# Wireless card time



## Toothless (Sep 3, 2017)

I hate myself the more threads I make since I'm stumped on how to continue the last one.

The router came home from the theif and works perfectly. It's 5ghz to desktop D-Link DWA 160 card and on the 2.4ghz band is a wifi extender that's wired to two desktops. We're looking at the desktop today with that DWA.

It hates me.

I reinstalled drivers, let Windows get drivers, I don't know what else to do but it'll work perfectly fine then the actual WiFi card locks up and drops. Its detected in devices but won't see any networks and sits there as useless as a 1mb flash drive with an LED. 

I'm looking for a pretty good WiFi card and willing to go up to $75 for one. I'm okay with using PCI cards and it doesn't matter to me if it is PCI or USB. I was checking out a Rosewill PCI card since my last one WiFi card that ran off USB was amazing. (Until my friend broke it)

Oh and the DWA works in a different desktop but it's known (to me) that it's also really, really moody with certain configs.


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## newtekie1 (Sep 3, 2017)

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833166121

That is a pretty good card.  Kind of overkill for your router, but if you ever upgrade to a Wireless AC router you'll be prepared.


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## eidairaman1 (Sep 3, 2017)

Tp-Link or Trendnet seem pretty good


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## silentbogo (Sep 3, 2017)

+1 for Rosewill RNX-AC1900 or TP-Link Archer T9E.
Both are identical, except T9E will cost you $5 more for a non-ugly black heatsink 

IMHO, D-Link has been very-very bad lately. I'm talking 10 years or so...
Also, your DWA-160 based on older Atheros chipset, so looking for a good driver from manufacturer is near impossible, thanks to Qualcomm.


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## Toothless (Sep 3, 2017)

silentbogo said:


> +1 for Rosewill RNX-AC1900 or TP-Link Archer T9E.
> Both are identical, except T9E will cost you $5 more for a non-ugly black heatsink
> 
> IMHO, D-Link has been very-very bad lately. I'm talking 10 years or so...
> Also, your DWA-160 based on older Atheros chipset, so looking for a good driver from manufacturer is near impossible, thanks to Qualcomm.


Yeah I had exact drivers for it at one point but lost them which sucks because they worked perfectly. I'm going for that Rosewill since it'll match the black/red in my case.


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## TheLostSwede (Sep 3, 2017)

Oh, D-Link is still doing that shit? Had the same problem with one of their 54g sticks many years ago. No driver in the world wanted to work with it...

As to your card question, I'd go a slightly different route by getting something that's upgradeable and something you know you can get drivers for without having to try to guess which Wi-Fi chip you have.

The basic affordable option would be this - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HF8K0O6/?tag=tec06d-20
It's an Intel 8260 card on a PCIe adapter for $40. The good thing is that you can swap out the mini PCIe card for something newer in the future. However, mini PCIe cards are being replaced by M.2 now, so it's not super future proof. That said, the Item description says version 4.2 which should use an M.2 card rather than a mini PCIe card. (Spec here - https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/GC-WB867D-I-rev-42#ov)

Gigabyte also has an cheaper M.2 version at $37, but it's 1x1 only - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0742RG2MX/?tag=tec06d-20

Asus also has an option for $35 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0713RRZMB/?tag=tec06d-20 which is also using an Intel module. It seems to be the best value option.

Another option is, get an Intel M.2 Wi-Fi module (make sure it's not OEM, as it might not work), such as this - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0197W86IE/?tag=tec06d-20 and an adapter, something along the lines of this - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073GP6NML/?tag=tec06d-20 although that one is a tad expensive and comes with huge antennas. There's a bundle deal with the adapter an an Intel 8265 card for $45.

Yes, none of these options are 3x3, but then again, you don't have that fast of an internet connection judging by your router question thread, so this should be more than plenty and you'll know that you can download Intel drivers and not have any problems finding drivers. 

Asus' first 3x3 AC1750 and I think even their first AC1900 cards were terrible with regards to driver support and Asus even stopped supporting them quite quickly due to this, so a lot of people spent $100+ on what ended up being useless hardware, as there were no driver updates and the cards had a lot of issues.


