Sunday, August 16, 2015

Asus K55A WLAN Upgrade

Upgrading the Asus K55A notebook computer WLAN was a frustrating process. I went through 3 different miniPCIe WLAN cards before finally settling on the Intel 7260.HMWWB.R 802.11ac/n/b/g + Bluetooth 4.0 here from embeddedworks.net. Something to note is that the Asus Wireless Switch (Wireless Console3) Utility DOES NOT and will not display the bluetooth icon regardless of whether or not a working bluetooth adapter is installed in the notebook computer.


The first miniPCIe WLAN card that I got was the Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 7260HMW Bluetooth BT 04W3814 for IBM Lenovo here from amazon.com. This particular variety of the Intel 7260 doesn't work with any other computer other than HP (HP EliteBook confirmed) and supposedly the Lenovo (per the description). This particular card was a BUST.

Second, the AzureWave Broadcom BCM94352HMB 802.11ac + BT4.0 here from amazon.com. Per user comments, the AzureWave Broadcom BCM94352HMB bluetooth functionality uses the USB lanes in the miniPCIe slot. On installing the AzureWave Broadcom BCM94352HMB in the Asus K55A notebook computer, the WLAN is picked up, but bluetooth functionality is not recognized. The assumption is that the Asus K55A miniPCIe port does NOT have the USB lanes connected. Thus, the AzureWave Broadcom BCM94352HMB was also a BUST.

Lastly, I tried the Intel 7260.HMWWB.R from here from embeddedworks.net and IT WORKED!








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4 comments:

  1. UnknownFebruary 10, 2016 at 1:38 PM

    Hello, I also dropped an Intel 7260 into an ASUS X401A. While the Bluetooth worked once, after a restart it stopped. Did you remove the "ASUS Wireless Console 3" software? I am uninstalling/reinstalling drivers to no avail, another thread sent me in the "Wireless Console" direction. Thank you...

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    1. MeepFebruary 10, 2016 at 2:19 PM

      Where did you get your Intel 7260 from? I've had issues with the version from Amazon.com. The one I got from embeddedworks.net was generic so it just worked with pretty much every machine.

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    2. UnknownFebruary 10, 2016 at 4:53 PM

      I purchased an Amazon one: http://smile.amazon.com/Intel-Wireless-AC-Network-Bluetooth-7260-HMWWB-R/dp/B00N7474CS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1455141100&sr=8-3&keywords=intel+7260

      And I've only had a couple hours last night messing around with it, a little disappointed, others are having similar issues, been Googling it today, came across your thread, appreciated your post!

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    3. MeepFebruary 10, 2016 at 7:52 PM

      I've used the same device on an Asus U46E-BAL5, Asus K55A, and a Sony VAIO Z2. I wonder if it's a model problem. The embeddedworks.net model looks the same: http://www.embeddedworks.net/wlan603.html.
      The K55A wireless console 3 application didn't support the Bluetooth, so it didn't matter. The only thing that I can think of is that the model perhaps doesn't support your computer. Can you return it and get a more "generic" model from another seller? I haven't had much luck with the models sold on amazon.com because they're particular to HPs/Lenovos. I remember on the K55A the model from amazon.com the Bluetooth cut in an out. It's like it is disabled for some reason.

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