Do mini-PCI / mPCI-E / M.2 wifi cards just "burn out" or die?

[VirtualLarry]

Is this a common occurence?

I just had to swap a mini-PCI wifi from a dead laptop board to a working laptop, because the wifi went out, and I couldn't get it working at all. (Wasn't showing in Device Manager at all. Tried BIOS / Fn-key hotkeys for wireless too.)

Edit: Also, does it matter if you match up the white / black antenna post with the white / black ant. wire? It's not like L / R of stereo speakers, is it?

 

[JackMDS]

WIFI cards often are used as part of the "Force you to buy expensive" program.

As an example most HP Laptops have a special signature in the BIOS that fits with some type of WIFI cards that One has to buy from HP for a price that is 5 times than there normal market values.

If the card has a name model number Google eBay for it. Many times eBay sellers give a list of the compatible laptops.

Example - http://www.ebay.com/itm/Atheros-AR9...39d94bc&pid=100005&rk=3&rkt=6&sd=162352353169



.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Maybe I wasn't too clear. I have two laptops, A and B. Both are Acer brand. Laptop A died, due to a spill. Laptop B is still working, but barely. Laptop B's wireless card had been flaky, and now it seems to have given up the ghost completely. I swapped the wifi card from Laptop A into laptop B. I lost dual-band support, but Win7 64-bit apparently supports both of them. I think both of them were Atheros chipsets.

My query has nothing to do with needing to buy a wifi card, only whether or not them burning out is a somewhat common occurance?

Edit: Thanks for that tidbit, though. I don't know if I was just lucky, or whether going from one Acer to another Acer made it work automatically. I don't know if Acer implements a wifi whitelist in their BIOS on their consumer laptop line or not.

 

[sdifox]

Any electronic component can die. Try reattaching the antenna. Acer doesn't have component Whitelist.

Also, you sure the wifi nic from the first laptop is dual band right?

 

[VirtualLarry]

Also, you sure the wifi nic from the first laptop is dual band right?

No, the wifi NIC from Laptop A is 2.4Ghz only, the one (that died) in Laptop B is 2.4/5.0Ghz dual-band.

 

[sdifox]

No, the wifi NIC from Laptop A is 2.4Ghz only, the one (that died) in Laptop B is 2.4/5.0Ghz dual-band.

Thrn maybe you need to replace one of the antenna from laptop A. They are probably both 2.4.

 

[JackMDS]

I do not think that Antennae has to do with cards does not even recognized.

 

[mxnerd]

My own experience is Atheros chips are just crap, either USB WiFi or Laptop's built-in WiFi, they gave up sooner or later. Get an Intel mini-PCI.

 

[sdifox]

I do not think that Antennae has to do with cards does not even recognized.

On his second post he said he lost dual band, which implies one band is working.

 

[VirtualLarry]

On his second post he said he lost dual band, which implies one band is working.

Sorry I wasn't more clear. I was speaking of losing the dual-band capability, because of swapping wifi adapters with one that was 2.4Ghz only.

The dual-band card, was really "dead", wouldn't even show up in Device Manager. Systray showed the "LAN Computer" icon, with a red X on it, like there was no network. (Laptop also had ethernet, that wasn't plugged in.)

 

[VirtualLarry]

My own experience is Atheros chips are just crap, either USB WiFi or Laptop's built-in WiFi, they gave up sooner or later. Get an Intel mini-PCI.

That mirrors most of my experiences.

 

[JackMDS]

On the other hand Apple is using almost solely Atheros chipset and their Wireless in general is Not not Crappy.

Some times I think that Enthusiasts Tech. preferences have to be put together with "Discrimination Racism" and other similar "Humans" Glorious Thinking" that has nothing to do with Tangible Reality.



P.S. Disclosure I have nothing to do with Atheros or any other Computer related hardware entity.

 

[XavierMace]

On the other hand Apple is using almost solely Atheros chipset and their Wireless in general is Not not Crappy.

Some times I think that Enthusiasts Tech. preferences have to be put together with "Discrimination Racism" and other similar "Humans" Glorious Thinking" that has nothing to do with Tangible Reality.

Or it's because Apple gets to cherry pick stock and/or enforce higher QC standards on the ones they get. I can tell you I've replaced the Atheros based wifi card in more than one of my devices with an Intel card because they've always given me better performance.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Yes. Anything can just d-

 

[ch33zw1z]

Sure. I've swapped out about 10 Intel M.2 wireless AC cards in the last 3-4 months for customers. I can't recall the exact model, just stop checking after the first few.

 

[JackMDS]

Hmm.. Strange!! I replaced few Atheros cards in MacBooks with similar ""Junk"" that I got on eBay. The replacement workrd just as Good as other MacBook with Atheros cards.

Yes, I agree that Intel has few very good WIFI cards but that does not mean that every thing else is Automatically Junk.

 

[ch33zw1z]

Right, just saying from time to time there qa issues

 

[dave_the_nerd]

10 out of how many they sold in your area lately?

If they were working, people wouldn't be bringing them to you to fix.

 

[ch33zw1z]

10 out of thousands I'm sure...

Just something out of the normal disk drive and power supply replacements.