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## silentbogo (Sep 3, 2017)

TheLostSwede said:


> Asus' first 3x3 AC1750 and I think even their first AC1900 cards were terrible with regards to driver support and Asus even stopped supporting them quite quickly due to this, so a lot of people spent $100+ on what ended up being useless hardware, as there were no driver updates and the cards had a lot of issues.


That goes to all ASUS cards pretty much. They are so lazy, they don't even update their drivers when chipset manufacturers did the job for them.
I used to have an older PCE-N53 card and even though it was Ralink chipset, Mediatek still managed to make a decent and intuitive download section for legacy products and make a good working Windows 10 driver (with both bands working at full speed).
ASUS, on the other hand, still has a Win10 driver which basically is a Windows 8 driver with slightly adjusted headers (no 5GHz and 1x1 speeds at 2.4GHz at half power, e.g. no more than 72Mbit/s two steps from my router). I sold it more than a year ago and situation hasn't changed. Win10 can automatically pull up the working driver from internet, but unfortunately it's the ASUS version...


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## steen (Sep 3, 2017)

Toothless said:


> Yeah I had exact drivers for it at one point but lost them which sucks because they worked perfectly.



That DWA-160 is Atheros or Ralink depending on revision. If Atheros/Qualcomm try the latest set from here:

http://www.station-drivers.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=353&func=select&id=255&lang=en


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## Toothless (Sep 3, 2017)

steen said:


> That DWA-160 is Atheros or Ralink depending on revision. If Atheros/Qualcomm try the latest set from here:
> 
> http://www.station-drivers.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=353&func=select&id=255&lang=en


Version A2 if that helps.


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## flmatter (Sep 3, 2017)

https://www.asus.com/us/Networking/USB-AC68/     I use this on occassion.  And it is black and red.


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## jboydgolfer (Sep 3, 2017)

ive had issues with wifi adapters in the past. Who is the maker of the Wireless chip on that Adapter?? and have you gotten the driver from their site directly?


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## Toothless (Sep 3, 2017)

jboydgolfer said:


> ive had issues with wifi adapters in the past. Who is the maker of the Wireless chip on that Adapter?? and have you gotten the driver from their site directly?


Their site is something horrid and while I did get the driver from them, it didn't work too well.

Also to help anyone still looking.










flmatter said:


> https://www.asus.com/us/Networking/USB-AC68/     I use this on occassion.  And it is black and red.


A tad out of budget for me but I do know you're the master of networking.


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## flmatter (Sep 3, 2017)

Toothless said:


> you're the master of networking


   would not go quite that far but I do score awesome deals on networking stuffs     what's your budget?  like the router it is in a closet sitting atm


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## Toothless (Sep 3, 2017)

flmatter said:


> would not go quite that far but I do score awesome deals on networking stuffs     what's your budget?  like the router it is in a closet sitting atm


Up to $75 currently. Gotta wait til next paycheck to do anything and push back my need for a weaker-grade server machine for other needs. Too many projects and not enough money.


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## jboydgolfer (Sep 3, 2017)

Toothless said:


> Their site is something horrid and while I did get the driver from them, it didn't work too well.



oddly (or not) while looking around on Amazon, i found a review mentioning to make sure if you buy one of these adapters, to be CERTAIN You get the *B-2* model. apparently Any of the adapters that have the identifier "A-2" in its model name are shitty. i noticed yours is also a A2 ...

*i found this driver for it. cant speak for the origin of it though.*

*i found this one from Atheros too*
Its right above the facebook icon towards the bottom of page. But the drivers are old and seem to not include win10


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## flmatter (Sep 3, 2017)

Toothless said:


> Too many projects and not enough money.


