Laptops w Wifi AC? Upgrade/ADD-ON Considerations....

I'm looking to buy a new laptop relatively soon, however need to make sure I'll NOT be STUCK with Wifi N for the rest of its life cycle!!!!
Having Wifi AC or even Tri-band N/AC/AD (AD - wigig for complementing AC) IS HIGH PRIORITY (AC at least)!!!

Please note: I'm, obviously not REAL knowledgeable about Laptop or Network connection/interface specs, their speeds and bottlenecks associated. PLEASE kinda read between the lines and help me figure out what needs to be known if I'm off track with line of questions...

1 Are current Notebook Wifi N NIC integrated into motherboard?
Or are they connected to internal pcie or other that could be swapped with Aftermarket upgraded tech?
-> Can factory configured wifi N cards be swapped out with future Triband N/AC/AD (AD - WiGig for mass storage devices, docking, ect) Or at least Wifi AC ???
--> Keeping NIC Adapter internal, so no antennas sticking out?
Without taking up any of the expansion ports/connections (if there are any in first place. Seems like a lot of the Laptops I've recently looked at don't appear to have ANY expansion ports - just 2 usb 3.0 external)

2 When do you guess most major Mfr's will begin making these available?
- Wifi AC
- Tri-band (N/AC/AD) and/or WiGig AD
a) Third Party Mfr's add-on/upgrade hardware
b) Laptop Mfr's actually begin shipping Laptops with factory configured

BTW: Looking specifically at 2013 Samsung Series 7 Chronos 15.6" Touchscreen (soon to be released 8870m version)
or similar THIN 13-15" (touchscreen?) Discrete GPU laptop

Thanks for help you guys/gals - Really appreciate it a lot

 

Most wireless NICs are on a small PCIe chip. The obvious exception is ultrabooks which tend to have theirs integrated. Most tri band wireless N chips are in the neighborhood of $30-$40. The obvious caveat is if your machine has the 3 antennae required.
I can understand your excitement but the AC spec isn't even officially recognized/standardized yet. It still has a long way to go. Hell, triple band Wireless N routers are still really expensive at the moment.

 

1) you have to see is who produces that thing, i think there was only broadcom or some other, Im not entirely up to who is getting things done on AC

2) you have to see if samsung whitelist what they accept

Now your questions:

1) its usually a mpcie card, it avoids unnecessary hassle about legislation.
1.1) You can if the bios supports and you have drivers that work
1.2) what expansion ports are you talking about?

2) I have no clue

so basically we just saw this at the end of last year, wifi tech takes usually longer to get a hold of the market.

 

thanks for info... I suppose it will matter which mfr/model laptop I end up with - as far as if it'll be swappable and have supported BIOS and/or drivers.

I'd read that netgear, I think, is about to hit the market with pcie wifi AC adapters, but perhaps those are for desktops if laptops use mpcie cards.

@ Karamazovmm, was talking about extra pcie connections or PCMCIA, which likely are extinct on thin and lighter current gen laptops

I guess I'd be real surprised if Haswell launch laptops didn't start coming configured with wifi ac....
But until the standard actually gets finalized, may not see any mfr's shipping w draft components(?)

Wish the hell they'd get the AC ball rolling already, hate to buy laptop that's not equipped to utilize the coming wifi standard that will be THE standard for it's entire lifecycle!
Would be waay more comfortable pulling trigger now if I know for sure I could add wifi ac to my new laptop when it is ready to go on adapter end.

 

well you rarely have anything that is not being used in a notebook, those extras like unused mpcie slots have always a function. aside that pcmcia and expresscard are all dead formats

as you can see your expectations of ac might not realize, we still have very few ac routers, and it takes more to see mpcie from what i could see from the transition from g to n

 

this thread is at least six months premature, probably more like a year.

 

The editors of Wikipedia estimate 802.11ad will be market ready in 2014.

 

802.11ac you ask? Well it looks like Vizio will be the first (if this is correct) with their upcomming AMD Richland APU-based (and Intel) thin and lights:



14" - VIZIO 14

15.6" - VIZIO 15.6

 

I knew that the Wigig AD is WAY off. If Vizio is equipping AC soon, it won't be that long for others to follow suit.
How far out is that AMD Richland? I don't keep up, usually with non intel releases....

