Solved M.2 2230 Wi-FI Card Not Working


Ed Tittel

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OK, then. With a new system comes new learning. I just installed an Intel AX201NGW M.2 Wi-Fi card in my Asrock B550 Extreme4 build (AMD Ryzen 3 5800X, GeForce 1070 Ti, 64GB RAM, 2TB Sabrent Rocket SSD). Mostly, everything just works. But the Wi-Fi card does not show up in the UEFI, nor of course in Device Manager either. Everthing I've read online -- including some reports from other users of the same (or same family) of motherboards -- say this card works in their builds. I'm forced to believe either (a) I've got a bad card or (b) the M.2 mobo socket is not working. Any suggestions for further troubleshooting? My instinct is to replace the M.2 card and see if another one works. Can anyone shed further light?

TIA for your input and suggestions.

Best wishes,
--Ed--
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo X380 Yoga
    CPU
    i7-8650U (8th Gen/Kaby Lake)
    Motherboard
    20LH000MUS (U3E1)
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics 620
    Sound Card
    Integrated Conexant SmartAudio HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    FlexView Display
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 1 TB PCIe x3 NVMe SSD
    external 5TB Seagate USB-C attached HDD
    PSU
    Lenovo integrated 65W power brick
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    Laptop
    Cooling
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    Integrated Lenovo ThinkPad keyboard
    Mouse
    touchscreen, touchpad
    Internet Speed
    GbE (Spectrum/Charter)
    Browser
    all of em
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    Purchased early 2019 as Windows Insider test PC
It's difficult to know a faulty hardware component without testing it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavilion
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
    Motherboard
    Erica6
    Memory
    Micron Technology DDR4-3200 16GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC671
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Samsung SyncMaster U28E590
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    SAMSUNG MZVLQ1T0HALB-000H1
Motherboard does not support AX201NGW M.2 Wi-Fi card but supports you type 2230 wifi / bt pcie wifi modules not the same wrong you read the manual
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win11 PRO
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    AsRock
    CPU
    Ryzen Threadripper 1920x
    Motherboard
    AsRock Fatal1ty
    Memory
    Hyperx 32GB 3600Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Asus GeForce TURBO RTX 2080Ti 11GB
    Sound Card
    matheboard and Logitech G933 Gaming Headset
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS 28"
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    ssd m2 970, 960, ssd 840 EVO 1TB, 4 x 4TB HDD
    PSU
    corsair 1200W
    Case
    big tower
    Cooling
    corsair H150IPro
    Keyboard
    logitech k800
    Mouse
    logitech G603
    Internet Speed
    download 200 Mbps upload 100 Mbps
    Browser
    Maxthon
    Antivirus
    avira
I think you are out of luck if seeking wi-fi 6 at least on M.2. Personally, I would go to extremes to hook a desktop to ethernet. Actually, I had my whole house wired for it albeit, my house had to literally burn down for it. I advise my clients to have the ISP modem moved to the same room.
I hate that most new laptops do not have built-in ethernet and need a USB adapter for it.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10
OK, then: as I suspected. Because the item is on the Intel CNVi (Intel Integrated Connectivity) list, it stands to reason it wouldn't work on an AMD mobo/chipset/CPU combo. I found a REKONG Wi-Fi/BT module on Amazon for US$27 that does not mention Intel CNVi. Further, I'm guessing because it's not an Intel product (or derived from an Intel license as far as I can tell) that it won't fail to find stuff it's not looking for anyway (CNVi related, that is).

If that doesn't work, I think I'll look into a plug-in PCIe card (as in my son's upstairs PC). I do have two unused such slots in the mobo at present. Most of them run in the US$30-50 range for 802.11ax capability (that's as fast as my best WAP/router will go anyway). I just wanted to play around with the M.2 and it cost me less than US$25.

Thanks for responses. I'll mark this thread solved. @obelix was right: I read the manual incorrectly -- actually, it was the Asrock Forums thread that turned out to be most informative (and I did find that one in my researches, too). Thanks again.

--Ed--
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo X380 Yoga
    CPU
    i7-8650U (8th Gen/Kaby Lake)
    Motherboard
    20LH000MUS (U3E1)
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics 620
    Sound Card
    Integrated Conexant SmartAudio HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    FlexView Display
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 1 TB PCIe x3 NVMe SSD
    external 5TB Seagate USB-C attached HDD
    PSU
    Lenovo integrated 65W power brick
    Case
    Laptop
    Cooling
    Laptop
    Keyboard
    Integrated Lenovo ThinkPad keyboard
    Mouse
    touchscreen, touchpad
    Internet Speed
    GbE (Spectrum/Charter)
    Browser
    all of em
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    Purchased early 2019 as Windows Insider test PC
Just a quick follow-up: the REKONG module mentioned in my preceding item works. That said, the performance of an internal Wi-Fi card with no external antenna leaves somewhat to be desired. I haven't been able to get past 300 Mbps on throughput, and that's with the device about 3 m away from the WAP. My son has an Asus 802.11ax PCIe adapter card in his PC (same mobo, same CPU) and it gets up to 900 Mbps from the Spectrum WAP (about 6 m away) and up to 500 Mbps from my office WAP (about 12 m away). Go figure!

At least, I've learned how to work with the right card for an AMD mobo and now understand their capabilities and limitations a bit better. And it only cost me about US$55 to find out. Amusing.

=Ed=

PS: See this blog post for more info on my experiences and observations NonCNVi M.2 Wi-Fi Device Delivers LAN Access
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo X380 Yoga
    CPU
    i7-8650U (8th Gen/Kaby Lake)
    Motherboard
    20LH000MUS (U3E1)
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics 620
    Sound Card
    Integrated Conexant SmartAudio HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    FlexView Display
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 1 TB PCIe x3 NVMe SSD
    external 5TB Seagate USB-C attached HDD
    PSU
    Lenovo integrated 65W power brick
    Case
    Laptop
    Cooling
    Laptop
    Keyboard
    Integrated Lenovo ThinkPad keyboard
    Mouse
    touchscreen, touchpad
    Internet Speed
    GbE (Spectrum/Charter)
    Browser
    all of em
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    Purchased early 2019 as Windows Insider test PC

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