   I know that feeling.  Currently trying to build a AR15 and repair my wife's van....  If I have the money  I don't have the time and opposite when I do have the time


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## silentbogo (Sep 3, 2017)

jboydgolfer said:


> oddly (or not) while looking around on Amazon, i found a review mentioning to make sure if you buy one of these adapters, to be CERTAIN You get the *B-2* model. apparently Any of the adapters that have the identifier "A-2" in its model name are shitty. i noticed yours is also a A2 ...


Revision A is Atheros. Revision B and C is Ralink.
Atheros - no support
Ralink - no driver for Win10 on Mediatek website, but miraculously there are Linux and OSX drivers.

There is a driver on Wikidev, but it's for XP/Vista/7. Some compatible drivers for win8 can be pulled from similar adapters (Netgear something-something), but I'm really not sure if it's going to work.


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## Toothless (Sep 3, 2017)

silentbogo said:


> Revision A is Atheros. Revision B and C is Ralink.
> Atheros - no support
> Ralink - no driver for Win10 on Mediatek website, but miraculously there are Linux and OSX drivers.
> 
> There is a driver on Wikidev, but it's for XP/Vista/7. Some compatible drivers for win8 can be pulled from similar adapters (Netgear something-something), but I'm really not sure if it's going to work.


I used a win7 driver a good long time ago but not sure where I lost the file to. I'm trying another driver and it's still dropping after a wee bit of use which is the stupidest thing.

Thissss dumb thing.


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## flmatter (Sep 3, 2017)

http://support.dlink.ca/ProductInfo.aspx?m=DWA-160
http://support.dlink.com.au/Download/download.aspx?product=DWA-160
maybe these will help....?


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## Toothless (Sep 3, 2017)

flmatter said:


> http://support.dlink.ca/ProductInfo.aspx?m=DWA-160
> http://support.dlink.com.au/Download/download.aspx?product=DWA-160
> maybe these will help....?


Tried those too.


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## Asuredawn (Sep 3, 2017)

TheLostSwede said:


> Another option is, get an Intel M.2 Wi-Fi module (make sure it's not OEM, as it might not work), such as this - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0197W86IE/?tag=tec06d-20 and an adapter, something along the lines of this - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073GP6NML/?tag=tec06d-20 although that one is a tad expensive and comes with huge antennas. There's a bundle deal with the adapter an an Intel 8265 card for $45.


That's what I did, except I got the 7265 instead (a bit cheaper, and good enough for me). Just be sure you get the right one for your adapter (they make m.2 and mini pcie versions of both cards) and if you buy a longer antenna cable make sure it's the right type (the m.2 cards use a smaller connector on the card).

So far it's working pretty well for me. I have it set to 75% power and still get a good connection with a wall, dresser, closet, another wall, and about 25ft of air between my pc and the router.

Edit: I got the Asus/intel card for my brother's PC, and it seems to work pretty well too. Couldn't tell you how well the software works, didn't install it.


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## Drone69 (Sep 3, 2017)

Maybe this one.

http://drivers.softpedia.com/get/NE...er-Driver-35013-for-Windows-7-Windows-8.shtml


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## biffzinker (Sep 3, 2017)

Skip on Wifi @Toothless you'd be better off with a Powerline to Ethernet adapter. 

I'm using these myself in place of the prior Wifi.
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=2WG-002S-00006


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## Toothless (Sep 3, 2017)

Drone69 said:


> Maybe this one.
> 
> http://drivers.softpedia.com/get/NE...er-Driver-35013-for-Windows-7-Windows-8.shtml


Didn't work.


biffzinker said:


> Skip on Wifi @Toothless you'd be better off with a Powerline to Ethernet adapter.
> 
> I'm using these myself in place of the prior Wifi.
> https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=2WG-002S-00006


Not enough "solid" outlets to do that. (The wall where the modem is has shorting issues, not sure I want a network in it)


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## jboydgolfer (Sep 4, 2017)

My instinct is to tell you to just go buy a new one ,  for eight dollars you can get a brand new wireless adapter that works perfectly fine. Unless you have really high-end Internet even a Belkin N150 is sufficient ,and extremely cheap. I've had a couple over the years & they work flawlessly. Even if it has to be dual band you can get them for as low as 12 or $15


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## biffzinker (Sep 4, 2017)

Had a Belkin N150 work great for 2½ years but it started getting flaky Wifi, and some other minor issues. Replaced it with a Linksys WRT1200AC, no complaints from anyone on Wifi since including me.


