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    M17x R2 wireless upgrade ant. question

    Discussion in 'Alienware 17 and M17x' started by mattscool135, Jan 17, 2011.

  1. mattscool135

    mattscool135 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Hi i was wondering if the M17x had 3 wifi ant. or only 2? I have the Dell wifi 1520 card...and i think it only has 2 ant. doesnt it? I want to upgrade to the intel 6300. but it uses 3 ant. has anyone upgraded their m17x r2 from a dell wifi card and had 3 ant?
     
    mattscool135, Jan 17, 2011
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  2. JaiaV

    JaiaV Notebook Evangelist

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    I have the Intell 3x3 and I can say it works fairly well. The thing is your router has to support it as well etc etc etc. Theoretically it will give you 3 connections for more speed. For the most part it is faster than the stock card though.
     
    JaiaV, Jan 17, 2011
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  3. Corthalis

    Corthalis Notebook Geek

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    I also upgraded to the 6300 from the 1520. The R2 already comes with the 3rd antenna so you just plug it in. My only qualm is that although the 6300 gives superior speed if you're close to the router, the range seems to be lower than the 1520 (no idea why considering it's 3 vs 2 antenna).
     
    Corthalis, Jan 17, 2011
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  4. Spunky424

    Spunky424 Notebook Consultant

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    this isnt always true. My r2 did not come with the 3rd antenna. its only got two, so if you dont use your bluetooth you can steal the antenna from there and use it as the third antenna.
     
    Spunky424, Jan 17, 2011
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  5. katalin_2003

    katalin_2003 NBR Spectre Super Moderator

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    yeah,only that you'll want all your 3 antennas oriented in the same direction.
    The three antennas are used for MIMO (Multi-In/Multi-Out). In the 801.11n draft MIMO uses 1 antenna for 2.4ghz, 1 antenna for 5ghz, and 1 antenna as a control.
     
    katalin_2003, Jan 17, 2011
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