Joined in 2023 
82 
63 About this deal
Get the cable out of the NUC. If you have the NUC5i5MYHE, you can remove the serial port bezel and put the cable through. Dual NVMe PCIe Adapter, RIITOP (2 Ports) M.2 NVMe SSD to PCI-e Express 3.1 x8 Expansion Add-on Card Both the P15S-P15F adapter and the SATA controller have arrived so I was finally able to do some testing. According to the P14S-P14FP Extender Board documentation, it supports "PCI Express base Specification 1.1 (Up to 2.5Gpbs)". I'm not sure where the "2.5Gpbs" comes from, maybe it's a mistake. PCIe Gen 1.1 supports 2.5 GT/s per lane and the card supports two lanes. (It's an X4 slot because X2 slots does not exist) When shopping for a range extender, it's important to find one that matches your router's specs. For example, if you have a dual-band AC1900 router, get a dual-band AC1900 extender (or better). If your router supports Multi-User Multiple Input Multiple Output (MU-MIMO) data streaming, which provides enhanced performance by sending data to compatible clients simultaneously rather than sequentially, look for an extender that supports this technology if you want to extend your MU-MIMO network.
Some words about the performance. The NUCs M.2 slot is based on PCI Express (PCIe) Revision Gen2 and has 2 lanes (X2). Each lane supports a data transfer speed of 5.0 GT/s (Gigatransfers per second). To get the actual usable bandwidth, you have to take into account that PCIe Gen 2 uses a 8b10b encoding which means that it requires 10bits, to transfer 1 byte (8 bits). vmnic3 0000:05:00.0 igb Up Down 0 Half 00:1b:21:93:b3:b2 1500 Intel Corporation 82576 Gigabit Network Connection
Not all 5th Gen Intel NUCs have the same M.2 slot but the slot I am mainly talking about in this post is available on all NUCs. It's the slot where you add the M.2 SSD. Only one NUC, the NUC5i5MYHE provides a second M.2 slot (Which provides a differnt key). Instead of the second M.2 slot the other NUCs have a presoldered WiFi module. The slightly older 4th Gen NUCs had a Mini PCIe slot that allowed an additional NIC to be installed. With that port it was possible to install a Syba Mini PCIe NIC for example. Nevertheless the adapter is unsupported with ESXi and did not fit into the NUC chassis, there are solutions. If you know you don't need Wi-Fi 6, but still need a reliable way to extend a network that sees frequent use from multiple data-intensive streams at a time, the Nighthawk X4 is one of your best options.
Upon closer inspection of the specification of the m.2 wifi adapter that came with the unit I discovered that it was in fact using a PCIe lane. Moreover, nearly all manufacturers offer web-based setup wizards and illustrated instructions that will help you configure basic wireless settings. Some (but not all) extenders are equipped with LED status indicators that tell you if the extender is too far from the router. Extenders can also offer advanced router-like features such as guest networking, access scheduling, and media server capabilities. The Key E slot is used for a WiFi adapter. The Key B ports is typcially used for a M.2 SSD. But according to the specification, they should theoretically provide the following interfaces: Maximum numbers of M.2 SSD support will vary, depending on different CPU specs and PCIe bifurcation settings in different ASUS motherboards. Please see the FAQ link for further information:
vmnic0 0000:00:19.0 e1000e Up Up 100 Full b8:ae:ed:75:08:68 1500 Intel Corporation Ethernet Connection (3) I218-LM Well, when I opened up the application menu again, it was significantly faster. I thought there was no way the thing actually rebooted. So, I ran the good ol’ mount command and looked for the trusty root partition. Lo and behold, it was on the NVMe drive. The length of the wire refers to the part of the visible wire. It does not include the PCB and the connector. For the wire length, please refer to the 5cm blue arrow in the figure below.
In light of this, the (re-) boot time of about two seconds is stunning. Now, this isn’t all just CPU power, the Debian spin is very optimized for this board and has many unnecessary bits removed (which is a must when you’re running on an SD card). So, there’s more than just blazing storage going on here. It’s the combination of lightning-fast storage and, just as importantly, a well-optimized system. With a benchmark setup of 100 samples of 1000MB each, the average read was 673MB/s and the average write speed was 789MB/s. The average access time across 1,000 samples was 0.06 milliseconds. These are incredibly impressive numbers. The RK3399 is a beast in terms of SBCs, but it still pales in comparison to most x86 CPUs. It might — just might — compare to some Atom CPUs. Still, maybe the fastest possible throughput is what you're after. That could be because you're running business applications across your network, or because you're in the market for a gaming router or especially a Wi-Fi 6 router. If so, be sure to test the connection between your endpoints to ensure you're getting the maximum traffic speeds you can. PCMag thoroughly tests all routers and range extenders that come through its doors so you'll have a good idea of what to expect before you buy. (Credit: Linksys) The P14S-P14FP adapter has a Key B interfaces which is available on all 5th gen NUCs. It converts the M.2 slot to a PCIe X4 slot where you can insert your PCIe network adapter. Form Factors - M.2 devices are denoted using a WWLL naming schemes, where "WW" specifies the modul width and "LL" specifies the module length. You can find notation like "M.2 2280 Module" in the NUC documentation.
