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Wi-Fi 6E router: 1000 moneys, Wi-Fi 6E card: 100 moneys... Why? (alien.top)

submitted 11 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Ok, i know this may sound stupid but i have a question... Here where i live, Wi-Fi 6E routers basically doesn't exist OR they are too expensive to buy, BUT a simple Wi-Fi 6E card is way, waaay cheaper. So my question is this (please bear with me)...

Let's suppose i buy a laptop board (300 moneys here), and then i install a Wi-Fi 6E m2 card in it, and then i install 2 of those PCIE extension cards with the antennas innit (around 20 moneys)... It would be better or worse than the average and expensive Wi-Fi 6E and why?

Is it possible to make it better than the average wifi6e router?

Please, educate me (like i am 5yo if possible)

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

Well, in a way, a WiFi 6E-routers can sort of have three PCI-E WiFi-cards, but in addition there are a lof of older components (SoC, RAM, NAND Flash, antennas, large PCB, switch, ports, casing, packaging) and a quite advance software-stack that needs to be maintained for years. And the manufacturer of the router have a support responsibility, and maybe also an app that was developed and needs to be maintained. There was also an initial design cost, and each modell usually sell a much lower volume than many of the WiFi-cards.

If you look into some older routers, where was actually a PCI/PCI-E-card for 5GHz in quite a few of them. Also remember that the WiFi 6E card can use one frequency at the time. A router will need the possibility to use 2,4, 5 and 6 GHz in parallel, so there are three controllers/radios.

Also remember that some of the newer Intel WiFi-cards depends heavily on features already in the motherboard chipset. F.eks. AX211 is cheaper than AX210, but AX211 depends on stuff in the motherboards chipset and is more a simple controller and a radio. So some of the cost have been moved.

Remember also that each controller/radio in a good router is more advance. E.g. a WiFi-card in a laptop will normally be 2x2, while a router can be 4x4 - even on all radios. So more antennas, more FEMs and you also need to design this in a way that components don't interfer with eachother, even if the radios themself don't operate on the same frquency etc.

Can you make your own solution? Yes, but not likly to be cheap. And also remember that the SoC is designed for this special purpose in routers, and have hardware offload.