I just bought new wifi card for my desktop computer. Like in topic, it’s Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 for Desktop external link .

I was searching for card that:

  • support AC standard
  • have 5GHz network support (2,4GHz channels are cluttered heavily in my neighborhood
  • have PCI/PCIx or USB3 connector
  • is Linux friendly (no modules compilation by hand, support for aircrack-ng, kismet)

This one is the only I found that comply my expectations.

I found time to play with kismet and aircrack-ng and it was working fine. Card works without problems on kernel 4.2.0. Highest transfer on my net I could get from my NAS - about 23 MB/s (megabytes per second) - much better than on my old N router (approx 6,5 MB/s).

Here’s information from lspci -vvv:

05:00.0 Network controller: Intel Corporation Wireless 7260 (rev 73)
Subsystem: Intel Corporation Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260
Control: I/O- Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping- SERR- FastB2B- DisINTx+
Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B- ParErr- DEVSEL=fast >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- INTx-
Latency: 0, Cache Line Size: 64 bytes
Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 39
Region 0: Memory at f7c00000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=8K]
Capabilities: [c8] Power Management version 3
    Flags: PMEClk- DSI+ D1- D2- AuxCurrent=0mA PME(D0+,D1-,D2-,D3hot+,D3cold+)
    Status: D0 NoSoftRst- PME-Enable- DSel=0 DScale=0 PME-
Capabilities: [d0] MSI: Enable+ Count=1/1 Maskable- 64bit+
    Address: 00000000fee0400c  Data: 4123
Capabilities: [40] Express (v2) Endpoint, MSI 00
    DevCap:    MaxPayload 128 bytes, PhantFunc 0, Latency L0s <512ns, L1 unlimited
        ExtTag- AttnBtn- AttnInd- PwrInd- RBE+ FLReset+
    DevCtl:    Report errors: Correctable- Non-Fatal- Fatal- Unsupported-
        RlxdOrd- ExtTag- PhantFunc- AuxPwr+ NoSnoop+ FLReset-
        MaxPayload 128 bytes, MaxReadReq 128 bytes
    DevSta:    CorrErr+ UncorrErr- FatalErr- UnsuppReq- AuxPwr+ TransPend-
    LnkCap:    Port #0, Speed 2.5GT/s, Width x1, ASPM L0s L1, Exit Latency L0s <4us, L1 <32us
        ClockPM+ Surprise- LLActRep- BwNot- ASPMOptComp-
    LnkCtl:    ASPM Disabled; RCB 64 bytes Disabled- CommClk+
        ExtSynch- ClockPM- AutWidDis- BWInt- AutBWInt-
    LnkSta:    Speed 2.5GT/s, Width x1, TrErr- Train- SlotClk+ DLActive- BWMgmt- ABWMgmt-
    DevCap2: Completion Timeout: Range B, TimeoutDis+, LTR+, OBFF Via WAKE#
    DevCtl2: Completion Timeout: 16ms to 55ms, TimeoutDis-, LTR-, OBFF Disabled
    LnkCtl2: Target Link Speed: 2.5GT/s, EnterCompliance- SpeedDis-
         Transmit Margin: Normal Operating Range, EnterModifiedCompliance- ComplianceSOS-
         Compliance De-emphasis: -6dB
    LnkSta2: Current De-emphasis Level: -3.5dB, EqualizationComplete-, EqualizationPhase1-
         EqualizationPhase2-, EqualizationPhase3-, LinkEqualizationRequest-
Capabilities: [100 v1] Advanced Error Reporting
    UESta:    DLP- SDES- TLP- FCP- CmpltTO- CmpltAbrt- UnxCmplt- RxOF- MalfTLP- ECRC- UnsupReq- ACSViol-
    UEMsk:    DLP- SDES- TLP- FCP- CmpltTO- CmpltAbrt- UnxCmplt- RxOF- MalfTLP- ECRC- UnsupReq- ACSViol-
    UESvrt:    DLP+ SDES+ TLP- FCP+ CmpltTO- CmpltAbrt- UnxCmplt- RxOF+ MalfTLP+ ECRC- UnsupReq- ACSViol-
    CESta:    RxErr- BadTLP+ BadDLLP- Rollover- Timeout- NonFatalErr+
    CEMsk:    RxErr- BadTLP- BadDLLP- Rollover- Timeout- NonFatalErr+
    AERCap:    First Error Pointer: 00, GenCap- CGenEn- ChkCap- ChkEn-
Capabilities: [140 v1] Device Serial Number 7c-5c-f8-ff-xx-xx-xx-xx
Capabilities: [14c v1] Latency Tolerance Reporting
    Max snoop latency: 0ns
    Max no snoop latency: 0ns
Capabilities: [154 v1] Vendor Specific Information: ID=cafe Rev=1 Len=014 <?>
Kernel driver in use: iwlwifi

And iwconfig:

wlp5s0    IEEE 802.11abgn  ESSID:"cis5"  
          Mode:Managed  Frequency:5.5 GHz  Access Point: 34:7A:60:XX:XX:XX   
          Bit Rate=780 Mb/s   Tx-Power=22 dBm   
          Retry short limit:7   RTS thr:off   Fragment thr:off
          Power Management:off
          Link Quality=60/70  Signal level=-50 dBm  
          Rx invalid nwid:0  Rx invalid crypt:0  Rx invalid frag:0
          Tx excessive retries:7  Invalid misc:184   Missed beacon:0

If you’re thinking about buying any Linux friendly AC wifi card - this one is worth it’s price.