Killer Wireless N 1103

** UPDATE **

Purchased the Bigfoot Networks 1102 card, fit in the Alienware m14x perfectly, and the connections were correct (2 antennas). Tested performance and ran a 2-hour session of quakelive. No dropped connection, no stability problems. Highly recommend this card!! Software can be customized to limit bandwidth on certain applications and set priority (Lowest to Highest). Connection speeds are better, and wireless range is better.

The guy that sells them did a great job on shipping. If you want one too - here is a new link to an updated listing:

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Bigfoot-networks...ultDomain_0&hash=item2a11c44419#ht_500wt_1156
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I noticed on Dell's website for the m14x that it now has drivers for the Killer Wireless N 1102 (yeah my titles wrong).

I have been having some network stability issues lately with the 6205 (lag in my quakelive games periodically). I've reinstalled drivers, updated drivers, adjusted network settings.. everything that I could think of to address the issue. I moved my laptop closer to the router, tried different routers (dgl-4500, e4200, dir-825) but this appears to be a laptop specific issue. My Acer laptop does not have the lag problems that my alienware m14x does.

I'm considering buying one of these cards (via ebay) and trying it out in my m14x.

Bigfoot networks Killer Wireless-N 1102 | eBay

Data Rates:
IEEE 802.11a 6 - 54 Mbps
IEEE 802.11b 1 - 11 Mbps
IEEE 802.11g 6 - 54 Mbps
IEEE 802.11n 6.5 - 300 Mbps

Exclusive Hardware Features:
Signal-Sustain Technology for improved rate-over-range
Low Density Parity Check
Maximum Likelihood Detection (MLD)
Transmit Beamforming

I would assume that if dell has the drivers, that our m14x's are compatible with it. Anyone thought about replacing your network card? (or maybe you did just now.. lol)

 

you might want to think about the trouble installing the antennas might be, as they route through the lcd. the one u mention has three antennas, right?

 

Yes that is one issue. You could install with just two, and it should still operate just fine. It's just like running a router with only 1 antenna, the reception would not be quite as good but it would still operate. The difference between 2 and 3 would be minimal at best. I could also add the wiring for a third antenna if needed. Routing could be a biatch, but it is an option.

*EDIT* This unit should work fine with 2 antennas. See thread further down

 

Did some more searching on the antenna routing:

Documentation

This picture shows the routing to the display for the wan card. I could purchase another antenna like this:

Tyco Universal Wireless Laptop Antenna - Mini PCI U.FL | eBay

Then I could route it either to the underside of the case, or if i'm daring, I could disassemble the display and wire it up for better reception. I think I might try it with just two antennas, and then add a third if the reception is not adequate.

Not sure if there is a manual on disassembling the display though - it appears that their technicians just replace the entire thing, and do not disassemble anything in the display.

 

Ok, MAJOR revelation here.

The Intel 6205 appears to be the offending problem in my case.

I have a second acer laptop, and I thought I would check to see if I was getting lag on that laptop. No lag in Quake Live whatsoever.. not even a hint over 10 minutes of gameplay.

So, to rule out everything else on the m14x I opened up the acer laptop, and found it has a compatible mini-pci wireless card. So I took its Atheros wifi adapter out of it, and installed it in my m14x.

Wow - no lag at all. Like night and day.. the wireless works flawlessly. What did I pay the extra money for if all I got was a crappy online experience with the 6205?

So, i'm purchasing one of the Killer wifi adapters, and i'm going to install that when it arrives. I'll post how it goes.

I would like to see if anyone else is getting a similar experience in quake live. In order to see your network performance, just open the console and type 'cg_lagometer 1'. Observe or play several rounds and see if you have intermittent interruptions like I did.

Another option is this card:

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Half-Mini-PCI-E-...ultDomain_0&hash=item255f26cfe3#ht_3043wt_824

it does wireless n at 2.4 and 5.2 as well.

Link to driver: http://drivers.softpedia.com/get/NE...P-Atheros-Wireless-LAN-Driver-300-REV-A.shtml

 

Wierd.. another website has a picture of the killer 1102, but it doesn't have the point for the 3rd antenna.

BIGFOOT NETWORKS Killer Wireless-N 1102 Wireless Card, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n, Internal PCIe Half Mini Card : AVADirect Custom Computer Component

I think its safe to say that I could run it with 2 antennas.

