Hello,
We're building a little project with multiple of these Chinese "miniPC"s. What we're hoping to do is have these connected together through adhoc network and while also having them broadcast a network through AP mode to users. I know that adhoc isn't the best connection available, but for now ethernet is not really an option.
For now, we're looking for modules that offer WIFI 5 speeds at least, but preferably WIFI 6 and even WIFI 6E for better future proofing if available.
Previously, we had a similar power limited solution using SOPine A64 based devices that we designed and manufactured. However these were using USB 2.0 for adhoc (limited speeds) and SDIO for access point.
The new version we're making is x86 based, a 12th gen intel processor. The miniPC I'm considering has 1x M.2 A/E 2230 slot
1x M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0
1x M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0
2x USB 2.0 headers.
One other requirement is to have everything inside the case of the miniPC.
My backup solution is to manufacture a board that will house the USB 2.0 adhoc module and have it connected through the USB 2.0 headers. But this is not ideal for the speed limitations. One option I'll be trying to do is to replace one of the horizontally mounted USB 3.0 with a vertically mounted one so that the USB 3.0 will be accessible from the inside. I don't know if this will work, I'll know by the end of next week.
I'm hoping to reserve the PCIe 4.0 slot for the NVMe drive, and use the other two for the wifi cards.
At some point, we had to replace openWRT with debian because we couldn't get the USB 2.0 adhoc to work, and we grew to like debian more for our cases, not sure if this makes a difference with my request. We're hoping to use ubuntu specifically for the next generation.
We tried the intel AX201 and AX210. Neither worked for adhoc or access point at 5GHz.
Realtek RTL8812BU and RTL8811AU. Adhoc did not work at 5GHz.
MediaTek MT7662U (very old verision) adhoc USB 2.0 works with openWRT.
MediaTek MT7663U adhoc USB 2.0, didn't work with openWRT but worked with debian. (currently used).
MediaTek MT7921au (USB 3.0), tested the thumbstick version for AP and that works at 5Ghz.
MediaTek MT7921K (PCIe), didn't test yet but should work for AP at 5GHz.
MediaTek MT7922 (PCIe), didn't test yet, hoping will work for AP at 6GHz.
Assuming the mediaTek I mentioned in the end for AP will work, then I'll still need an adhoc that will work with 5Ghz and possibly even 6Ghz.
I posted on the openWRT subreddit and someone mention this https://www.asiarf.com/shop/wifi-wlan/wifi_mini_pcie/wifi6-11ax-4t4r-2401mbps-m-2-ae-key-module-aw7915-ae1/ I'm confused by the size of this. I've never seen a wifi card this big, so not sure how does this fit in?
If I put the MT7921K in the wifi slot, would I be able to connect the AW7915 through the PCIe 3.0 slot maybe? How though. I saw there's a version of the AW7915 that is miniPCIe and there are M.2 AE key to mPCIe adapters. Is this the best option for me?
Would love some help on this because I can't seem to find anything through google searches.