Help With Drivers for a Wireless Card

Princess Garnet · May 8th, 2012, 02:55

I need help finding drivers for a wireless (low profile) PCI card for Windows 7 (64-bit). It came out of a SFF HP PC, and it has a label on it that says "Manufactured by Actiontec for HP". It's got a chip on it with "Atheros" on it, and that chip has an "AR5213A-00" number on it. I have no idea which of the three would be the place to go for drivers.

Atheros' website has no models by that number. In searching, I came across that this chip is part of the "AR5004X family", which is listed, but I can't find out how to download anything on their website anyway. Google has been little help.

Does anyone know more to at least help me narrow down where to look?

Edit: I tried these and these, both of which say they work with that chip number (well, it says AR5213 and not AR5213A-00), but it still didn't find drivers with either one.

__________________
"The heart has it's reasons that reason knows nothing of."

Last edited by Princess Garnet; May 8th, 2012 at 03:38..

Princess Garnet · May 8th, 2012, 04:14

I found the drivers I needed so this is solved. Apparently the AR5001X+, not the AR5004X drivers, are the right ones. They only list drivers for Windows XP and Windows Vista, not Windows 7, but the Windows Vista drivers work fine (the folder that gets downloaded actually has Vista and 7 in the title).

I was about to give up since searching Google just turned up three people looking for drivers (me being one; Google is fast!), since this seems to be a rather obscure card, but I just so happened to check AIDA64 and it mention "AR5001X+" in my network adapter list, so that's what I tried and it work. I guess that makes up for it being wrong with the rotational speed of my one hard drive.

This can be closed or just ignored or whatever. Maybe someone from Google will find it useful in the future or something.

Edit: Just to follow up with my experience, the drivers install correctly, but at least in my case, it's not staying connected. It seems like it will periodically and randomly detect connections, but otherwise it doesn't detect anything (and they all have good signal strengths when it does detect anything so it's not that).

I'm not sure if the drivers aren't fully compatible with Windows 7 or if it's some other problem, but I figured I'd add it.

__________________
"The heart has it's reasons that reason knows nothing of."

Last edited by Princess Garnet; May 8th, 2012 at 04:30..

**Kurbster** · May 8th, 2012, 21:18

I notice with Atheros cards that the Windows interpretation of what is a "excellent", "good", and "fair" connection is highly inaccurate. I would download inSSIDer and check the RSSI of the connection....that should give you a better indication of the signal quality

__________________

PsyMan · May 8th, 2012, 21:30

http://www.atheros.cz/ has a quite wide list of windows drivers for various atheros chipsets. Just make sure you choose a driver that matches the device id of the card.

Quite handy if you have an OEM implementation of a chipset with dodgy/outdated/modified/unsigned drivers.

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**SCHUMI_4EVER** · May 8th, 2012, 22:13

Hmm, probably something you tried already but perhaps you can find something in the ActionTec archived products section http://www.actiontec.com/support/archived.php

I can get a few hits for ActionTec and SFF or HP PC but I can't tell which of those it might be. It would really help to know the model number of that HP.

Also perhaps you could try googling the device IDs (shown in in device manager).

__________________

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Princess Garnet · May 9th, 2012, 18:00

I already got the drivers you guys...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kurbster

I notice with Atheros cards that the Windows interpretation of what is a "excellent", "good", and "fair" connection is highly inaccurate. I would download inSSIDer and check the RSSI of the connection....that should give you a better indication of the signal quality

I threw the wireless card out so it doesn't matter. A laptop gets a consistent connection anywhere here, and moving the antennae of that PCI card did nothing except for 1% of the time. I don't care.

__________________
"The heart has it's reasons that reason knows nothing of."

**SCHUMI_4EVER** · May 10th, 2012, 13:43

Well there's a difference between chipset drivers and ones from the manufacturer which is why I'd offered other ideas you could perhaps use for the drivers.

__________________

Intel Core2Quad Q9550 (2.83Ghz stock) | ASUS P5Q | 2x2GB Transcend JetRam DDR2-800 | ASUS ENGTX260\HDTP\896M | Windows Vista Home Premium 64bit SP1

The Champ has retired but may his Legacy live on FOREVER !!!!

