I’ve been looking at options for improving the wifi on the a311d. Not the issues related to the backplate, but really the speed of the a311d. It seems that there aren’t many options to take advantage of the m.2 key b slot in the reform and I would have to go that route since my other m.2 slot has an NVMe.
The Wi-Fi M.2 B key module 2242 2230 MT7612U 11ac 2x2 867 Mbps M27612-BU3 card seems to be available, although difficult to find at first. I’m hesitant to order one because of tariffs increasing the price significantly.
Does anyone know of other options that are readily available from sources in the US? I’m coming up empty handed, but would be open to suggestions.
If not, I may just use a m.2 key b usb card and put a bluetooth dongle in it. Since the bluetooth on the a311d is less than desirable.
Are you sure that you can use that slot with A311D? I have A311D in a classic Reform and because it only has limited pcie connectivity, the SSD has to go into the mini-pcie slot with an adapter and the M.2 slot itself is not connected.
Before I had the A311D I believed that bluetooth in general is the worst. I saw my friends use their bluetooth headsets with their smartphones without hassle: switch on and it works. This never worked for me and I blamed poor Linux bluetooth support. This changed with A311D which was my first hardware where bluetooth works throughout my whole home (up to through 2 walls) without issues. I’m using this antenna:
I think so. There’s another thread where other Pocket owners where able to use a M.2 key b usb adapter card and usb dongles, so hopefully yes. Also, AsiaRF stills sells the same wifi key b card that @minute mentions here. I’m just not buying it to avoid paying double (maybe triple) because of tariffs. Although this might a fools arrand.
I’ll report back when I get the m.2 to usb card and bluetooth dongle. I may also try a wifi dongle in the same card.
The M.2 Key B card that I bought works really well with a USB Bluetooth adapter. It’s improved Bluetooth reliability significantly.
I also had a dual antenna that came with the a311d upgrade kit from Mouser that I just installed in conjunction with the improved back panel for my pocket reform that improved WiFi performance too.
I’ve installed an m.2 key b usb card in the second m.2 slot in pocket reform that has an Asus BT usb dongle attached. The antenna I used came with the a311d upgrade kit (bottom of the page) that I bought from Mouser. I’m not sure of the model number.
Everything else is the bone stock a311d with NVMe, but with the upgraded back plate.
Thank you! But how did you attach an antenna to that dongle? I thought I had the same dongle but probably not because I don’t see a MHF4 connector anywhere?
Sorry, the antennas are attached to the a311D modules antenna ports. I probably should have written that differently. I just had not installed them yet, so I did it at the same time as installing the M.2 card and bluetooth dongle.
