments by the manufacturer that  "you cannot upgrade the card.  Use an external USB device"  brush off,  which is incorrect.

The comments and information I posted are tried, true and tested. It works flawlessly.

Users can decide for themselves what is more valuable:  your platitudes, or the information I posted which will allows them to have functioning WiFi 6 (provided their router is also WiFi 6) and significantly enhance their user experience from the greater speed.

Thanks.