Question Who makes motherboards without built-in wi-fi or bluetooth?

[parsimonius]

I just read a post in Usenet asking that question. The poster gave me the impression that such motherboards (no built-in wi-fi or bluetooth) are becoming rare these days. I'm curious because I very much prefer wired (Ethernet) connection over the convenience of wi-fi or bluetooth connectivity. A followup reply in that thread suggested that even BIOS settings to disable wi-fi and BT ports can be overridden by software, which is also disconcerting to me, because it means that even though you have turned off those capabilities, they could be turned on again without your knowledge. In short, I prefer minimizing as much as possible how third parties might access my computer or monitor my computer by not having wi-fi or BT built into the motherboard.

 

[Eximo]

Everyone? Just goes by model.

Almost universally, higher end Mini-ITX boards have WiFi, but that makes sense, no room for additional cards. But there are many ATX and Micro ATX boards without a wireless system

 

[thestryker]

Those capabilities have become a fixture in motherboards these days. It's very hit and miss as to what level of quality boards without wifi will be now. I think Gigabyte still has some models throughout their stack without wifi, but generally it's lower end boards without it.

As for software overriding it being disabled that sounds very unlikely unless it's motherboard vendor software that controls the BIOS. Nobody should ever install motherboard vendor software without a very specific reason to though.

 

[kanewolf]

I just read a post in Usenet asking that question. The poster gave me the impression that such motherboards (no built-in wi-fi or bluetooth) are becoming rare these days. I'm curious because I very much prefer wired (Ethernet) connection over the convenience of wi-fi or bluetooth connectivity. A followup reply in that thread suggested that even BIOS settings to disable wi-fi and BT ports can be overridden by software, which is also disconcerting to me, because it means that even though you have turned off those capabilities, they could be turned on again without your knowledge. In short, I prefer minimizing as much as possible how third parties might access my computer or monitor my computer by not having wi-fi or BT built into the motherboard.

Bluetooth and WIFI both require an antenna to be usable. Don't install the antenna. If you are paranoid, put foil over the external antenna connections.
Look at more basic level motherboards the Intel Z or AMD X motherboards probably DO have those features, because they are expected by premium buyers.
US Govt buys hardware every day that requires the wireless functions be not installed. When I worked for a defense contractor, HP had a specific option when ordering PCs to remove wireless. If you were buying hundreds of PCs,, that kind of customization is an option.

 

[USAFRet]

I just read a post in Usenet asking that question. The poster gave me the impression that such motherboards (no built-in wi-fi or bluetooth) are becoming rare these days. I'm curious because I very much prefer wired (Ethernet) connection over the convenience of wi-fi or bluetooth connectivity. A followup reply in that thread suggested that even BIOS settings to disable wi-fi and BT ports can be overridden by software, which is also disconcerting to me, because it means that even though you have turned off those capabilities, they could be turned on again without your knowledge. In short, I prefer minimizing as much as possible how third parties might access my computer or monitor my computer by not having wi-fi or BT built into the motherboard.

Currently, pcpartpicker.com lists 4.519 motherboards.

Going through the options, select None for "Wireless Networking"
Result - "3,512 Compatible Products."

 

[Eximo]

Plenty of good boards without WiFi. Only really a few board makers left to be honest.

Tomahawk, Aorus, Steel Legend, TUF, X570, B550, Z690, Z790, X670, etc.

I mean you can also just get a WiFi board and physically remove the M.2 WiFi card.