Upgrade Atheros AR9285 wireless card?

I have been having trouble with Atheros AR9285 wireless card ever since upgrading my home network with an Engenius EAP9550 802.11 bgn access point. Without bothering with too much detail, as it seems the Atheros card is universally spat-upon by the internet community, I get either a 30 Kbps (yes, Kilobits) transfer rate, or the wireless card can't even see my network at all, which is auto bgn. Trying to get HP to replace the card through Indian tech support seems more trouble than it is worth. I am pretty sure they know about the problem, but don't want to cough up a proper replacement card.

What should I replace it with? I know the card is dual antenna, and I think it is only a 2.4 GHz model, meaning the antenna will only be for 2.4 GHz most likely. My home network is also 2.4 GHz. So what would the best card for me be? An intel 5300 has an extra antenna I don't need. Can I still use it? Would the unterminated port cause problems? Should I somehow terminate it in a 50 ohm load to prevent RF problems? Does Intel make a 2 X 2 MIMO 2.4 GHz card? I hear the 5100 is not such a great card.

Any advice on the best solution and where to buy?

Thanks,

Lifespeed

Edit: This is on a Compaq CQ62-2220US Win 7 x64 ultimate, AMD athlon II

 

Welcome to the forum.
Intel 5300 is a good choice and it can be safely used with the third connector unoccupied (although by third I mean the middle one).

Unfortunately you are right about the Atheros AR9285- it's caused more problems than any other card apart from Intel's 2200 and 5100.
Apparently AR9285 doesn't work well as 802.11n card so you might want to change your settings from auto bgn to 802.11g- maybe this will help.