What Can't Wi-Fi Range Extenders Do?
Wi-Fi mesh systems are ideal for users with little or no technical knowledge. They can be installed in minutes and typically come with a user-friendly mobile app that walks you through the installation process with easy-to-follow illustrated instructions. And their prices are coming down, too. There are two types of Wi-Fi range extenders: desktop and plug-in. Most desktop extenders look just like a wireless router and are typically equipped with external adjustable antennas, multiple LAN ports for connecting to devices like TVs and gaming consoles, and USB ports for attaching to peripherals such as storage drivesand printers. The same goes for the latest Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E technologies, the current fastest flavors of Wi-Fi. If you recently bought a new router that supports these standards, you'll certainly want to make sure any range extenders support them as well. Usage restrictions: PCIe 4.0 has high requirements on the equipment. As long as the extension cable is connected, the signal will be attenuated. This product does not guarantee the full speed of PCI-E 4.0. The equipment is aging. If the signal is poor or the environment is not good, please slow down to PCIe 3.0 or lower. Specifications: Bus Type: PCI Express. Card Type: Standard/Low Profile. Chipset ID:ASMedia – ASM2812. Compatible Drive Types: NVMe SSD (PCIe, M-Key). Drive Installation: Fixed. Interface: PCI Express x8 (compatible with x8 or x16). Number of Drives: 2. Bootable: Yes. Hot Swap Capability: No. Type and Rate: PCI Express 3.0 (8Gbps). Drive Connectors: 2 – M.2 (PCIe, M-Key, NVMe, NGFF). Host Connectors: 1 – PCI Express x8 Male. OS Compatibility: OS independent; No software or drives required. Special Notes / Requirements: System and Cable Requirements PCI Express enabled. Computer with an available PCI Express: x8 or x16 slot. Environmental Humidity: 20~80% RH. Operating Temperature: 5°C to 50°C (41°F to 122°F). Storage Temperature: -25°C to 70°C (-13°F to 158°F). Demensions: 120x195x22...
Do you hate switching between network names as you move in and out of range? It's annoying, but if you've already got a cutting-edge Wi-Fi 6 router, you're probably reluctant to ditch it in favor of a whole new mesh system. The EAX15 is a good alternative in this situation, extending the Wi-Fi signal to previously underserved locations in your house while letting you roam seamlessly from room to room without worrying about the name of the network you're on.Make sure that your know the polarity. It is common, that + is on the inside, but some adapters might differ. The power adapters polarity should be written on the label. In doubt, use a multimeter. For the first test I am using a network adapter with an Intel 82576 chipset. This is fully supported with ESXi so I do not have any driver issues. If your ESXi does not detect the card you should verify that the NUC has detected it in the BIOS (Devices > PCI). If the card as been detected, you probably have a driver issue in your ESXi. vmnic2 0000:04:00.1 igb Up Up 1000 Full 00:1b:21:93:b3:b1 1500 Intel Corporation 82576 Gigabit Network Connection With so many of us working from home these days, we now have more apps than ever careening across our household Wi-Fi networks. And some of these require not only a good amount of bandwidth, but steady bandwidth. When they don't have it, that chat you're having with your boss on your company's voice over IP (VoIP) phone system suddenly sounds like you're underwater. The same goes for many consumer-grade apps, especially video streaming services like Netflix, and certainly the latest games. While fairly easy to configure, range extenders have their limitations. They often use a separate network SSID that you have to log into as you move through the house, and Wi-Fi speeds are typically half of what you get from your main router. Most dual-band extenders use both radio bands to transmit data to and from the router, which means devices connecting to the extender are competing for bandwidth with the router. To help alleviate network congestion, some manufacturers let you dedicate a band for router-to-extender communications. Netgear's Fastlane technology and Amped Wireless' BoostBand technology are good examples.
Great Deal 
New Comment