 

I noticed this post, thought I would mention I have the intel Ultimate N 6300 on my M18X and I have noticed a lag in mine as well. I have high speed comcast extreme 50, when I do a speed test it gets about half threw and al of the sudden drags. Then when it does the upload test it takes forever to even start, when it does start it uploads less than 1 mbps when it should be 10.

 

Also, here is a review of the card:

http://www.tentonhammer.com/reviews/bigfoot/wireless-n-1102

 

Thanks for the reply Doc. All I could do was shake my head when you mentioned problems with the 6300. My 6205 works great for about a couple minutes or so at a time, and then all of a sudden I get what amounts to stuttering and significant lag for 5-10 seconds, and then its back to normal again.

Didn't seem to matter if I was running 2.4 or 5.2 ghz, or adjusted power savings settings etc. Since i've ruled out all other issues, and confirmed that a different card works great in the m14x, I would recommend you look at a replacement (either the cheap atheros - which I confirmed works great, or get one of the killer 1102 units, as dell has drivers for it for the m14x now too).

 

Sorry for so many posts, but I had to add this:

I installed the Intel 6205 mini-pci card in my acer laptop, and tried quake live again to see what would happen.

SAME EXACT LAG that I was getting on the Alienware m14x.

I guess that closes the book on this being a problem related to the laptop.

At the moment i'm really pissed that Intel would put out such a sub-par adapter, and that Alienware would sell this adapter as a 'premium' option. If Alienware is a bunch of gamers, you would think that they would play some intensive online games with the laptops they sell to see if they are performing properly. This is complete BS.

I'll update this thread when I get my Killer 1102 adapter installed. For now i'm just going to use my Atheros 2.4ghz n card in my m14x., and leave the crap adapter in my old acer unit.

 

I replaced the default wifi card with the M14x with the Killer 1102 a few days ago, unfortunately, though not as often, I'm still getting random cut outs on wireless. Ironically I'm right next to the router (literally just behind me in the same room). I've noticed there may be something locally causing interference, as when a specific set of people arrive back at their house next door the problems seem to start occurring. I'm going to probably buy a 5GHz Draytek Vigor 2830n router as nobody in my area appears to be on 5GHz according to the analysis I've done. What probably doesn't help is the fact there are a large number of wireless devices nearby, though I'm doing my best to avoid channel congestion.

 

I just bought a simultaneous dual-band (which ironically started my whole debacle). For the 6205, it didn't seem to matter whether it was a 2.4ghz or 5.2ghz band, even with multiple different channels.

It wasn't the router either, because I tried the new dual-band high performance Cisco E4200, my older D-Link DGL-4500, and another D-Link DIR-825. I'm keeping the d-link dir-825, as it seems to perform the best in testing (although it doesn't have the 450 speed that the E4200 has).

5ghz is nice, but the range is not so good. It doesn't penetrate walls as well, and you must be within a certain range in order to beat speeds of 2.4ghz.

 

I see, well currently I have the Draytek Vigor 2820n which has performed very well for ADSL, and wifi on my previous laptops before Alienware (both Sony Vaio E series). The router is on a wall behind me in the same room, so if I did go for a 2830n the 5GHz frequency wouldn't be a huge problem to me for range. I also use Draytek to control QoS and bandwidth management of certain computers and other devices connected through it in the house, to ensure one can't just eat up the entire ADSL bandwidth though there's plenty to go around (approximately 2.1 megabytes down and 155 kilobytes up based on 1000mb.bin speed tests).

 

Damn can anyone confirm the 6205 is defective? If so which wireless card should i get when i order the m14x? I dont know enough to get a separate card and install it, so like which out of the 3 for the customization should i get, the basic, 6205, or the 6245?

 

I would just get the basic wireless n card without the upgrades. I'm staying away from Intel cards, as someone else mentioned that their 6300 has the same intermittent problem.

 

I would love to know what settings you all must be using on your wireless cards,
cause I have had the Intel 6200 in my M11x and now the Intel 6205 in my M14x and have never had any issues anywhere.

Im using a cisco E3000 router in my home and I get perfect signal on both 2Ghz and 5Ghz frequencies.

Are you sure it isn't the router configurations that is giving you problems?

 

My Sony Vaio laptops and Nokia N8 mobile do not cut off like the M14x does, it's far worse when I had that Intel 1000N (or w/e it's called) card, the default option during configuration on the Alienware website. I still get the odd cut off, but far less regularly. I don't get it, I've changed card to the Bigfoot Killer and it still persists but much less frequently thankfully. I am considering changing to a 5GHz router and see if it's just local congestion issues, but other than that I'm clueless. The range of 5GHz shouldn't be a problem as I'm right next to the router virtually.

