Hi Jason, sorry to hear that. We staged replacement parts for the Input Cover, Display, and a couple of other modules, but not the antenna. That was our miss. We have just had these come into our warehouse and are preparing them to be able to ship out.
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I just got my laptop tonight, fumbled a little with the antenna install, but I “guess” i got them installed. I have wifi.
What speeds are we SUPPOSED to get with wifi? I never use it tbh. At my house I’m always connected thru cat5.
Heres the result from a speedtest on the laptop with the Intel WiFi 6E AX210 vPro:
14ping 25.59Mbps download 39.62Mbps upload
On my pc with cat5:
10ping 346.82Mbps download 40.96Mbps upload
Should my wifi on laptop be faster than that?
**EDIT : nvm, I think I figured it out, my router is only 802.11g
Time to upgrade my router lol.
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I made a quick video here on how I install the WiFi card. https://twitter.com/FrameworkPuter/status/1433320060429373440
We’ll do a better video to add to the guide.
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I had this exact same issue. I’m not a novice at this sort of stuff but even though I hate these clips, this was the most difficult experience I’ve had with U.FL connectors.
Thanks for the video @nrp! I think I need to order some replacement cables because I never was able to get a satisfying snap (no matter how many times I tried) and barely got it in an attached together with the cover on. It isn’t cable managed at all because moving the antenna even a smidge dislodges the connection.
If I could make a suggestion: consider making the cables a little bit shorter. They are too long right now. I would splice and re-solder the ends myself but I don’t have a good connection as it stands so I’ll wait until I have a backup.
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I just got my laptop today and had this same issue.
I was able to connect the black cable with no problems, but trying to connect the white one broke off the outer ring on the card. So I am pretty sure I will need both a new Wifi card and antenna once those are in stock.
For now, performance seems ok, I am writing this on my new Framework over Wifi, and it has seemed stable and fast. So only having a single antenna doesn’t seem to be the end of the world, although I will still replace it once parts are available.
We regret the cable lengths. We’re somewhat stuck with them at the moment, as changing the length would trigger needing to recertify on RF. We’re actually adjusting the speaker module instead to leave more room for antenna cable routing in the future.
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Sorry to hear that! You may be able to carefully pull the ring out of the antenna cable with tweezers to only need to replace the card.
I’ve ripped the connectors of Wi-Fi antennas off of iPhone flex cables while repairing them.
I echo all these sentiments.
- No satisfying snap
- Antennas too long
- When I first installed the antennas, they would disconnect every time I tried to adjust them
I’m only getting a “1” on my NSS in wavemon, so I think one antenna isn’t working. I’ll most likely end up needing a new one. Which one, I still need to figure out. I’ve been too busy to open up the machine.
We received a carton of replacement antenna modules at our warehouse and found that they were not assembled fully. We’re now waiting on the missing piece to complete the assembly and be able to start sending them out to folks who need them.
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I don’t think I screwed anything up during install, but I’m getting pretty poor Wi-Fi range. It works fine in other rooms closer to the WAPs but not in my home office where I need it. My HP Spectre x360 14t that I’ve been using for the past year is sitting on the same laptop stand that the Framework is and has never had a problem maintaining a good connection. With the Framework, I’m lucky if it’ll connect at all.
Has anyone noticed poorer than normal Wi-Fi range that doesn’t seem to be the result of damage during installation?
Sure thing. I’ve attached three photos. I have removed and reconnected the cables a couple times too just in case but same poor signal. I’ve installed wifi cards enough times before that I’m pretty confident it’s not user error, but who knows.
For some data points, both my Spectre x360 running Windows 10 and my OnePlus 7 Pro running Android 11 report 70-80% signal strength consistently. From the same place on my desk in my office, the Framework consistently reports 50% or below and fails to maintain a good connection.
I just commented on another thread on this, but one other test for folks who are on Windows 10 and seeing WiFi performance issues is trying Intel’s latest AX210 drivers: Windows® 10 and Windows 11* Wi-Fi Drivers for Intel® Wireless Adapters
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I ended up buying a Intel 9560 from Amazon for under $15 to replace the one I damaged.
You were correct that I was able to pull the ring out, it took a while but eventually came out. The new card was able to install and is working great with both antennas on Linux. I had never been able to get Bluetooth working on Arch or Ubuntu before, but it works just fine with the new card.
I received my replacement WiFi antenna from Framework this last Friday! I have to say that I’m super impressed with their proactive customer support. I’m loving my Framework laptop more and more. One of my family members walked in and commented that it looked complicated when I was installing it, and I informed them it was quite the opposite. I had more difficulty just opening up my HP laptop to get at it’s WiFi module. My FW was a breeze in comparison.
Some thoughts on the new WiFi antenna.
- The antenna cables are the perfect length this time. The originals were a little too long.
- I did get the satisfying snap when I connected them, but I think this was more a function of having a better idea how to connect them. I was very careful this time to align everything just right.
- I still had the cables disconnect from the WiFi module the first time I tried to place it into the slot, but the second time everything stayed put.
Finally, I have to give Framework props for being willing to allow less than professional people assemble their own products, and still honoring the warranty. I really hope that they’re profitable and stay in business for many years to come. They’re working really hard to make this a great launch, and I wish them all the best.
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Sorry to revive an older thread but I’m having the same problem. I may have damaged the connectors but I don’t have a magnifying glass to be sure. Is there any way to get new cables either by warranty or by buying them? I’ve been emailing with support but your rep is just telling me it should still work even though there’s no click. However it’s impossible for me to get the wires to stay on and seat card.
Do you have a phone camera you can zoom in with?
Macro mode?
I am amazed by the many successful installers!
I am unable to get the connectors to stay connected. I watched a video that uses the same techniques I used, but I have not been able to make it work.
I am going to have to give up on WiFi. I will have to take it to a jeweler who has better tools and more patience.
Ah, I would recommend a computer repair shop over a jeweler any time.
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I had this issue too. My eye is not good. I couldn’t see small stuff. I should use a magnifying glass. Shall we add the “magnifying glass” to the guide?
I have to contact the support too…