What wifi card should I buy? Ahteros or Intel?
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My options are Intel AX200 or Intel AC9560 or some Atheros or something else. I want something that works with free software. Some people are saying that Intel works with free software, but h-node.org says otherwise. So I don't know.
It must be a m.2 card for my laptop.
You might want to check these:
https://trisquel.info/en/forum/i-cant-connect-wifi-usb-dongle#comment-156032
https://ryf.fsf.org/categories/wireless-adapters
EDIT: removed misleading link
Some people are saying that Intel works with free software, but h-node.org says otherwise.
h-node is right: no Intel Wi-Fi chipset works with free software, as long as "firmware" is included in "software". There is no good reason not to include it. It is software.
In addition to lanun's links: http://libre.thinkpenguin.com
So is the driver free but the firmware closed/proprietary?
I believe so. At least I am pretty sure I have never heard of any Intel Wi-Fi chipset working on 100% free GNU/Linux distributions such as Trisquel.
Keep in mind that people can say Intel wifi cards work with free software because they use them in distros that have proprietary blobs. I don't know of any Intel wifi card with free drivers.
Intel WLAN cards do have free/libre driver, namely iwlwifi. But the free/libre driver can't work without non-free firmware.
If you want an M.2 ath9k card, there are two choices: AR9462 (QCNFA222) and AR9565 (QCNFA335). Any other M.2 card require non-free firmware to operate.
When you purchase the card, be sure to pick up one with both a- and e-keys. Most laptops' M.2 slots are a-keyed whereas most mini desktops' slots are e-keyed. Those cards with both keys work on either type.
What about the AR9281 and AR9382 linked above?
Would it work for the OP, if available? Or is it e-key only, and thus not suitable for a laptop?
The form factor compatible is this one https://www.thinkpenguin.com/gnu-linux/wireless-n-dual-band-bluetooth-40-m2-ngff-combo-card-tpe-m2ncrd
https://ryf.fsf.org/categories/wireless-adapters only shows mini PCIe form factor.
But the price in thinkpenguin is $173 with shipping (too much for me). While I could not find AR9462 anywhere, I found many QCNFA222, and it is only $7.
I hope it will work. Dell said they do not have whitelist in the BIOS to block third parties vendors
Thank you guys for all the information. I could not find those cards without your help.
If the "QCNFA222" card you've found have both a- and e-keys, you can just purchase it. However, you can use it only if your notebook doesn't have white-list restrictions on wireless NICs.
Please note that "AR9462" is the chipset name, whereas "QCNFA222" is the commodity name. There are two models for AR9462-based cards, namely AR5B22 (mini PCIe) and QCNFA222 (M.2). Likewise, there are two models for AR9565-based cards, namely QCWB335 (mini PCIe) and QCNFA335 (M.2). You can use all these strings as searching keywords.
I am trying to get this right, for I might be in a similar situation at some point. I could always try to re-use my current card but I have no idea whether it would be compatible (form factor and/or whitelist issues), since my current laptop was purchased in 2014 (after an undetermined warehouse storage time).
If I understood correctly, the first M.2 card below would work in any M.2 setting, but not the second one, which has only one key (e-key) and would work with some laptops only. They are both at $8-$9 including shipping.
Both cards are AR9462 (QCNFA222), and the difference lies in the physical interface. The first one has both keys, whereas the second one has only e-key, and may not fit in notebooks' M.2 slot. (Most notebooks' M.2 slot for WLAN is a-keyed).
There are two form factors for M.2 WLAN card, both 30 mm in length and 16 or 22 mm in width (namely, M.2 1630 or M.2 2230, respectively). The narrower form factor (1630) fits in wider slots (2230).
Thank you very much, everything is clearer now.
I just realized that 'NGFF' is a previous name for 'M.2'.
EDIT: Searching for 'AR9565' returns loads of NGFF/M.2 results.
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