On the other hand, perhaps you could divulge your configuration?

 

Just to make sure, you say it's the wireless card thats dropping the connection....

Does it lose connection to the router?



Or

Does it just turn off like if the wireless card was disabled?



Just trying to get a better understanding so I can try and help.

 

It does neither. It remains connected, usually at full signal strength, and comes up with a yellow exclamation symbol at the bottom right of the signal icon for a few moments, then once it's normal then it just shows the signal as usual. Interestingly you might want to know that this usually does it when a large amount of data is being downloaded, if you get what I mean by that.

 

Mine rarely loses the connection, it has just a couple times. Basically with mine, I don't even notice it unless I am testing for it with speakeasy or something like that. During those tests, the test starts and about halfway threw it seemingly pauses almost like its being bogged down. When it goes to the upload test it takes forever to even start, then once it does the upload speed is only .63 or something crazy, I have should be get at least 5 or 6 mbps. The strange thing is, its the worst when I have it plugged into the LAN. Wirelss does it, but not nearly as bad and the upload speed is at least 5 mbps.

 

It's not that is loses connection - it keeps connnection just fine. Its that when playing online for me, every minute or so I get about 5 seconds of choppy behaviour.

I'm sure for other applications it seems just fine, or maybe it isn't noticeable. You wouldn't have issues with things like youtube, or streaming movies (because there is built in caching), etc. Its when you do intensive things (like first person shooters) that require constant connection activity where any drops would be noticeable.

Quake live is a pretty connection intensive application. Other games like Call of Duty, or Crysis 2 would probably show similarly noticeable issues. RTS's like Starcraft 2 probably wouldn't have a problem with this.

 

I'm keeping the vanilla settings, and tried the mini-pci wifi card in 2 different laptops with the same latest intel drivers. Its a problem with the card, and not a configuration issue.

I did try changing some settings, but it made absolutely no difference.

 

If your saying this happens when plugged into the LAN too than it definately isn't a wireless issue. Perhaps look at your router QOS settings, to see if you can prioritize the ports you are using for speakeasy.

 

I thought maybe it was the router, however, when I plug my wifes 100 yr old laptop in, it works fine.

 

Maybe try it by directly connecting to your cable/dsl modem (bypassing the router) to your laptop. If that is at all possible for you.

If it is still happening, then I guess we are talking about a software issue, which could be anything. In that case, you want to look at your task manager (ctrl-alt-delete and select 'Task Manager) and see if there is any processes on your system that may be taking cpu-cycles when you see the lag happen. Sort your tasks by cpu usage and observe.

 

OK, I have tried plugging the modem directly with the router. When I do that, the LAN has to be reset and I have to reset the modem for it to pick up the IP address . It is all really strange.

 

I meant, withOUT the router.

 

Did that make any difference at all? I know its not something you want to keep like that, but its a good way to determine if it is the router by eliminating it in the connection.

 

It is definitely the 6000 Series Cards. Everyone praises them to no end but personally, I think they suck. I have the Killer 1102 Wireless AND the 6300 and experience 0 issues with the Killer. Meanwhile the 6300 gets 3-5 second lag spikes very frequently.

Sager 8150-S1
2720QM
8GB DDR3 1600
250 Intel SSD Sata III
GTX 485M

I know it is not my system. As soon as I switched out the Killer to the 6300N I started experiencing the issues. 2 days later, I put the Killer back in and have yet to have 1 lag issue while gaming.

 

Good to know Win7SP1.

Got confirmation that my card has shipped. Should be here in a week, and i'll give a rundown on the speed and configuration options.

I'm going to complain to Alienware about the problems with the card and see what they offer...

 

This discussion is interesting because I posted a thread in the Hardware/Accessories section about Intel vs Atheros and pretty much everyone was praising Intel saying how it's cheap, reliable, etc. though I personally don't think any of them used any other Wifi solution. From my experience, I had less connection problems/drops when I installed Atheros cards in the systems I've owned than with the Intel cards, though the Intel 4965 in my OCZ Whitebook was a solid card (most of these connected to the same Linksys router I had for about 3 years).

 

Still to this day the Intel 6205 does not function up to par.

There was a discussion thread I read that said if you set power management to 'Maximum' that it fixes the problem, but my 6205 doesn't have this setting anywhere.