No$GBA DS FAQ 2.0

Get it right fools! The glass is HALF-EMPTY, not half-full!!!

!!! WARNING: Emulation requires a brain !!! WARNING: Emulation =/= Piracy !!!

Princess Garnet · May 12th, 2012, 01:25

I'm not so sure it was the drivers. I think it was probably the signal like someone else said. I noticed AIDA64 said it had a signal strength of -94dB, or "no signal", but in the instances it picked something up, it was -65dB or -66dB, which it said was "good". I thought nothing of it at the time, at it's just a third party program (although that third party program helped me get the right drivers), but it doesn't matter either way anymore.

__________________
"The heart has it's reasons that reason knows nothing of."

PsyMan · May 12th, 2012, 01:47

Looks like the signal strength is awful indeed. Since it's a card and not some usb dongle without standard antenna connectors you can spare a few bucks and get an expandable antenna with high gain. That's the best possible choice for desktop cards.

What you don't want to get:

What you do want to get:

In any case, it's not a waste of money since you'll need an antenna of this kind with every card you put in a desktop, unless it connects to something placed very close or you put the computer case on a tall table or something.

__________________
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Princess Garnet · May 12th, 2012, 02:37

It was more like the second one (only it didn't have a base and the antennae part wasn't as big). I even tried putting it where the laptop usually sits.

Anyway, yes, it'd be a waste. For one, it was only going to be temporary (and I don't need it anymore), and secondly, the card didn't have anything that could be attached to it anyway; the antennae was part of it. I wouldn't buy anything for it anyway. The only reason I even tried it was because I had the card on hand.

__________________
"The heart has it's reasons that reason knows nothing of."

May 8th, 2012, 02:55	#1
Princess Garnet From Love and Limerence Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 6,557	Help With Drivers for a Wireless Card I need help finding drivers for a wireless (low profile) PCI card for Windows 7 (64-bit). It came out of a SFF HP PC, and it has a label on it that says "Manufactured by Actiontec for HP". It's got a chip on it with "Atheros" on it, and that chip has an "AR5213A-00" number on it. I have no idea which of the three would be the place to go for drivers. Atheros' website has no models by that number. In searching, I came across that this chip is part of the "AR5004X family", which is listed, but I can't find out how to download anything on their website anyway. Google has been little help. Does anyone know more to at least help me narrow down where to look? Edit: I tried these and these, both of which say they work with that chip number (well, it says AR5213 and not AR5213A-00), but it still didn't find drivers with either one. __________________ "The heart has it's reasons that reason knows nothing of." Last edited by Princess Garnet; May 8th, 2012 at 03:38..

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May 8th, 2012, 04:14	#2
Princess Garnet From Love and Limerence Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 6,557	I found the drivers I needed so this is solved. Apparently the AR5001X+, not the AR5004X drivers, are the right ones. They only list drivers for Windows XP and Windows Vista, not Windows 7, but the Windows Vista drivers work fine (the folder that gets downloaded actually has Vista and 7 in the title). I was about to give up since searching Google just turned up three people looking for drivers (me being one; Google is fast!), since this seems to be a rather obscure card, but I just so happened to check AIDA64 and it mention "AR5001X+" in my network adapter list, so that's what I tried and it work. I guess that makes up for it being wrong with the rotational speed of my one hard drive. This can be closed or just ignored or whatever. Maybe someone from Google will find it useful in the future or something. Edit: Just to follow up with my experience, the drivers install correctly, but at least in my case, it's not staying connected. It seems like it will periodically and randomly detect connections, but otherwise it doesn't detect anything (and they all have good signal strengths when it does detect anything so it's not that). I'm not sure if the drivers aren't fully compatible with Windows 7 or if it's some other problem, but I figured I'd add it. __________________ "The heart has it's reasons that reason knows nothing of." Last edited by Princess Garnet; May 8th, 2012 at 04:30..

