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cwoggon · ‎12-20-2011

I apologize in advance if this post gets a little 'ranty,' but this wireless card is ridiculous.

Approximately 4 months ago I ordered a G74SX-A1 from newegg and overall I have been quite pleased with the laptop. There are a few things that I find slightly annoying (Power cord location, lack of num lock key, touchpad size, etc), but there is one problem that I have which is completely unacceptable. As you probably gathered from the title of this thread that would be this piece of crap Atheros wireless card.

When I originally received the I had issues with the card while using my wireless N connection. At this point in time I was okay with either running wireless G (which seems to work okay) or wiring in to a conveniently located wireless bridge. Now I find myself in need of wireless N and no longer have convenient access to a network bridge and for the life of me I cannot get this card to function stably at N speeds. I have tried pretty much everything I can think of (latest driver, disabling everything but necessary wireless components, checking antenna connections) to get this card to work properly, but unfortunately I have not gotten anywhere. Typically if I am running nothing but a ping to google through the card it seems to work reasonably for a short period with approximately 4 time outs every 15-25 pings, but as soon as I put it under load the latency rises (50ms, to 100-200ms, to 1000-2000ms, to 3000+ms) and will finally timeout repeatedly. After some time the card typically comes back into working order but this is obviously unacceptable as the card is completely useless.

I have seen many threads talking about replacing the card with an Intel 6230 or 6300 but I find this completely outrageous. I understand that these cards are fairly inexpensive, but I feel that when I purchase a premium product I should get premium performance. Is there any way to get the stock Atheros card to work properly or am I going to be yet another person purchasing an aftermarket Intel product to fix ASUS' bad hardware decision?

P.S. I have always been fond of ASUS laptops, but the decision to keep using this card in their ROG computers really makes me question if I'm going to buy another ASUS laptop in the future. Today its a piece of crap wireless card which is fairly easy to replace, but who says tomorrow it won't be a more serous/expensive problem.

EDIT: At this point I assume this card is completely worthless and I doubt ASUS is going to send me a replacement Intel chip (anyone have any luck with this?). That said, where is the best place to pick up an Intel 6230? I assume, please correct me if I am wrong, that the Atheros card handles the bluetooth capabilities of the G74? For that reason I am going with an Intel 6230 - if it isn't responsible for bluetooth I'll definitely be going with a 6300. I have found 6230s on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Centrino-Advanced-N-Wireless-Transfer/dp/B005LAIDOY/ref=sr_1_2?s=electro...), but is that the best place to purchase this type of hardware? I hope to get a replacement card ordered ASAP so I can get it by next Mon/Tues.

Thanks.

tl;dr; version:
Atheros card sucks
Can it be fixed?
If not, Intel 6230 or 6300 (does the Atheros card handle the bluetooth connectivity of the G74?)
Best place to purchase 6230/6300?

fuzon1337 · ‎12-21-2011

I'm not sure if that's the best place to order that type of hardware, but I can tell you that, as soon you get your Intel Centrino 6230 your notebook is better then ever 😄 than with the crappy Atheros card...

Aren't there any local resellers that sells this kind of hardware in your town?

About the Atheros card handle the bluetooth, I don't know. I've read somewhere in this forum that the bluetooth is a own hardware in G74, but I could be remembering wrong about that.

Asus G73SW-91058V 3D
- Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300
- BIOS 205

BrodyBoy · ‎12-21-2011

fuzon1337 wrote:
About the Atheros card handle the bluetooth, I don't know. I've read somewhere in this forum that the bluetooth is a own hardware in G74, but I could be remembering wrong about that.

That's not the case with the G74....there's no separate bluetooth. If you want BT capability, you MUST use a wifi card with integrated BT. The Intel card he ordered includes BT.

cwoggon · ‎12-21-2011

BrodyBoy wrote:
That's not the case with the G74....there's no separate bluetooth. If you want BT capability, you MUST use a wifi card with integrated BT. The Intel card he ordered includes BT.