The problem was said to be caused 'PSP' - Power Save Protocol and interaction with a router that does not support PSP. They said to update your router firmware, but there is no update to address this.

Oh well.

 

I talked to the Bigfoot people today and they said the 1103 should be out shortly. I hope so because I have an Intel 6300 and it is better than some like the Intel 5300, etc. but it is still not very good.

 

Get the 1102 - the only difference between the 1102 and the 1103 is an additional antenna. The m14x is not wired for 3 antennas, and adding another one looks like it could be tricky.

 

Yeah, I am an "outsider". I have a Dell Studio XPS 16 with 3 antennas.

 

Ok, so I actually had 6300N card shipped out and received it yesterdary. I did this to eliminate the possibility of a defective card. Same deal, lag spikes randomly for 3-5 second intervals with the brand new card and the latest drivers directly from intel.

Tested the card in 2 different machines with completely different hardware specs as well and received the same result. So now the question is whether it is the default settings of the card, or just that the drivers are so poorly written, that they choke at sudden bursts of net traffic. Either way, I really don't feel like tweaking a wireless card so that it actually works.

Oh, and the 5GHZ range on that card is HORRID. I also purchased the Tyco antennae and ran it up through my monitor bezel and it does nothing. Don't waste your time or money on the third antennae.

Needless to say, I am just sticking with the bigfoot card as it has given me 0 issues so far.

 

Most laptops really aren't built for 3 antenna's. It's just a matter of finding the right path to run the ridiculously long cable. As you probably know, the 3rd antenna connects directly to the card and is of course removable.

 

Yes, of course, thanks, I am still going to wait on the 1103. I have heard of better performance using the 3rd antenna so since I have it, I might as well use it.

 

The advantage of 3 antenna is the 3x3 MIMO 450 N speeds you get with it (for the bigfoot 1103). The 1102 only gets 300 N speeds. (150 per antenna).

Still waiting for the 1102 to arrive here. Should arrive next week sometime.

 

To those having issues with their Intel cards, there is a link here regarding 'PSP' setting (not the sony psp, Power Save Polling).

Intel® WiFi Products — Power Save Polling (PSP) causes connection issues with some access points

 

Ixel- I am looking to get an AW M18 later this year and would like the option of upgrading the Intel 6300 to the Killer 1103. Just wanted to know how the install went, and do you know if the 3 antennas would be compatible? Also, did you take pics of the install? Thanks

 

He upgraded to the 110 2 - 2 antennas.

 

Just wanted to give you all a headsup, Aikimox at Fortnax will be selling the Killer 1102 and 1103 soon. He will notify NBR users as soon as they become availabe on his website.
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http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...oot-killer-wireless-n-1103-compatability.html

 

Finally received my Bigfoot Networks 1102 card.

The card works flawlessly. I have had no network drops to speak of yet (just completed a 2 hour online session), and the software allows you to prioritize bandwidth for any applications you use. So say you wanted to do some torrents and online gaming at the same time, you can set your torrent software to low priority, and your game to high priority. It also monitors bandwidth, latency, cpu usage, etc. within the network utility interface. Works with either 2.4 or 5 bands, and up to 300Mbps. I'm running at the full speed on a simultaneous dual-band d-link router. Great card overall and the connection speeds seem to be slightly better than my other Atheros card.

It absolutely destroys the Intel 6205 card I had. No comparison - this card is the real deal.

Noticed something interesting on the card itself too - its actually a card made by Atheros.

 

Is the 6205 a bad card in itself, or is it possible you just happened to get a faulty one?

 

Ive been running the bigfoot wireless 1102 and the dell wwan 5520 for a while with no probs, I had to install a couple of extra antenna for the wwan but the 1102 is ace alround.

 

So does Killer Wireless N 1103 have WiMAX feature?

 

No. WiMax is a completely different, non-compatible technology to WiFi (4G cellular data wide-area network vs. 2.4/5 Ghz wireless local area network).

Only the 6250 supports WiMax.

 

I've got the 6205 and I've never had an issue with it playing bfbc2 or any other game. I did buy it after my m14x purchase from excaliber pc (originally had the 1000 it sucks) so I'm not sure if dell has a bad batch or what.

 

In case anyone was looking for a Killer 1103, they're on eBay now:

Bigfoot networks Killer Wireless-N 1103 | eBay

I'm thinking about taking a chance on it and installing a 3rd antenna. Anyone install one yet?