Acer es1 132 updating the wifi card

v12nut
v12nut Member Posts: 28 Enthusiast WiFi Icon
edited September 2021 in Aspire Laptops
Hi all,
Thinking of updating the wifi card, will an intel 9260 ngw work in this machine?
cheers

«13

Answers

  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,868 Trailblazer
    It might since the physical form factor seems to be the same. But there are two potential issues. Signal strength may be weaker due to laptop antenna design not optimized for the 9260. But more importantly, may not be fully compatible with lower end cpus like the pentiums & celerons. The price is reasonable. So if it was mine I'd probably give it a go for the potential speed enhancement.

    Jack E/NJ

  • v12nut
    v12nut Member Posts: 28 Enthusiast WiFi Icon
    Thanks for the reply Jack, I have now tried the 9260 and size is the same but wifi is not recognised however Bluetooth is? strange ?
    cheers
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,868 Trailblazer
    Not really. Bluetooth circuitry hasn't changed much in these cards for almost 10years. However wifi circuitry in the 9260 card was designed for more recent higher end i3, i5 and i7 cpus that were introduced a year or two after the Celerons & Pentiums in the ES1-132. Do you see any red or yellow driver warnings in Device Manager?

    Jack E/NJ

  • v12nut
    v12nut Member Posts: 28 Enthusiast WiFi Icon
    I dis see a yellow warning but fixing that only enabled the Bluetooth, there are no warnings for the wifi
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,868 Trailblazer
    Is the wifi even visible/recognized?

    Jack E/NJ

  • v12nut
    v12nut Member Posts: 28 Enthusiast WiFi Icon
    No, there was only one 'unrecognised device'  which turned out to be the Bluetooth, it is also not picked up by the Intel driver support assistant.
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,868 Trailblazer
    Yeah, sorry. As suggested earlier, it's not fully compatible with pentiums & celerons. Only the later Intel I-series cpus. A trick has been reported by some users with atom, pentium and celeron laptops to enable the wifi by taping off one of the card's pins. It may be worth a try if you can determine which pin on your card from the image of a similar card below.


    Jack E/NJ

  • v12nut
    v12nut Member Posts: 28 Enthusiast WiFi Icon
    Thanks Jack I will give it a try. will let you know if it worked.
  • v12nut
    v12nut Member Posts: 28 Enthusiast WiFi Icon
    JackE said:
    Yeah, sorry. As suggested earlier, it's not fully compatible with pentiums & celerons. Only the later Intel I-series cpus. A trick has been reported by some users with atom, pentium and celeron laptops to enable the wifi by taping off one of the card's pins. It may be worth a try if you can determine which pin on your card from the image of a similar card below.



    Hi Jack, ok I have tried every pin on the 9260 that is different from my original card, to no avail. I found this pic very similar to the 9260 but still no joy
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,868 Trailblazer
    Sorry. This Intel 7265 has reportedly worked for this model.





    Jack E/NJ

  • v12nut
    v12nut Member Posts: 28 Enthusiast WiFi Icon
    JackE said:
    Sorry. This Intel 7265 has reportedly worked for this model.






    Would the AC7265 be significantly better than the AC3168 already in the machine?
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,868 Trailblazer
    Reportedly doubles the speed. The Intel3168 and equivalents are rated 433Mb/s max, the Intel7265 867Mb/s max.

    Jack E/NJ

  • v12nut
    v12nut Member Posts: 28 Enthusiast WiFi Icon
    JackE said:
    Reportedly doubles the speed. The Intel3168 and equivalents are rated 433Mb/s max, the Intel7265 867Mb/s max.

    So just to update the 7265 out of the packet does not work on this model,  bluetooth does but no wifi! maybe have to try taping one of the pins off. throws up Code10 error in device manager! and to cap it all one of the antenna connectors has snapped, ho hum.
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,868 Trailblazer
    Hold on. Does Device Manager actually show the wifi or wlan in the network folder with a red or yellow warning. If yes, the card is recognized but the driver software is incorrect. A screenshot would be helpful.

    Jack E/NJ

  • v12nut
    v12nut Member Posts: 28 Enthusiast WiFi Icon
    JackE said:
    Hold on. Does Device Manager actually show the wifi or wlan in the network folder with a red or yellow warning. If yes, the card is recognized but the driver software is incorrect. A screenshot would be helpful.

    Yes the wifi card is shown in device manager with a yellow warning,  properties show cannot start code10 . checked on the intel site where there is a fair bit of info re code 10 faults, downloaded the absolute latest drivers and installed them same problem. tried all the fixes listed by intel .
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,868 Trailblazer
    Can you get on line with a wired connection to the router?

    Jack E/NJ

  • v12nut
    v12nut Member Posts: 28 Enthusiast WiFi Icon
    I think so, will give it a try tomorrow.
    cheers

    JackE said:
    Can you get on line with a wired connection to the router?


    Ok Ethernet works fine.

  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,868 Trailblazer
    Download and install iobit's DriverBooster freeware to see if it'll pick up anything on line for the wifi card.

    Jack E/NJ

  • v12nut
    v12nut Member Posts: 28 Enthusiast WiFi Icon
    JackE said:
    Download and install iobit's DriverBooster freeware to see if it'll pick up anything on line for the wifi card.

    Will do however right now I am trying to find the part number for new wifi antenna cables as the connectors have broken off both cables! Do I wish I had never started this.........................
  • JackE
    JackE ACE Posts: 44,868 Trailblazer
    Google search '50.GG2N7.003'. About $20usd. But this not a frequently replaced part and may not be too well stocked especially for an older laptop. They're also not too easily installed since it requires pulling the screen bezel and hinge covers off.

    It may be better to strip back the insulation on the miniature coax to expose the ground mesh. Then peel the mesh back to expose the center insulation and rf signal wire. Then simple push it back into the coax end connector. Usually no soldering or physical contact is necessary between the board pins and center wire and grounds. They just need to be close together.

    Jack E/NJ