Intel 7260HMW IEEE 802.11AC

[notime2d8]

I just ordered one of these and will post my results when it comes in. The features are:

802.11ac, dual-band, 2x2 Wi-Fi plus Bluetooth
4th generation Intel Core processors
Bluetooth 4.0
Intel Smart Connect Technology
Intel Wi-Fi HotSpot Assistant
Intel Wireless Display
Bands: 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz
Max Speed: 300/867 Mbps


The reason why i wanted it was that it doesn't use the usb lines for the bluetooth but has a built in pcie bridge and everything works over the pcie connection. This should give bluetooth 4.0. in my ux380n and wireless N and AC

[notime2d8]

So I got my card in this afternoon ux...just a few things...

1. Make sure to download the drivers before removing the old card...duh

2. It's a half slot card so you need the extension bracket...the old antennas work and fit..

But other than that...it works awesome!!! In a room where I only got 2 bars jumped to a full signal. And the battery life seems a lot better too.

Easily the best $16 upgrade for my UX.

Edit: I can't get the bluetooth to work with Windows 8.1

[Braindead]

That's good news, where did you order it from?
These cards are much more expensive over here. (Europe)

[notime2d8]

That's good news, where did you order it from?
These cards are much more expensive over here. (Europe)

Ebay, and I don't know if bluetooth works yet. I saw this online:


The BT component on the Intel card does not require USB to function. It's a plain PCIe device, just like the WLAN itself. If you boot Linux and use lspci, it'll actually list a PCIe to PCIe bridge on the card, and the three devices behind it. One is BT, one is WLAN, and the third appears to be a virtual device, probably for management of the other two. Works pretty decently under Linux, with latest kernel and drivers, but there are some timeouts. There are problems with two or more BT hosts on one PC, though, only one will work. This is true for Windows and Linux, so I'm guessing it's something in the bluetooth design, that they never expected us to have multiple BT controllers on one machine.


So...i don't know, when i get some time i'll try a live Linux distro and see if bluetooth works there. At this point i can't tell if it doesn't work or if it is just a driver issue with 8.1 as i had some issues finding and installing them.

P.S. Does anyone know if i need to upgrade the antennas?

[Braindead]

I doesn't harm to put at least one better antenna in there.
Saw a big improvement in reception, but this was on an older card with three antenna connectors.
Any news on the BT subject?

[tomn]

YEah, I have the HMW7260 802.11ac, it is an awesome card. Never tried it on the UX380N I have though, for $16 it is a great price. BE careful though, there are 3 different versions of this card:

Verson 1:

2.4GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 4.0

2.4GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi + 5GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 4.0

2.4GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi + 5GHz 802.11ac Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 4.0

I think it is a great card to improve battery life, as the newer Wi-Fi chipset should draw a lot less power.

Thanks for posting the info. I might try upgrading my UX as well.

[bigs]

YEah, I have the HMW7260 802.11ac, it is an awesome card. Never tried it on the UX380N I have though, for $16 it is a great price. BE careful though, there are 3 different versions of this card:

Verson 1:

2.4GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 4.0

2.4GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi + 5GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 4.0

2.4GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi + 5GHz 802.11ac Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 4.0

I think it is a great card to improve battery life, as the newer Wi-Fi chipset should draw a lot less power.

Thanks for posting the info. I might try upgrading my UX as well.

hmm, I think I too want to upgrade my Wifi card!! currently running the 4965 ABG card I think. Since I am running Ubuntu on my UX, maybe the bluetooth 4.0 will work on that, assuming you are correct about the true PCI-e

[tomn]

Bigs,

Good time to replace the 4965 ABG, I am using the Intel 5100 ABGN on my UX and it feels old. Time to move to 802.11ac with BT 4.0., I think the UX should support BT 4.0 as it should be on the PCIe bus as well.

Question is, once you put a combo WiFi-BT card on it, how do you get rid of the original BT card?

[bigs]

removing the old bluetooth module is not an issue, as it is a separate board that clips onto the UX front housing.

Currently with my 4965, the Wireless switch works perfectly, as when switched off it will down power the wifi and bluetooth. Not sure how this newer card will perform.

Will start browsing for a good deal on one of these cards It will mainly benefit me for lower power consumption, but I am uncertain to how it will perform in relation to speed etc. For instance the 4965 does support Wifi N, but I was forced to disable it, as the connection was unreliable. There was nothing wrong with the card, but rather the way Ubuntu handles Wifi N. Will be interesting to see if Ubuntu can take advantage of bluetooth 4.0!

[tomn]

I am thinking of switching to the latest 7260 and removing the old bluetooth board to save power and get much higher wifi speeds. On my current configuration, the UX works really well with the 5100 and the hardware switches etc works perfectly. The hardware switch is actually a software switch that tells the driver to switch off the WiFi/BT radio, and as long as you have an Intel card, it should work just fine.

Good luck updating your Ubuntu to a faster card and do let us know your experience.