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ASRock Z370 Pro4 Wifi with the M.2 (Key E) slot

Printed From: ASRock.com
Category: Technical Support
Forum Name: Intel Motherboards
Forum Description: Question about ASRock Intel Motherboards
URL: https://forum.asrock.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=9665
Printed Date: 29 Mar 2024 at 12:05am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.04 - http://www.webwizforums.com


Topic: ASRock Z370 Pro4 Wifi with the M.2 (Key E) slot
Posted By: mickoz
Subject: ASRock Z370 Pro4 Wifi with the M.2 (Key E) slot
Date Posted: 12 Sep 2018 at 3:00am
" rel="nofollow - Hi, I have bought an ASRock Z370 Pro4 (not yet received), and I will be looking to add Wifi through the M.2 (Key E) slot.

First I am wondering what I have to buy exactly?

1.
Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8260
https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIADDZ6852990
That look like a M.2 component I can buy, right?
For some reason, they don't obviously label these components with M.2 Key E, neither in the specs, so that is why it create a lot of doubts.

2.
Do I also need to buy extra components like antennas or what else, or these will be included in my motherboard box?

Thanks



Replies:
Posted By: mickoz
Date Posted: 13 Sep 2018 at 1:30pm
I have been doing some search and I guess I need the card + wire + antenna, can someone please confirm?

I have found "kit" that offer all, like these:

1730Mbps Intel 9560 802.11ac WiFi Card + 6dbi IPEX MHF4 To RP-SMA Antenna Set
https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx%3cItem=9SIAFJX7S44624" rel="nofollow - https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAFJX7S44624

Dual Band Intel 9260 802.11ac WiFi Card + 6dbi IPEX MHF4 To RP-SMA Antenna Set
https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx%3cItem=9SIAFJX7S45267" rel="nofollow - https://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIAFJX7S45267

The connector on the 9560 does not seem to be exactly the same as the connector on 9260, are both compatible with ASRock mobo?

Also, I see 2DBi, 5DBi and 6DBi Antenna available (and lot of other DBi).  Which one I want to use inside the house?  Is the 6DBi in those kits good to achieve good performance or should I aim for lower DBi?



Posted By: mickoz
Date Posted: 13 Sep 2018 at 1:40pm
Also, if we compare Intel 9560 with 9260 and 8260:
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/compare-products.html/wireless%3cproductIds=99446,99445,86068" rel="nofollow - https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/products/compare-products.html/wireless?productIds=99446,99445,86068

We can see that the 9560 has a system interface type M.2 CNVio, while the two other have M.2: PCIe, USB.

That and the fact the connector look a bit different make me wonder if they are all compatible with ASRock mobo?


Posted By: ASRock_TSD
Date Posted: 14 Sep 2018 at 10:44am
" rel="nofollow -

Dear Mickoz,

 

Thank you for choosing ASRock.

 

If you want to use the Wi-Fi module on Z370 Pro4, please select the M.2 type E Wi-Fi module.

Because the Wi-Fi module didn't bundle with Z370 Pro4, the motherboard accessories will not include the antennas.

Please note the Z370 chipset doesn't support M.2 CNVi.

M.2 CNVi Wi-Fi module can only be used at B360, H370, and H310 chipset.

 

Yours truly,

ASRock TSD



Posted By: mickoz
Date Posted: 14 Sep 2018 at 11:36pm
" rel="nofollow - Thanks for the reply.

One question you did not answer is about the DBI of the antennas, do you have any recommendation about it? 2, 4, 5, 6?

Another way to answer this would be to tell me how many DBI is the antennas included with the ASRock Z270 Killer SLI/AC, as I have this and it is working well.