Also, just found this: http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/06/asus-first-out-the-gate-with-802-11ac-laptop-according-to-broadc/
Then this- MacBooks in 2013 w AC for sure!: http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/01/02/apples-2013-macs-rumored-to-include-80211ac-gigabit-wi-fi

AC IS coming in first half of 2013. Hate to be stuck with Wifi N for next 2-3 years!!!!

Thanks for info, too. Very interesting!
Wish the heck it had an intel i7 and equal or better battery and GPU as the Samsung Series 7 Chronos 2013

 

If any OEM is equipping their laptops with AC, ANY other OEM will soon follow. That's just a matter of time. The 15.6" Vizio with A10 is on pre-order status at Vizio's site so it should be available withing weeks I'd say. However, this A10, is not Richland, it is more like Trinity A10-4600M 35W in a BGA package. Anyways im going off tangent , it should be the same for the Intel-based models.
The Vizio's do come with Intel® Core™ i7 but you're stuck with HD4000 for both models. So either you pick great igpu+crossfire and good enough cpu (with the AMD model) or great cpu and good enough igpu with the Intel one.

i7-3635QM
Quad-core
(2.4GHz)


I' wasn't really sure who technically is "the first out" with AC, i was just saying that to say it. But it looks like Asus is (thanks for finding that). Even if you buy a laptop with N now, I'm sure you'll be able swap out an old N card for a new AC card once they become readily available. So I wouldn't stress out about that. And you wouldn't be "Stuck" with wifi N for the next 2-3 yrs, considering AC is coming out this year. You'd have to actually resist upgrading or buying an AC wifi card to do that!

 

If any OEM is equipping their laptops with AC, ANY other OEM will soon follow. That's just a matter of time. The 15.6" Vizio with A10 is on pre-order status at Vizio's site so it should be available withing weeks I'd say. However, this A10, is not Richland, it is more like Trinity A10-4600M 35W in a BGA package. Anyways im going off tangent , it should be the same for the Intel-based models.
The Vizio's do come with Intel® Core™ i7 but you're stuck with HD4000 for both models. So either you pick great igpu+crossfire and good enough cpu (with the AMD model) or great cpu and good enough igpu with the Intel one.

i7-3635QM
Quad-core
(2.4GHz)


I' wasn't really sure who technically is "the first out" with AC, i was just saying that to say it. But it looks like Asus is (thanks for finding that). Even if you buy a laptop with N now, I'm sure you'll be able swap out an old N card for a new AC card once they become readily available. So I wouldn't stress out about that. And you wouldn't be "Stuck" with wifi N for the next 2-3 yrs, considering AC is coming out this year. You'd have to actually resist upgrading or avoid buying an AC wifi card to be stuck!

 

So, it should not be an issue to SWAP out an internal pciem wifi n card for a wifi AC pciem card??? A lot of these thin/light and or ultra books are sealed and opening voids warranty, right?
Don't really want to be stuck in position that I have to have a giant 3 antenna external adapter appendage (via usb 3.0, also leaving only 1 other usb 3.o on many) if forced to use an external wifi AC usb 3.0 add-on peripheral, you know???

***??? Anyone have the latest scoop on the status of the FINALIZING on the wifi AC standard??
If the Draft status perhaps a major reason these mfr's are holding off/out on including
OR
Are they, more than likely, waiting for Intel Haswell refreshes to add wifi AC as extra enticement (wow spelled correctly w/o spellchecker - bonus ???

Lastly, if anyone finds any updated tidbits about wifi AC equipped laptops, throw up a link or mention if possible!

 

The process of finalizing the standard is based on the IEEE and how long it takes to fix any issues they find with it. It varies with each standard.

For comparison, the faster 802.11ad standard (WiGig) is already final, but as I understand it, the tech isn't out to make it/mass produce it yet.

 

I've yet to see an ultrabook with an integrated on-board WiFi NIC. They're all half-mini PCIe.

Not really. All 2013 flagship mobile devices are shipping with AC support. Why can't notebooks? It's a sad day when smartphones are actually more advanced than most laptops out there. 1080p IPS displays are becoming standard, AC support, quad-core A15...

Now, AD support, I can see that one will be a while.

 

Was also little bit searching about this topic, I was thinking Asus was coming with a AC adapter in a laptop soon...