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## Toothless (Sep 4, 2017)

I may have found my issue.

I used to use a powered USB hub to power my DWA card instead of normal USB port power since I was using a USB extension cable. I plugged the card into a port on my motherboard and it has no issues except placement which nearly halves my connection speed.

Either i go big and get a PCI card or get a powered USB hub again and suffer drivers more. This is a nightmare.


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## jsfitz54 (Sep 4, 2017)

Have you tried this Driver: https://www.mediatek.com/products/broadbandWifi/rt2870

I had two DWA-160's, they tend to get hot so I removed the plastic shell on one.


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## Toothless (Sep 4, 2017)

jsfitz54 said:


> Have you tried this Driver: https://www.mediatek.com/products/broadbandWifi/rt2870
> 
> I had two DWA-160's, they tend to get hot so I removed the plastic shell on one.


Do you remember which versions and how hard/easy it was to remove the shells?


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## jsfitz54 (Sep 4, 2017)

Does this help:  Finally found shell, Ver. B1, Firmware 2.0.

That's a laptop antenna attached. (from ebay)

Shell is a PITA to get off, you have to work it slow.

Try the driver anyway.


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## Toothless (Sep 4, 2017)

jsfitz54 said:


> Does this help:  Finally found shell, Ver. B1, Firmware 2.0.
> 
> That's a laptop antenna attached. (from ebay)
> 
> ...


Is the antenna a thing that can be added on? I have a spare antenna set from a desktop that doesn't need it and if it helps with signal then I'm all game.


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## Asuredawn (Sep 4, 2017)

Toothless said:


> Is the antenna a thing that can be added on? I have a spare antenna set from a desktop that doesn't need it and if it helps with signal then I'm all game.


If it's for a (half-) miniPCIe card it should work. If it's for an m.2 card it probably won't. M.2 cards use a similar but slightly smaller connector for their antennas.


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## jsfitz54 (Sep 4, 2017)

Toothless said:


> Is the antenna a thing that can be added on?



Yes,  I was surprised when I opened it up to find the two antenna contacts.  So it is an add on, there was no factory antenna.


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## Toothless (Sep 4, 2017)

Okay so going off of what @jsfitz54 said I decided to try cooling this thing. Ghetto time!

The card.










I was trying to figure out how am I going to cover this and remembered my AM1 rig is overheating. (Yes that's a thing with how hot it is in my room)

Cover off, and saw there is an extra fan header.






I have a fan that splits in a way. (Blur warning)






And I have a tiny fan with an extender.







SOOOOO you can guess what happens next.








I'm downloading, watching a long video, and testing it more to see if it was thermals causing issues. I also did find the ONE driver that worked with the card so we'll see how good/bad this goes. I'll keep you all updated.


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## steen (Sep 5, 2017)

Toothless said:


> Version A2 if that helps.



A2=Atheros AR9170/AR9104 - as per your pics.

Just grab the latest Win10 WHQL driver set (v10.0.0.352) from the link I gave you. Connect directly to front or back USB port. Don't connect via a HUB. Use a USB extension cable to position the USB adapter for better reception.


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## Toothless (Sep 5, 2017)

steen said:


> A2=Atheros AR9170/AR9104 - as per your pics.
> 
> Just grab the latest Win10 WHQL driver set (v10.0.0.352) from the link I gave you. Connect directly to front or back USB port. Don't connect via a HUB. Use a USB extension cable to position the USB adapter for better reception.


I found the drivers which worked perfectly as they were hidden on one of my drivers, in a few folders, few folders more, and yeah. 

The reason I said a hub is to get more power to it as that proved to work before (speed difference was about 75%) however with the thermal issue I'm probably going with that Rosewill PCI card anyway and push this little guy off to one of my other rigs.


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