Upgrade 3820TG WLAN to Intel Ultimate-N 6300AGN?

Hey folks,

I am trying to upgrade the Wireless LAN card in my 3820TG to an Intel Ultimate-N 6300AGN from a Broadcom Card.

I understand I need a third antenna for the Ultimate-N 6300, no problem, I have that taken care of. However when I install this WLAN card, and install the latest Intel drivers from Intel's site (running windows 7 64bit btw), I am just getting the Device Cannot Start error (Code 10) in Device Manager.

Purchased the card off of eBay, i have attached an image below.

Has anybody had success installing one of these 6300 cards in our 3820TG's? Does our system employ a Whitelist (similar to newer Lenovo/HP systems)??? I didn't think It did. I actually purchased two (one to go in a newer Timeline), and neither work for me.

Thanks a ton folks for your help, I wanted this card so I could take advantage of Wi-Di, as well as use the 5GHz band in a congested wireless environment.

-Mark

 

That looks like a Lenovo card to me. Intel likely custom-makes wireless cards for Lenovo, with an unusual wiring (in violation of the mini-PCIE spec), to prevent installation in non-Lenovo machines.

Use a card from a different manufacturer.

Alternatively, you may try using the latest drivers from Lenovo - it is possible that the only lockout these cards have is in software.

 

Thanks for the response, appreciated. I will try what you mentioned! Does it sound like an Ultimate 6300N should work fine in the 3820TG?

-Mark

 

I think it should be driver issues.
I had one of these it worked on Linux but not in Windows therefore it should be the drivers.

 

I agree with .NetRolller 3D, that is a Lenovo card. The FRU is a Lenovo part number. I think the firmware on Lenovo cards is set to work only on Lenovo machines so I doubt they'll work on your Acers. Can you return them?

 

I have the same card.
It does have different pin outs BUT I tested on Linux OS and it works but it refuses to start in Windows so it should be a platform driver issue.
I didn't bother to install Lenovo driver because I didn't have 3 antennas TS can try installing Lenovo Drivers before returning them.

 

I made the same rookie move buying this Lenovo Ultimate-N 6300 on ebay. It throws a "This device cannot start. (Code 10)".

I tried the Lenovo drivers. The software installed but at the very end of the install it crapped out when trying to load the device drivers.

$17.99 down the drain. If it sounds too good to be true....

 

Again, the lesson is: use Dell cards in Acers. (HP may work too - but not Lenovo.)

Lenovo's drivers have extensive hardware checks in them to prevent their use in non-Lenovo machines. Quite often these checks also fail on Lenovos - on some models, Lenovo doesn't support installing a boxed copy of Windows, because only the factory recovery disks can create an acceptable environment for the wireless driver.

 

I second .NetRolller 3D here- Ive seen cases where Lenovo cards would work in non-Lenovo hardware only with Lenovo drivers and cases where it wouldn't work at all.
It's better to avoid them.

 

Thanks for this post. I feel bad for the OP but I've been wanting to upgrade my wireless for a while and the Intel Ultimate-N was my first choice. This is nice to know.

Sounds like this is marketed as just a "Intel Ultimate-N 6300AGN" without mention that it's from am Lenovo. Is this the case? If I purchase one of these how can I avoid this??

 

Get a picture of the item. Lenovos are not the only bad cards out there - there are also fakes (relabeled ES cards, sometimes relabeled Atheroses and Broadcoms), often misnamed "Intel Ultimate-N WiFi Link 6300AGN" (authentic cards say "Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300").

Your best bet is a genuine Dell card.

 

Both HP and Lenovo have BIOS whitelists to restrict the wifi cards that can be used. Unless you have a HP or Lenovo, I would avoid their branded cards.

As for Lenovo drivers, I have 3 Thinkpads and use Intel drivers on all of them. Lenovo doesn't seem to update their drivers as often so their drivers tend to be older than Intel's. This also proves that using a Lenovo driver is not a requirement to get a Lenovo wifi card to work.

 

Not all Lenovos and not all Lenovo cards are equal - IIRC the X400 is the one with totally incompatible cards (that throw Code 10 with Intel drivers, or even with Lenovo drivers if a specific Lenovo configuration utility is not installed).

HP notebooks require HP cards, but they are known to work well with Intel drivers. There is no way for the cards themselves to have a whitelist of approved notebooks.

 

Is attaching a third antenna just as easy as buying the antenna wire and just running it to one of the corners of your laptop so it can get signal, or is there something more to it?

 

The antenna is not just a wire; there is also an actual antenna body that you need to place in the notebook lid.

 

Could you guide me to any tutorial that shows how to install the third antenna so that I can upgrade the network card? I want to do it for my laptop as well.

 

In this video, the guy doesn't connect the third Arial at all, I'm not sure what the disadvantages are but worth having a look.


replacement acer aspire 5520 factory Atheros G wifi card / N intel wifi card - YouTube

 

If your card is a 4965 or other 2-stream card, then the 3rd antenna is not needed. However, the 5300 and 6300 require it for 450Mbps operation. If you do not connect the extra antenna, the card will be limited to 300Mbps.

 

Thanks NetRoller, very useful information.