Help with M.2 wireless AC card installation.

[kedgington]

Hello all,

I'm building a new desktop PC and I'm going to use a wireless AC card in the M.2 form factor (NGFF). However, I can't seem to find any information regarding antennas for this form factor when used in a PC tower application.

So does anyone know where I can find an antenna for an M.2 wireless AC card that will be used in a full-sized tower case? Do I use a USB solution? The card has the two small jacks that laptop antennas plug into. The card is an Intel 7260NGW.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Phillip Corcoran]

"The card has the two small jacks that laptop antennas plug into"

That's because It's for a laptop not a desktop PC. It replaces the existing factory-fitted wireless card to existing antennas inside certain laptop models.

For a PC you need a PCI or PCI Express wireless card, they all have antenna (1 or 2) already fitted.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_12?url=search-alias%3Dcomputers&field-keywords=pci+wireless+card&sprefix=PCI+wireless%2Cnull%2C379

 

[volcanoscout]

You're going to want something like the antennae linked below, but there are ones like the one that comes with some Asus boards that have the laptop-like mPCIe connector, but have an external antenna that's designed for use with a desktop. I found one a while back for a build but will have to do a little looking to find it again. I'll post it when I do.

http://www.amazon.com/Wi-fi-Antenna-RP-SMA-Antennas-Cables/dp/B00A4I3AGE

 

[volcanoscout]

You'll need these types of cables regardless, but there are a number of choices for antennae. :

These are the longest U.FL to RP-SMA (male) cables I could find - most of them are 6"-7" long: http://www.amazon.com/Super-Power-Supply%C2%AE-Wireless-WN2500RP/dp/B00DIHLOYS/ref=sr_1_17?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1424110262&sr=1-17&keywords=u.fl+to+rp-sma

Here is a compatible dual-band antenna: http://www.amazon.com/Alfa-Booster-High-Gain-Screw-On-Antenna/dp/B003ZWPRUI/ref=pd_sim_e_7?ie=UTF8&refRID=1R07Z10N21PHHRD58MP5

 

[kedgington]

Thanks for the help. I managed to find a dual band antenna and cable kit. FYI, the Gigabyte GA-X99-UD4 has an M.2 connector for both a wifi card and a SSD. The GA-X99-UD4 does not come with the wifi card or the cable kit, but the UD5 does. Go figure. Ya learn something every day.

Thanks again volcanoscout. I ended up finding the same products on Amazon that you did.

 

[volcanoscout]

De nada - have fun with it!