Intel N 7260 to 8260, can I use existing Antennas?

[twitchyzero]

3 year old laptop has the single-band 7260

I'm looking to move an AC 8260 card into said laptop.

Will the existing antennas from 7260 work with the 8260 and still achieve 5GHz N/AC speeds?

 

[sfx2000]

as long as you have the same number of antennae...

yes for the most part..

 

[twitchyzero]

turns out the card doesn't even fit...the AC card is significantly smaller

 

[sfx2000]

ah... remember, intel has different SKU's for the same model number, sounds like you got the m2 card, where you might need the micro PCIe

 

[avtella]

I'm fairly certain the 7260AC 2x2 is the only mpcie you can upgrade to. I have upgraded two laptops myself and, I could not find any 7265AC or 8260AC cards that had mpcie, only M2 versions were available.

 

[System Error Message]

you could get an m.2 to mini PCIe adapter. However you must first check if your m.2 slot is USB or PCIe or if the card itself uses usb or PCIe.

Its just like with a usb to expresscard adapter, it only works for expresscards that use usb. Some laptop motherboards support both some dont.

 

[TonyH]

turns out the card doesn't even fit...the AC card is significantly smaller

ah... remember, intel has different SKU's for the same model number, sounds like you got the m2 card, where you might need the micro PCIe

Half size Mini PCIe, right? Is there AC8260 in this format?

 

[sfx2000]

Half size Mini PCIe, right? Is there AC8260 in this format?

Not sure - Intel's been moving fast into the m2 small form factor as it takes up less space...

 

[avtella]

Half size Mini PCIe, right? Is there AC8260 in this format?

No, you would be looking at a m2 to half-mpcie converter if want the 8260AC. The 7260AC pretty good, you won't see such a drastic difference between the two that you would want to get an adapter just to get the 8260AC.

 

[L&LD]

No, you would be looking at a m2 to half-mpcie converter if want the 8260AC. The 7260AC pretty good, you won't see such a drastic difference between the two that you would want to get an adapter just to get the 8260AC.

If the adaptor was truly 'invisible', it seems like it may be worth it.

The new card is a big improvement over the outgoing 7260 and 7265 models. In fact, I’ve seen file transfers even higher than what I achieved on my test, including up to around 650 Mbps file copies. This is a fantastic result for a 2x2:2 card, and is fast approaching the physical limits of two streams.

As for day to day use with the new card, it’s more anecdotal but connections have been fast and solid in my time with the Y700. Unfortunately wireless is almost a black art once you start to add walls, wiring, and outside interference into the equation, so your mileage may vary, but with Intel’s track record it would seem that they’ve sorted the one issue they had, which was throughput, while maintaining their solid wireless connections.

Above quote from http://www.anandtech.com/show/10026/the-lenovo-ideapad-y700-laptop-review/7

 

[sfx2000]

If the adaptor was truly 'invisible', it seems like it may be worth it.

Should work - electrically the interface is the same - it's the mechanical stack and available space that is really a limitation here.

 

[System Error Message]

There is no such thing as a half miniPCIe adapter because because miniPCIe regardless of size is the same connector. Essentially you just want to make sure your adapter isnt too big but can be screwed into your laptop.

 

[avtella]

There is no such thing as a half miniPCIe adapter because because miniPCIe regardless of size is the same connector. Essentially you just want to make sure your adapter isnt too big but can be screwed into your laptop.

There is a full/half height for mini pcie, the full would probably not fit a lot of laptops. Seems I forgot to add the word height in my previous response.

L&LD thanks for the link, in regards to the 8260AC test.

 

[System Error Message]

There is a full/half height for mini pcie, the full would probably not fit a lot of laptops. Seems I forgot to add the word height in my previous response.

L&LD thanks for the link, in regards to the 8260AC test.

Those are form factors, but they both use the exact same miniPCIe slot.

 

[avtella]

Yes, but there are adapters that are full/half height so I thought I should mention it, as in mounting holes. The full height adapter would never fit my Asus X550LN for example.