Posted By: mickoz
Date Posted: 16 Sep 2018 at 9:10am
I decided to go with a kit including Intel Wireless-AC 9260 w/ IPEX MHF4 U.FL Cables & 6DBi Antennas

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Wireless-For-Intel-AC-9260-9260NGW-802-11ac-NGFF-WiFi-Bluetooth-5-0-Card-6dbi-IPEX/32902168847.html" rel="nofollow - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Wireless-For-Intel-AC-9260-9260NGW-802-11ac-NGFF-WiFi-Bluetooth-5-0-Card-6dbi-IPEX/32902168847.html


Posted By: Jon204D
Date Posted: 06 Jul 2019 at 12:15pm
Hello ASRock_TSD,

I am looking forward to ordering the ASRock - H370M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard very soon, but having a hard time looking for a M.2 (KEY E). Is there a specific model or adapter that I should be looking for? I tried looking for an email to reach out to you guys, please help me out here!

Thank you!
Jonathan D


Posted By: mickoz
Date Posted: 06 Jul 2019 at 3:01pm
@Jon204D Looks my messages. The Intel AC 9260 I bought from AliExpress do the job very well, it was the best option available if I remember right when I wrote my message. I could not find cheaper than AliExpress (and the link I provided, I can say the seller "Topmin Network Store" was fine and responding to messages, and the product works well, it was shipped quickly but probably took near 3 weeks to get by in Canada). You can look elsewhere but you will save time going with same choice I believe (or at least same seller on Ali, or look up review if you decide to go with someone else). I think you get a rebate for signing up a new account and also from ordering via mobile app on Ali, so extra way to save some more dollars!

It was not uber easy to install as connectors are very tiny and you might have to try 20 times before getting it right, but hey, once it works, it works. It was way less hassle to buy an ASRock board with the wifi already integrated (my previous built was), but those boards usually cost a bit more. But picking your own card might get better performance? (not sure, just a question to ask if you want the best performance for the bucks too).

Look up Intel specification for their wireless card: https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/series/59484/intel-wireless-products.html
I see they have two new products that launched in 2019 with slight higher potential max speed than the AC 9260.
Board Form Factor seems to be the same.
However, warning, now I remember, check the "System Interface Type", the AC 9260 is "Wi-Fi(PCIe), BT(USB)". This was working fine.
However the AC 9560 is "M.2: CNVio", this was not compatible with the board I had and probably not with your pick either.
In the new one "Intel® Wi-Fi 6 AX200" seem to be the same as 9260.
But AX201 is M.2: CNVio2. So be aware of that as from memory those CNVio were not working with our ASRock mobo.

I think what you want is to buy the AX200 now as it is the newest/better model that is compatible with Wi-Fi PCIe. I see there is a bunch on AliExpress, some title say "2.4Gps Wireless AX200NGW NGFF For Intel wifi 6 AX200 network card 2.4G/5Ghz 802.11ac/ax Wi-fi Bluetooth 5.0 better than 9260AC". The store I bought it from also has this model, but I don't see a bundle that has all the piece you need (but you can buy the card alone and the antenna and connector separately from the store).

I remind you, for a desktop PC, you really want those three items:
- The Wireless Card: AC 9260 or the newest/better AX200
- The Antenna (the 6dbi ones work fine for me)
- MHF4 U.fl Cable to RP-SMA (there is an hole in the mobo to output your RP-SMA)

It took me a while to figure out all I really needed, I didn't find a clear source that explained to me, so it was a source of doubts. I should have made a blog post to immortalize the knowledge I had back then (I don't remember all my research as now it is done and problem solved, hopefully this thread can be found by others!)

Hope that help, feel free to ask me any question.

P.S., Intel list price for their wireless stuff but they are way below what I found back then in North America (and if you click their question mark it talks about buying 1000 units, so might be wholesale price only). AliExpress was the best, but depending where you live, you might want to check for similar parts or bundle with the 3 items I said to get from a nearby seller to get it quicker. But if you can wait 3 weeks, then go with AliExpress.

P.P.S., And I am not 100% sure, but I think the Wi-Fi was not working well until I install the right drivers (you would expect Windows 10 to support that out of the box). Just a doubt, but if that is the case, you might want to get nearby an USB key or to plug your computer temporary with an ethernet cable when setting up.