Looks like I made the right choice then. Thanks for the clarification.

fuzon1337 · ‎12-21-2011

BrodyBoy wrote:
That's not the case with the G74....there's no separate bluetooth. If you want BT capability, you MUST use a wifi card with integrated BT. The Intel card he ordered includes BT.

Then I perhaps have misunderstood when I read it on one of earlier threads. My bad.

Thank you for clearing that up for me 🙂

Asus G73SW-91058V 3D
- Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300
- BIOS 205

vhuynh · ‎01-08-2012

I will probably buy it through amazon. Could you tell me your experience when you received your card in the mail? I've read around the forums that you had to MAKE SURE to download the drivers on the intel website BEFORE plugging the intel wifi card in the g74s. 🙂

BrodyBoy · ‎01-09-2012

vhuynh wrote:
I will probably buy it through amazon. Could you tell me your experience when you received your card in the mail? I've read around the forums that you had to MAKE SURE to download the drivers on the intel website BEFORE plugging the intel wifi card in the g74s. 🙂

It's really not a difficult thing to replace the WLAN card. The G74 makes it really easy to access it. The reason you should download the Intel driver ahead of time is because you may be without internet service once you remove the old card.

So just go into Control Panel and uninstall all the Atheros/Azurewave software (you probably have their bluetooth driver installed as well). Power down, open up the back panel, and take out the old Atheros card. Put in the new Intel card, boot up, and run the Intel driver installer program.

That's it! Really. 🙂

vhuynh · ‎01-09-2012

Alright sounds simple enough =). Would it be safe if I use my dust cleaning can to clean my laptop of 2 monthhs while I am replacing the atheros card? There is only one screw that I need to take out before removing the atheros card correct? Sorry, I'm am a beginner with these new stuff about a really expensive piece of equipment lol. Just trying to be clear and not make any mistakes that can damage my laptop 😃

BrodyBoy · ‎01-09-2012

vhuynh wrote:
Alright sounds simple enough =). Would it be safe if I use my dust cleaning can to clean my laptop of 2 monthhs while I am replacing the atheros card? There is only one screw that I need to take out before removing the atheros card correct? Sorry, I'm am a beginner with these new stuff about a really expensive piece of equipment lol. Just trying to be clear and not make any mistakes that can damage my laptop 😃

Well, you could use an air can, but there's not much point. The compartment under the back panel isn't part of the cooling area that gathers dust....so as you'll see when you get in there, it stays pretty clean.

There is one itty-bitty screw that holds the WLAN card down. I say "down" intentionally. That connector is sort of a spring-loaded device, such that once a WLAN card is seated in the connector, you then push the card down, and put the little screw in the corner hole to hold it down.

Here's a brief overview:

cwoggon · ‎01-21-2012

BrodyBoy wrote:
Well, you could use an air can, but there's not much point. The compartment under the back panel isn't part of the cooling area that gathers dust....so as you'll see when you get in there, it stays pretty clean.

There is one itty-bitty screw that holds the WLAN card down. I say "down" intentionally. That connector is sort of a spring-loaded device, such that once a WLAN card is seated in the connector, you then push the card down, and put the little screw in the corner hole to hold it down.

Here's a brief overview:

I actually removed the whole motherboard when I replaced mine. Though I don't think this is necessary, I couldn't seem to get the new card into its slot. I used the guide at http://btoforums.com/showpost.php?p=18112&postcount=4 which is fairly complete. If you go this route just be careful when moving the top (keyboard) area as there are plastic tabs that hold it in place after the screws are removed.

The advantage to doing this is you have access to all the heatsinks/fans and can preform a very thorough cleaning while replacing the card. I was surprised at how little dust had accumulated in my system since I've had it for approx 5 months.

Again, be sure to be very careful if you go this route.

G74SX Atheros 9002WB-1NG Wireless Garbage