Don't know, i geuss it is getting slowly there

 

Yes, I'd found either netgear or one of those other network specific mfr's had announced aftermarket AC adapter (either at CES or separate announcement).
I'm sure whomever is supplying the already announced MacBook Pro refresh this summer with its wifi AC adapter should also have aftermarket version available as well possibly...
Asus is also very likely a safe bet - they seem to "get it" with getting the jump on the market with new tech.. Would also do nothing but increase sales of it's dominating AC Router - for those mfr's with AC Routers I'm SHOCKED they don't have AC adapters to push sales of their AC Routers.

Hopefully it won't take Apple's MacBook Pro's refresh with its AC to get the pc laptop mfr's to get moving!!
PC makers may also be waiting to release AC adapter's as standard factory config to further push sales of upcoming Intel Haswell..?

I'm afraid buying a thin/light or ultrabook w/o AC factory configured may NOT be able to upgrade to aftermarket wifi AC adapter (at least internally - again, hate having 1 of 2 usb 3.0 ports used up by an external usb AC adapter). Either physically not possible or if it is possible, very likely will void mfr warranty by opening sealed laptop case (unless dedicated wifi compartment that is user accessable w/o opening sealed case) hell, the Samsung series 7 chronos I'm looking at doesn't even allow swapping out slow oem 5400 hdd for SSD without voiding warranty!!!

 

now thats interesting, even apple allows you to change things on the mbps, not in the rmbp, still thats a change from samsung, they allowed that before

and your worries should be about the whitelisting, not the warranty, if you need it, swap back the old part

 

It's not so much Samsung not allowing you to remove it as there's just no removable panel on the bottom of the notebook. I've taken apart several Series 7's and they're quite simple. Just unscrew the perimeter screws and the others for the doors, then just unsnap the bottom plate. The one I had previously came with an Intel 6230 WiFi/BT combo card, so know that replacing your WiFi will also delete your bluetooth options.

I honestly don't know why more people don't just buy business notebooks. SUPER easy to upgrade, and most ALL of them come with at least 1 spare/empty mPCIe slot. My Latitude E6220 came with 2 empty slots, one a half-mini and the other a regular mPCIe... and it even had 3 spare antenna leads.

 

Thanks for info, Have question(s) for you/ anyone who's actually opened the 'sealed' compartments that are said to void warranty if serviced (opened/accessed by user, per Samsung support chat)...

#1: Are there ANY security seals, that reveal that a user has, in fact, opened the sealed areas?
eg: when I modded my xbox 360's, there are security seal stickers that reveal that they've been removed and tampered with, which in and of itself is voiding the M$ warranty....
Granted, I believe that security seals MAY be removable, without messing up the sticker which peels off the print when tampered with, by heating up with heat gun or hairdryer prior to peeling off....

#2: Agreed about business notebooks with extra connections!
I'd considered a Lenovo workstation which had lots of upgradeable possibilities.
However, not nearly as thin & light as the Samsung Series 7 chronos I've been considering...

Question #1 What is whiltelisting? I'm sure I could google, but want an answer specific to how it pertains to samsung series 7, in particular...

 

This guy found an AC wifi adapter adapter which he says is a pre-released OEM:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/lenovo/715715-i-made-possibly-fastest-wifi-thinkpad-world-2.html

 

No, there are no security seals or anything. Just the screws and the plastic clips on the inside of the bottom panel that clip in onto the frame. Just be careful when taking the bottom panel off... the clips CAN break if you're just ripping it apart.

My e6220 was a 12.5" notebook. Probably the best small notebook I've ever owned.

Whitelisting is just a practice that OEM's use so that you can't use a WiFi card with the wrong frequency bands... because different countries use different channels, and some cards aren't cleared for use on those channels in the US. It's usually only the exotic cards that don't work for a notebook with a whitelist. (or in HP's case, any card not BRANDED HP or Intel) Samsung should be fine, though, with any US card. That Broadcom card MIGHT work, but I can't guarantee it. It worked in the Lenovo, and Lenovo and HP usually have the worst whitelists.

 

I was looking at one of those, too - the lenovo workstation that is...
Would you mind answering some possibly naive, on my part, questions about your laptop and its upgrades?

A) How is it? Have you used to play games or encode videos???

B) How well have the Factory Lenovo system utilities and restore functions worked after swapping out factory Storage setup
... Assuming you added SSD, ect

B1) How did it come configured from factory?
- Storage

C) (You've got essentially 3 storage devices internally in that monster?)
How have you got everything setup as far as storage and boot/programs?

D) What type of Battery runtime are you getting out of that?
Does the workstation GPU switch to integrated Intel Graphics when discrete not needed?

