Howto tell 2.4GHz from 5GHz using Intel 6205

I have a TP-Link WDR4300 router that transmits both 2.4GHz and 5GHz at the same time.

Nice router.

Both my laptops have Intel Centrino 6205 wifi cards, and both see the two home networks, one at 2.4GHz and the other at 5GHz. But I don't see the speed, just the names that I've given to them.

I know that the higher speed one is at 5GHz.

But when I'm not at home, is there a way to tell the speed of the various wifi networks that my laptop 6205 wifi card sees???

 

In your case the connection speed is the same on both bands- you'd need an Intel 6300 to be connected to 5GHz network at 450mbps.

As for the connection speed- if you click on the network connection in the tray and choose network and sharing center (or whatever it's called) and then click on the network you're connected to you will see connection details including connection speed.

 

Use inSSIDer, it will tell you which band the networks are on as well as the maximum link rate and which you are connected to if the networks on both bands have the same SSID.

 

Very nice; thank you!

There's a decent writeup (and location refs) at: inSSIDer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Doesn't the Intel 6300 need 3 antennas to work? Both my laptops only have 2 antennas each.

Anyway, inSSIDer actually shows the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands which is what I wanted to see.

With regard to the actual wifi connection speeds that I get, that shows up just fine but my actual reception speeds are not the same on both bands.

inSSIDer not only shows the bands but also the router's max speed that it is sending out at. In my case my TP-Link WDR4300 is sending 2.4GHz at 300 Mbps. But my Intel Centrino 6205 only receives at 144 Mbps (and sometimes less, it bounces around).

My TP-Link WDR4300 sends 5GHz at 450 Mbps. But my Intel Centrino 6205 only receives at 300 Mbps (and sometimes less, it bounces around).

Are these typical reception speeds for the Intel Centrino 6205?

And the Intel Centrino 6300 can receive at 450 Mbps on the 5GHz band?

 

Yes 6300 needs a third antenna but it's not that hard to route it around somewhere in the notebook. Obviously there's a difference between routing it "somewhere" and an optimal placement but since it's meant to be used with 5GHz band anyway and this band is typically being used close to the router, non-optimal placement of the antenna is not such a big deal.

Connection speeds depend on distance, band, number of neighboring networks and interference, so there's no such thing as typical, however your 2.4GHz connection speed indicates that the card is using 20MHz channel instead of 40MHz. That indicates there are overlapping networks in the vicinity. inSSIDer shows you not only channel placement but how channel overlap. If you can find a free non-overlapping channel try to change to it- it's possible that the card would work in 40MHz mode (using two 20MHz channels combined) and your Wi-Fi connection speed would go up to 300mbps.

 

I assume that the 2x "antennas", in the screen part of my laptops, are just two ordinary pieces of small gauge wire?

There actually does seem to be an unused 3rd wire right where the wifi card is. Is that a 3rd antenna that's likely already in place in the screen? FWIW both my laptops have this unused 3rd wire.

Where I'm at, there's only my router. So I've got zero interference from "neighboring networks"

Maybe if I got that Alfa unit, that you referenced in the recent "WiFi range" thread, then I'd see a neighboring network, but I hardly need to mooch off of my neighbors.

I did like what I saw on Amazon of that Alfa unit; for one thing the price was friendly. It's also small and very lightweight.

I plan to take an extended trip later this year. Given that, is there some chance that the Alfa unit would offer better (more useable) wifi choices?

Meaning when in a motel room that will likely have public coffee shops and other places with public wifi nearby, but at a distance of more than 200'.

First off, my small 12.5" X220 laptop (6205 card is in both it and my T530) generally gets lesser transfer speeds on my 2.4GHz band. Both laptops sometimes see a max value of 144 Mbps. Odds are that that's due to the bigger 2x antenna in the 15.6" T530?

The signal is stronger on the 2.4GHz band; inSSIDer shows -34 for 2.4GHz and -50 for 5GHz, both bounce around a bit but I'm typically within 10' of the router when using my laptops.

inSSIDer shows that my TP-Link WDR4300 2.4GHz band is on channel "1 + 5" (whatever that means), and my 5GHz band is on channel "36 + 40"

Can I use inSSIDer to change the channel? Since I have the router software secured, I'd be surprised if I can use inSSIDer to change channel from a using laptop. Or maybe I can load the TP-Link software on the laptop and then change channel?

Or do I have to do that from my desktop PC? ( which is where I installed the TP-Link software, when I first set up the router)

 

The third antenna that you have may be a Wi-Fi one or a Bluetooth one.

I wouldn't bother buying an Alpha adapter just for the sake of it- as I already pointed out it's no use if a card has a better range than a router since while the card can "reach" the router a signal going back won't get to you (even if better antennas are being used on Alpha adapters).
Don't get me wrong- it's a good card but it's a specialized tool- you know when you need one.

As for speed difference between your notebooks working on 2.4GHz band- it may be due to different drivers or the antenna routing (antennas should not be routed near some parts of the laptop i.e. near CPU) or both.

The signal is typically stronger on 2.4GHz in a given location compared to 5GHz signal since the latter fades quicker- so that part is OK.

If you want to change a channel you need to log in to the router (can't be done via inSSIDer)- for TP-Link type in 192.168.1.1 browser and then use your login and password (or default login and password if you haven't changed that after you bought the router- which you should have)

 

Thank you very much for your helpful posts to me in this thread; and also to @tijo for mention of inSSIDer.

Given your comments, I'll skip on the Alfa unit.

And that unused 3rd wire is likely not wifi (3x antenna) but rather bluetooth; good catch on that possibility.

W/ regard to my logging into my router and changing the channel for the 2.4GHz band, I'll do that and do a followup post, in a few days, in this thread.

 

Check where the bluetooth module for the Thinkpads are, it's possible they are like my M6700 and that the module is completely separated from the wireless adapter in which case the third antenna would be for a 3x3 wireless adapter.

 

I just took a look at a build to order X230. Some surprises like I expected getting bluetooth to result in an Intel 6235 wifi card, but no you order the 6205 card by itself and somehow the bluetooth is done somehow else. All with a 2x2 antenna. Or even with a 3x3 antenna. Even getting a Gobi 4000 specific card didn't seem to be in conflict with getting the 3x3 antenna. I thought that the 3x3 antenna would permit getting an Intel 6300, but no. Count me as confused with how Lenovo's options work together. Maybe some of it is specific to their whitelisting of wifi cards, and perhaps also of wwan cards? Anyhow the bluetooth seems to need that unused 3rd wire that both my laptops have (I don't have bluetooth on either).

 

For a Lenovo notebook, you need a whitelisted 6300 with he right FRU#, but it should then work if you have the 3rd antenna, otherwise, the 6300 will behave as a 6200.