May 8th, 2012, 21:18	#3
Kurbster Administrator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Massachusetts, USA Posts: 9,440	I notice with Atheros cards that the Windows interpretation of what is a "excellent", "good", and "fair" connection is highly inaccurate. I would download inSSIDer and check the RSSI of the connection....that should give you a better indication of the signal quality __________________

May 8th, 2012, 21:30	#4
PsyMan Bannҽd Join Date: May 2004 Location: Where banned people go Posts: 2,186	http://www.atheros.cz/ has a quite wide list of windows drivers for various atheros chipsets. Just make sure you choose a driver that matches the device id of the card. Quite handy if you have an OEM implementation of a chipset with dodgy/outdated/modified/unsigned drivers. __________________ I'm not insane. YOU are insane... You are all insane! Click Here to Visit my Blog Page

May 8th, 2012, 22:13	#5
SCHUMI_4EVER Hackin 'n Slashin Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Most-expensive-Internet-on-the-Planet Land : South Africa Posts: 26,670	Hmm, probably something you tried already but perhaps you can find something in the ActionTec archived products section http://www.actiontec.com/support/archived.php I can get a few hits for ActionTec and SFF or HP PC but I can't tell which of those it might be. It would really help to know the model number of that HP. Also perhaps you could try googling the device IDs (shown in in device manager). __________________ Intel Core2Quad Q9550 (2.83Ghz stock) \| ASUS P5Q \| 2x2GB Transcend JetRam DDR2-800 \| ASUS ENGTX260\HDTP\896M \| Windows Vista Home Premium 64bit SP1 The Champ has retired but may his Legacy live on FOREVER !!!! No$GBA DS FAQ 2.0 Get it right fools! The glass is HALF-EMPTY, not half-full!!! !!! WARNING: Emulation requires a brain !!! WARNING: Emulation =/= Piracy !!!

May 10th, 2012, 13:43	#7
SCHUMI_4EVER Hackin 'n Slashin Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Most-expensive-Internet-on-the-Planet Land : South Africa Posts: 26,670	Well there's a difference between chipset drivers and ones from the manufacturer which is why I'd offered other ideas you could perhaps use for the drivers. __________________ Intel Core2Quad Q9550 (2.83Ghz stock) \| ASUS P5Q \| 2x2GB Transcend JetRam DDR2-800 \| ASUS ENGTX260\HDTP\896M \| Windows Vista Home Premium 64bit SP1 The Champ has retired but may his Legacy live on FOREVER !!!! No$GBA DS FAQ 2.0 Get it right fools! The glass is HALF-EMPTY, not half-full!!! !!! WARNING: Emulation requires a brain !!! WARNING: Emulation =/= Piracy !!!

May 12th, 2012, 01:25	#8
Princess Garnet From Love and Limerence Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 6,557	I'm not so sure it was the drivers. I think it was probably the signal like someone else said. I noticed AIDA64 said it had a signal strength of -94dB, or "no signal", but in the instances it picked something up, it was -65dB or -66dB, which it said was "good". I thought nothing of it at the time, at it's just a third party program (although that third party program helped me get the right drivers), but it doesn't matter either way anymore. __________________ "The heart has it's reasons that reason knows nothing of."

May 12th, 2012, 01:47	#9
PsyMan Bannҽd Join Date: May 2004 Location: Where banned people go Posts: 2,186	Looks like the signal strength is awful indeed. Since it's a card and not some usb dongle without standard antenna connectors you can spare a few bucks and get an expandable antenna with high gain. That's the best possible choice for desktop cards. What you don't want to get: What you do want to get: In any case, it's not a waste of money since you'll need an antenna of this kind with every card you put in a desktop, unless it connects to something placed very close or you put the computer case on a tall table or something. __________________ I'm not insane. YOU are insane... You are all insane! Click Here to Visit my Blog Page

May 12th, 2012, 02:37	#10
Princess Garnet From Love and Limerence Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 6,557	It was more like the second one (only it didn't have a base and the antennae part wasn't as big). I even tried putting it where the laptop usually sits. Anyway, yes, it'd be a waste. For one, it was only going to be temporary (and I don't need it anymore), and secondly, the card didn't have anything that could be attached to it anyway; the antennae was part of it. I wouldn't buy anything for it anyway. The only reason I even tried it was because I had the card on hand. __________________ "The heart has it's reasons that reason knows nothing of."