MSI AX1800 WiFi USB Wireless Network Card
MSI launched a new MSI AX1800 WiFi USB wireless network card, mainly designed for DESKTOP without built-in wireless network card, or Notebook with older network card, upgrade the new generation of Wi-Fi 6 wireless network, support 2T2R MU-MIMO technology, AX1800 dual-band specifications, up to 574Mbps (2.4GHz) and 1200Mbps (5GHz) transmission speed, adding a swing antenna design, users can fine-tune the antenna angle to get better reception.
It also has MSI First network acceleration technology. When the MSI AX1800 WiFi USB wireless network card is used with the MSI Gaming Router, the MSI First function can be activated to allow the Router to prioritize game packets, greatly reducing network latency.
MSI AX1800 WiFi USB wireless network card adopts space gray + black color scheme, metal sandblasting effect is added to the shell, gold-plated treatment is added to the USB interface, the MSI Dragon Soul Logo is printed on the shell, and the three-dimensional check pattern is used as embellishment, which is quite textured.
Support USB 3.0 interface, 5V, 1A rated power supply, size is 102mm x 30mm x 19mm, weight is about 37g, there is 1 LED indicator on the surface, when the WiFi is successfully connected, the LED will be blue, and it can support Windows 10 / 11 and Linux operating system, Windows 7 or below and Mac OS users please skip.
The MSI AX1800 WiFi USB wireless network card has a swingable antenna design. Users can adjust the antenna angle according to the placement of the Router, and adjust the directionality of Wi-Fi transmission and reception from 0 degrees to 180 degrees, especially when the distance between the Router and the device is relatively long , it can greatly improve the Wi-Fi transmission performance.
Many users put the Desktop PC on the bottom of the table, and the reception effect is not ideal when it is directly plugged into the USB. It is attached with the MSI AX1800 WiFi USB wireless network card and a 1-meter extension cable connected to the Docking, which can be placed vertically on the table to make the reception effect better. With the foldable antenna design, users can adjust the antenna angle to achieve the best reception.
Using Realtek RTL8832BU solution
Many brands of USB wireless network cards have a swingable antenna design, but many of them are only for decoration and do not have the function of an antenna. The author disassembled the case of the MSI AX1800 WiFi USB wireless network card, and you can see the swingable antenna structure. fake.
In order to improve product stability and lifespan, MSI AX1800 WiFi USB wireless network card has a 2mm thick aluminum metal heat sink, which can conduct the waste heat from the Wi-Fi module and PMP power supply to the USB metal interface and casing, even under long-term load The temperature can still be maintained at a reasonable level.
▲ Contains AirGain N03E external antenna
The foldable antenna includes one AirGain N03EDABB and one N03EDABB external antenna. It features high gain and good performance. Compared with only PCB built-in antenna and metal sheet PIFA antenna, it can provide better receiving ability.
According to the test report in the FCC database, it can reach an average of 3dBi Gain in the 5GHz Low frequency band, and an average of 4dBi Gain in the 5GHz High frequency band.
▲ Realtek RTL8832BU Wi-Fi 6 chip
Adopt Realtek RTL8832BU Wi-Fi 6 chip, support USB 3.0 interface, PHY module supports abgn + ac +ax, supports 2.4GHz, 5GHz dual-band, 2T2R MU-MIMO, supports AX1800 dual-band network to provide up to 574Mbps (2.4GHz) or 1200Mbps (5GHz) transfer speed.
Compared with the RTL8832AU Wi-Fi 6 chip, the network specifications of the two are exactly the same. The difference is that the AU version has a built-in 16MB disk space, allowing the factory to preload the Wi-Fi driver, while the BU version requires users to download the driver themselves.
WiFi Speed Test:
This test uses the MSI AX1800 WiFi USB wireless router for testing, and the client uses the MSI AX1800 WiFi USB wireless network card, which supports 2T2R channel transceiver and 80MHz bandwidth specification, and the maximum wireless transmission speed is 1.2Gbps.
▲ Test point reference plan
The editor used the OpenSpeedTest server set up by itself in four different locations of the editorial department to conduct tests through a 2.5Gbps WAN network to test the highest Wi-Fi connection speed and coverage of a single device. The location of the test points and routers can be referred to above.
| test point 1 | 5.0GHz | 949.3 | 860.1 | 6 |
| test point 2 | 5.0GHz | 884.2 | 858.2 | 7 |
| Test point 3 | 5.0GHz | 587.7 | 381.7 | 8 |
| Test point 4 | 5.0GHz | 363.0 | 284.4 | 8 |
MSI AX1800 WiFi USB Wireless Network Card
Price: HK$399
Enquiry: Hornington (3626-9898)
Editor’s comment:
If your Desktop does not have a built-in wireless network card, or a Notebook with an older network card, the MSI AX1800 WiFi USB wireless network card can simply provide Wi-Fi 6 wireless network connection, and its performance is comparable to the built-in Wi-Fi 6 wireless network of modern notebooks. The network mods are similar and perform satisfactorily.