E) Do you mind me asking what that cost factory configured
E1) Total you've invested in upgraded setup listed in your sig???

F) What other workstations did you consider or is there a different mfr/model you would buy now if it wasn't available then or would just do differently??

Know that's a lot of questions, but I think a workstation laptop maybe a better option for me, being my primary computer. I could always buy a tablet or cheap ultrabook if need portable casual useage..
Thanks again...
JD m.d.

 

I don't play any games but the video encoding speeds are great. Overall I'm very happy. I've mostly been using it for light dev work. I do use several VM's and I'm really, really enjoying finally being able to run 2 or 3 w/o breaking a sweat.

I use Acronis for backup, not the Lenovo Utility. I backed up the hard drive on first power up, before running "First Use". I restored that image to the Main SSD and had no problems.

The base Lenovo Utilities are fine. I uninstalled the wireless utility because it caused problems with sleep/restore functions. I don't usually use any additional wifi utilities anyway. I got rid of a couple of other bloatware things right away but nothing problematic.

Lenovo's iRST available driver is only 11.2 and not very good (I've updated to 12.5) and I've only had one NVIDIA graphics driver update. So, nothing really notable about driver support, IMHO, but not unusual for laptop support.

Overall, though, reconfiguration, and adding RAM and Storage seems particularly easy. I was happy to find a dis-assembly guide right on their website which impressed me since I usually have to search quite a bit to find decent dis-assembly instructions.

It had 4M of Ram and two 500GB HD - no mSata.

Vector: Boot; Mushkin: ExpressCache & Storage; HGST: Storage & Backup; 4GB Ramdisk for temp dir, browser & email cache. I played around with Intel Rapid Start using a hibernation partition on the Mushkin but it stopped working after I forgot to increase the partition size after I increased the Ram from 16GB > 32GB. I haven't gotten it working right again after increasing the partition size. Lenovo doesn't expressly support Rapid Start except as part of the their "30 Day Standby" - which isn't desirable to me.

I haven't really focused on this yet and I mostly use the system plugged in. Lenovo does provide a way to keep the battery conditioned which i appreciate. I have a nine cell and I'd guess I get six to eight hours of work out of a charge.

BASE: $1,299
RAM: 32GB $190; Vector: $456; Mushin: $125 HGST: $89

I haven't really looked back. I'm pretty happy with this system. I may eventually upgrade the CPU to a 3940XM if it turns out that it's feasible (I'll let somebody else try it first )
I upgraded from a Vaio, which was where I looked first, but their soldered 4M Ram Chip in most of their systems turned me off completely. I also looked at the Dell 15SE and an HP Envy. But I finally decided I didn't want the full size number pad and went for the build quality of the w530.

I will say that one thing that is somewhat annoying is that lack of separate Mic & Line in/out audio ports & no "What U Hear" audio recording capability - but there are workarounds.

Since the thread is about AC wifi. . . I am looking forward to being able to upgrade the WiFi on this machine eventually since I have an ASUS RT-AC66U which the 6300 works with just fine. Navigating whitelists can be pretty cumbersome but I'm pretty optomistic they'll be a decent option by the end of the year. . .

 

thanks a lot for addressing lengthy questions very well. I really appreciate it, very very helpful!

JD m.d.

 

Here you go.

http://wikidevi.com/wiki/AzureWave_AW-CE123H

If you find a place to buy it, let me know.

 

Intel already has the 7260 802.11ac available.

ARK | Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260
http://www.intel.com/content/dam/ww...ual-band-wireless-ac-7260-bluetooth-brief.pdf

 

I know GenTechPC has them available for some models.

 

does your laptop currently have to have a 3 antenna card in order to make it work with a new 3 antenna card (my laptop only has 2)? Debating whether to wait for a 3 antenna ac card.

Also, I've only got 20 mbps download/5 mpbs upload WLAN. What requires the most speed for me is streaming video remotely from my mybooklive NAS and also when I watch tv shows off the internet with flash. Is getting an ac card really going to improve performance for these two uses given my slow WLAN speed?

 

Check what the file transfer speeds for your NAS are when wired, if it exceeds what Wireless N can do (a good router/adapter setup can give you > 20 MB/s WLAN to LAN). You'll know whether AC will give you any benefit.

 

You can buy these now, but there are apparently only Windows 8 drivers available:

Drivers for Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 Card?