Does anybody know how the WIFI adapter stuff works? I’m looking to buy a WIFI module and a PCIe adapter separately as compoents. Is this the correct approach in the name of modularity & upgradeability?
Usage: I was looking to stuff something nice into my desktop PC. Potentially connect NAS<->PC directly over WIFI (two equal cards then), but I think I’ll abandon this idea and go for wired ethernet NICs.
Still, I’d like WIFI+BT on PC… so are the following parts modular/interchangeable?
- The WIFI module. I’m looking at something like Mediatek mt7925 with Linux support. My other AMD RZ608 works great.
- The PCIe adapter + antenna slots - to do
- Separately buy high quality antennas, when the need arises (along with a new module?) - in the future
On 1 (module): mt7927 is a beast using the modern “Filogic 380” chipset, which “Supports key Wi-Fi 7 technologies such as 4096-QAM, 320MHz, MRU and MLO” source.
Downside: no Linux driver support and uncertain if there ever will be? Does Mediatek only consider Linux support when a major customer demands it? The module is too new and still hard to buy.
I was going to settle for mt7925. I’m open to next-gen alternatives.
On 2 (adapter): Two antennas on the PCIe adapters are common and would allow 2x2 MIMO? What if I later found a 4x4 MIMO WIFI module? Wouldn’t it make sense to find an adapter with 4 antennas today and only connect 2 for the time being?
On 3 (antennas): I’ve seen spec sheets where the antennas have a looot of different technical characteristics, but I haven’t looked in depth yet. Just that the antennas need to roughly match what the WIFI module needs?
Or am I overthinking this and should buy whatever pre-assembled combos exist? It appears I’m looking at a niche (separate wireless components) of a market niche (PCIe wireless adapters + Linux)… although the laptop world is alive and well with spare parts. I thought this was the best way to get the future-proof WIFI module that I want.
If you can point me to other websites/communities, that’d be great to. No idea where to look or ask.
EDIT: It seems this plan is possible. Then my question becomes: “how do I ensure compatibility & what to look for in antennas?”
Here’s a shop selling e.g. MT7927 and the entire kit to use as an PCIe add-on card. NGFF M.2 + Antennas + module + screws + USB cable for Bluetooth + heatsink + thermal grease
Discarded option: Although it has 4 antennas (future 4x4 MIMO?), this is only for the Broadcom modules used in older Apple devices. The connector is apparently proprietary, even if not extremely different.