I want to upgrade from the original Omnia 5GHz WiFi to WiFi 6E.
I did some research and discovered both wireless modules only have 3 antenna ports unlike the WiFi 6 wireless module AW7915-NP1 which had 4 antenna ports and required adding one more antenna to the router.
Do I assume correctly I can just swap the modules doing no changes to the antennas when going from the WLE900VX to the AW7916-NPD?
Once installed, do I have to do anything in regards of the firmware in the Luci interface? I assume all I have to do is to set up a new wireless network on the new wireless module. Is it going to be a simple plug and play then just like I’m imagining it above?
Attached please find the antenna port layout for each module mentioned above.
Depends on whether your want to use the 6 GHz band or not. If you want, you’ll need additional antennas as the current diplexers only support 2.4 and 5.1 GHz bands. Also, the original antennas might not be suited for 6 GHz.
Look at the diplexers as things that can combine signals from two wifi cards, but each card is limited to the band corresponding to the diplexer port is uses. On the other hand, one card connected directly to a multi-band antenna can use any band (or all of them at the same time if it is DBDC).
If you only want 2.4 and 5.1 GHz, then you could actually throw away the old 2.4 card and all diplexers and use just the 7916-NPD directly connected to the original antennas. The NPD can simultaneously be an AP on 2.4 GHz and on (5.1 xor 6 GHz).
If you need all 3 bands, I’d still suggest throwing away both original cards and using one 7916-NPD (for 2.4 and 6 GHz) and one 7915-NP1 (for 5.1 GHz). This setup would require 7 antennas in total, though…
Thank you, in that case I can do 2x of the AW7916-NPD, both get with 3x antennas and one set up for 2.4GHz & 5GHz, the other for 6GHz - total 6 antennas.
AsiaRF sell the cards in bundles with those antennas and coax cables.
Sure, that should work. The NP1 offers 4x4 MIMO, while the 7916-NPD has only 3x3 MIMO. It is all about your expected number of clients and the need for speed
Also if what you’re saying is true, why does the 6GHz Omnia upgrade bundle sold at Discomp only come with the one extra antenna and coax and the AW7915-NP1? (This card uses 4 antennas)
It suggests the original duplexers and antennas are still supposed to handle the 6GHz network together with the original 2.4GHz card in. The second extra coax is just a longer one replacing the short one currently in the router as 2 antennas are going 1 to each side.
With the AW7916-NPD I’d need to move nothing.
However, I suppose in order to have all 3 bands I do need two new cards, with that I suppose the 6 antenna solution is the cleanest and easiest without any possible complications, other than having to have to drill new holes into the enclosure. I didn’t realize I’d still need the 5GHz band!!
I bet by the time I have my router upgraded and running I’ll be a wifi router hardware expert thanks to you guys! Thank you.
Now, the 6E card (AW7916) does not mention any MIMO other than MU-MIMO, the 3rd antenna is dedicated only for download. The 6 card (AW7915) is 4x4 MIMO.
Looking at iPhone 15 Pro as an example - it offers 5GHz 4x4 MIMO and 6E 2x2 MIMO.
It would suggest the 6E card running 2.4 and 5 GHz AP technically would be only 2x2 MIMO. The 6E is a 24 device MU-MIMO at the 6E frequencies AP and it doesn’t really go by 2x2 any more. No such markings on the card itself either as the 6 has.
Which seems to be saying that 2.4 GHz is 2x2 MIMO and 5/6 GHz is 3x3 MIMO both directions (the 2ss means 2 spatial streams, which IMO means that it cannot use the 3x3 MIMO as 3 separate 1x1 distinct streams, but there is always one 2x2 stream and one 1x1 stream (or one 3x3 stream, of course).
Guys, reading through the forum, one user reported difficulties installing his card to the right slot - where the short 2.4GHz card is installed.
How is it with the two sockets? Are they soldered on or bolted on from behind / under the board? I don’t have access to my router until I have to swap the cards and antennas when they arrive.
Thanks, I’d want to be sure I don’t have Ethernet port on my laptop or the adapter. I’d disconnect the house from internet completely. Have you tried yourself? It’s strange the router recognized the other one immediately and just not this one.
If you have the rear button reset modes working, just make a schnapps snapshot before resetting wifi, and if anything goes wrong, just use one of the reset modes to rollback to previous snapshot. Doesn’t require any connection to the router after you do the change.
Thank you.
