Nighthawk AX4 Range

[trenyak]

I have the Netgear R6300 router (AC), I've had that for five-six years, and I'm thinking of replacing it with a Nighthawk AX4.  My desktop has a Netgear A6210 (AC) so it connects at AC speeds, and my iPhone XR does as well.  Even though I won't be able to connect my desktop to the AX4 router at AX speeds until an AX adapter is available will I experience faster downloads just because the AX4 is better than the R6300?

Also, what is the difference in range between the R6300 and the AX4?  I may get the router if it simply provides better range, i.e., complete house and yard coverage.  The R6300 does not cover the complete yard.

When will an AX adapter be avalable for the desktop (Windows 10)?

[talakot]

I also have an R6300 ac router and am looking to upgrade in the near future.

I had the same question about ax adapter availability timeframes, and after some research found that Intel actually recently released the AX200 M.2 card which you can actually buy right now.

I have a pc 2 floors up from my router which has a low signal connection to my router so i decided to buy an AX200 card to see if it alone would help make the connection to my existing R6300 router stronger.

After installing it, I now get almost twice as strong of a connection as before and obviously faster speeds.  (went from an unstable 40Mbps to a stable 85Mbps)  So it was definitely worth it for me, especially with the cost under $50.

I'll be upgrading to a Netgear AX router soon which will hopefully make the connection even stronger.

The AX200 M.2 comes as an M.2 card.

If you're installing it into a laptop with an existing M.2 network card it should work as is.

If you're installing it into a desktop you'll need to get a PCIe adapter to plug the AX200 card into and then install the PCIe into an empty PCIe 1x or greater slot.

I installed into a desktop so i needed the converter.  Below are links to the 2 items i bought.

It installed easily without any issues.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Q4YYQC2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MFGYAX6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Hope this helps!

[trenyak]

thanks for the info.  I've ordered the parts from Amazon, I'll try it in my desktop Windows 10 PC

[trenyak]

The link provided for the wifi6ax1650 module, that's for laptops only, right?  

What module should I get for a desktop?  I have a Dell Inspiron 570 desktop running Windows 10 Pro 64 bit.

regards,

Tom

[schumaku]

Check the post above - there are two links, one to a Wi-Fi 6 module, one to an Adapter/Converter.

[trenyak]

Yes, there are two links, one for the wifi6 module for a notebook computer and the other link for the adapter/converter.  Does this mean the adapter/converter is all I need for my Dell Inspiron desktop?

regards,

Tom

[schumaku]

Tom,

An available PCIe expansion slot, some luck, and the current Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650 resp. the AX200 drivers (depends of what you buy) direct from Inhell.

[trenyak]

thank you.  I thought the Killer wifi6 ax1650 was only for laptops.  What do I need to get for a Windows 10 desktop with a PCI card?

regards,

Tom

[schumaku]

One of the links is a PCIe interface card - including two antennas - to install the Killer card on it, interfacing with your Dell desktop PCIe slot.

[talakot]

To install into your Windows 10 desktop you need to buy the 2 items I linked.
One is an empty pci adapter card and the other is the ax1650 card.

The ax1650 card installs into the empty pci adapter card. Then you install the pci adapter card into your windows desktop into an empty pci slot.

You’ll also need to download and install the Killer drivers for the ax1650 card and install them on your Windows desktop so Windows will recognize the card and it works.

[trenyak]

thanks.  Do I need to connect the two wires (JP3 and JP4) to the Killer 1650x?  The connectors are very tiny and hard to work with.  I'm also having trouble screwing the Killer 1650x onto the board after inserting into the slot.

regards,

Tom

[schumaku]

Guess you talk of the two antenna connectors - so the answer is yes, you have to plug them to connect the adapter antennas to the Killer module.

[talakot]

Yes, as shumaku mentioned, you have to connect the two antenna wires.  They are a little tricky to connect.  Just hold the wire so the end is over the round connector and then press it together to connect, it requires a bit of pressure when pressing together.

Not sure about the issue with screwing in the pci-e card, I'd have to see a picture.  Just make sure it's plugged into a pci-e slot properly and it should be aligned with the case to allow you to screw it in.

[trenyak]

Thanks!  I just got someone with the right tools to connect the antennas for me.  I just need the drivers now.  Where do I get the drivers?

regards,

Tom

[talakot]

You can find the Killer drivers on the Killer Networking website.

http://support.killernetworking.com/software/

All you really need is the latest driver-only package to get it working.  Just download and install and Windows should recognize the newly installed Killer network adapter.

You could also download their Control Center Software Package which includes the drivers and some additional networking utilities, but they're not necessary.