Changing the WiFi Bluetooth card

[sherab_kelsang]

My Bluetooth headphones connect with the Librem 13V4 but with very bad sound quality.
The WiFi is really patchy.
What options do I have to changing the WiFi and Bluetooth card on Librem 13v4?
I know there are some threads about changing the card but I wondered if some recommendations for the latest HW could be made.
Thank you

p.s
Also how hard would it be for someone who is not experienced to change the card?
(I could always buy the recommended card and pay and expert to change it for me)

[FranklyFlawless]

@sherab_kelsang

What options do I have to changing the WiFi and Bluetooth card on Librem 13v4?

One option is the Intel AX200(NGW) with PureBoot (Basic) to supply the firmware jail:

Intel AX200 Wi-Fi/Bluetooth Shipping for New Orders – Purism

@sherab_kelsang

Also how hard would it be for someone who is not experienced to change the card?

Trivial. You will probably need a Phillip screwdriver with a #00 bit and 15 minutes for the entire procedure.

[sherab_kelsang]

Thank you for prompt reply.
Looks promising.
cheers

[j_s]

Be aware that the antenna connectors are fragile and a bit of care is required.

[sherab_kelsang]

So from the point of view of software - I currently run Ubuntu 22 on my Librem 13V4
Do I need to change any files or anything else?

[FranklyFlawless]

If you plan on specifically utilizing the Intel AX200(NGW), you will need PureBoot:

Coreboot Firmware on Purism Librem Devices – Purism

These instructions will provide a script to install PureBoot on your Librem 13v4. If you do not have a Nitrokey Pro 2 or Librem Key (v2), PureBoot Basic is also an option:

Introducing PureBoot Basic – Purism

[irvinewade]

@FranklyFlawless

you will need PureBoot

Why? If someone runs Ubuntu then there’s a good chance that the new card will work out of the box and it is unlikely that a firmware jail is needed in any case.

However researching this question before taking out the old card would be smart (in case some package needs to be installed first) unless alternative networking is available e.g. ethernet or e.g. WiFi dongle that works already.

[TiX0]

@j_s

Be aware that the antenna connectors are fragile and a bit of care is required

Yes, very good advice.
And also, make sure to ground yourself before you touch anything inside: static electricity disaster could make you regret you ever attempted this. You can do this by connecting your wrist to plumbing with a copper wire. Better safe than sorry!

[FranklyFlawless]

Right, PureBoot’s firmware jail is only needed when using an operating system such as PureOS, which I automatically assume is used when addressing technical issues on this forum.

[sherab_kelsang]

Yes, of course, because of having a Librem makes sense to have PureOS.
So just to conclude - If I use PureOS or Debian I should install the scripts for the PureBoot, but on Ubuntu it may work just without the PureBoot?

Also, where can I buy it?
I found this (will take you to amazon uk) listed in Amazon.co.uk https://is.gd/csS9SI
Any advice on avoiding amazon (in the uk) will be gladly welcome

Thank you

[irvinewade]

@sherab_kelsang

on Ubuntu it may work

Researching this question before taking out the old card would be smart (in case some package needs to be installed first) unless alternative networking is available.

[sherab_kelsang]

I have an Ethernet connection - which means if things go wrong then I can still connect.
The confusion is in two places

1. The actual proceduer of updating the firmwar - for which I have this Coreboot Firmware on Purism Librem Devices – Purism resource
2. finding a place to buy the HW that will work on the Librem

[irvinewade]

@sherab_kelsang

The actual procedure of updating the firmware

Initial procedure is: do nothing. Just see what happens.

Because of the “bootstrapping problem”, it makes sense for the downloaded Ubuntu .iso (or any other distro, or any other operating system even) to contain everything that is needed for WiFi to work. Otherwise there is no way to download what you need (on computers where the only networking is WiFi, and of course an operating system needs to cater for that scenario even if the scenario does not apply in a specific case). So the initial assumption should be that it just works in terms of having a) the needed driver and b) the needed firmware.

I have several computers running Ubuntu and two of them even have Intel WiFi cards. Unfortunately both are too old to contain an AX200 card, so I can’t verify for you what is needed.

After you have bought the card and physically installed it and booted up Ubuntu, use lspci to confirm that the card was detected and correctly identified.

There is more than that to getting a usable network. I think, because you already have a working network with the existing card, the rest should work ‘as is’ with the new card.

As a defensive measure, since Ubuntu 22.04 LTS is now superseded, I would download the current version (Ubuntu 24.04 LTS) and make a live boot flash drive - before removing the existing card. You should be planning for an upgrade to 24.04 anyway (and that will happen automatically “soon” if you have so enabled).

[FranklyFlawless]

@sherab_kelsang

If I use PureOS or Debian I should install the scripts for the PureBoot, but on Ubuntu it may work just without the PureBoot?

Debian and Ubuntu provide proprietary firmware by default for user convenience, so you do not need to install PureBoot for the firmware jail in that case.

@sherab_kelsang

Also, where can I buy it?

…

Any advice on avoiding amazon (in the uk) will be gladly welcome

You can easily find the Intel AX200(NGW) on eBay. Here is a guide to removing URL parameters using uBlock Origin:

Removing URL Parameters

This is a basic guide to removing URL parameters using uBlock Origin by creating static filter rules. Q: What are URL parameters? A: They are parameters with values appended after the URL, usually for analytic and tracking purposes. Example (everything past the TLD and subsequent forward slash): https://www.example.com/?mtm_campaign=status_update&mtm_source=organic&mtm_medium=forum&mtm_content=f-introducing-the-librem-11 Install uBlock Origin on a compatible browser, such as Firefox ESR. …

You can use these static filter rules for eBay’s guest checkout process:

@FranklyFlawless

I have fully confirmed that these uBlock Origin static filter rules work with eBay’s guest checkout. For reference, here are all of the static filter rules from this thread I currently use:

*$removeparam=/^mtm_/
*$removeparam=/^utm_/
||ebay.*^$removeparam=~/(_dmd|_nkw|_pgn|_sop|_ssn|action|blrs|cartid|guestCheckoutEligible|ipg|item|itemId|itemid|LH_|sessionid|srt|token|transId|transid)/
||ebay.*^$removeparam=hash

[riabenko]

@sherab_kelsang

My Bluetooth headphones connect with the Librem 13V4 but with very bad sound quality.

If the quality is terrible, the selected Bluetooth profile may be restricting it. Headphones often connect with the Headset Profile (HSP). It is usually possible to change it to the Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) in the sound settings panel when the device is connected.

[sherab_kelsang]

Good point. I always forget to look this one up.Thank you

[sherab_kelsang]

Wow, that was very kind of you. I didn’t even ask.
Great to know about such things.
Truly appreciated!