Posted By: mickoz
Date Posted: 06 Jul 2019 at 3:08pm
To complement my last reply, if you end up buying the AX200 card alone from the seller I said, he sell the other parts separately there: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32891736728.html

I remember that a lot of sellers had a lot of listing, sometime with different price, so you might look that right before ordering.

A couple of other seller seem to sell full kit containing the 3 items I said to get. Just look review if they are favorable before ordering from a seller there I guess.


Posted By: mickoz
Date Posted: 06 Jul 2019 at 3:32pm
@Jon204D

I just looked your board specifications (should have done firstly):
https://www.asrock.com/MB/Intel/H370M%20Pro4/index.asp#Specification

And it says:
1 x M.2 Socket (Key E), supports type 2230 WiFi/BT module and Intel® CNVi (Integrated WiFi/BT)

So it looks like your board does support CNVi card on top of WiFi/BT module. So that add option. I have no idea however if:
- CNVi is better than WiFi/BT
- CNVi2 (as listed for AX201) is different
So do your search on CNVi to see if better and if you should get that instead.

(Seem like there is a version of your board with /ac in its name that should have everything integrated without headache too, but dunno if it costs way more or if easily available)

You might be interested in those links:
- https://www.intel.ca/content/www/ca/en/support/articles/000026155/network-and-i-o/wireless-networking.html
- https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/atefhp/intel_cnvi_wifi_wirelessac_9560_is_it_really/
    - No clear answer on which is better though...

Quickly, I don't understand what is the advantage, but it seems CNVi is preferred when you have the choice.

Now if you or someone else do search and figure out the advantage of one over another, please reply here.

Also need to check for AX201 why it says CNVi2 and if that is compatible with CNVi on your mobo or we have to be aware of a difference there? (please also reply if you have the answer to this!)

P.S., For my board https://www.asrock.com/MB/Intel/Z370%20Pro4/index.asp#Specification
It was only saying: - 1 x M.2 Socket (Key E), supports type 2230 WiFi/BT module
So that is why I had to avoid anything mentionning CNVi.


Posted By: Jon204D
Date Posted: 07 Jul 2019 at 8:14am
Thank you!


Posted By: Jon204D
Date Posted: 07 Jul 2019 at 8:20am
Originally posted by mickoz mickoz wrote:

@Jon204D

I just looked your board specifications (should have done firstly):
https://www.asrock.com/MB/Intel/H370M%20Pro4/index.asp#Specification

And it says:
1 x M.2 Socket (Key E), supports type 2230 WiFi/BT module and Intel® CNVi (Integrated WiFi/BT)

So it looks like your board does support CNVi card on top of WiFi/BT module. So that add option. I have no idea however if:
- CNVi is better than WiFi/BT
- CNVi2 (as listed for AX201) is different
So do your search on CNVi to see if better and if you should get that instead.

(Seem like there is a version of your board with /ac in its name that should have everything integrated without headache too, but dunno if it costs way more or if easily available)

You might be interested in those links:
- https://www.intel.ca/content/www/ca/en/support/articles/000026155/network-and-i-o/wireless-networking.html
- https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/atefhp/intel_cnvi_wifi_wirelessac_9560_is_it_really/
    - No clear answer on which is better though...

Quickly, I don't understand what is the advantage, but it seems CNVi is preferred when you have the choice.

Now if you or someone else do search and figure out the advantage of one over another, please reply here.

Also need to check for AX201 why it says CNVi2 and if that is compatible with CNVi on your mobo or we have to be aware of a difference there? (please also reply if you have the answer to this!)

P.S., For my board https://www.asrock.com/MB/Intel/Z370%20Pro4/index.asp#Specification
It was only saying: - 1 x M.2 Socket (Key E), supports type 2230 WiFi/BT module
So that is why I had to avoid anything mentionning CNVi.


Thank you! I'll be sure to do so!



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