This post may contain affiliate links/ads and I may earn a small commission when you click on the links/ads at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Techsphinx also participates in the StationX Affiliate program. You can read my full disclaimer here.
Finding WiFi adapters that work out-of-the-box with Linux is no easy feat. Since most manufacturers do not support Linux out-of-the-box, you may often run into driver problems or other compatibility issues. But don’t worry, just like the list of Best USB WiFi adapters for Linux, I have made a list of Best PCIe WiFi card for Linux PCs that you can just plug and play.
Here’s the summary of the best PCIe WiFi Cards for Linux:
| PCIe WiFi Card | Link to Product |
|---|---|
| GIGABYTE WiFi 6E GC-WBAX210 | See details at Amazon |
| OKN WiFi 6E PCIe WiFi Card for PC | See details at Amazon |
| TP-Link WiFi 6 AX3000 PCIe WiFi Card (Archer TX3000E) | See details at Amazon |
| EDUP PCIe WiFi 6 Network Card | See details at Amazon |
| ASUS Wireless-AC2100 PCIe Card (PCE-AC58BT) | See details at Amazon |
| FebSmart Wireless Dual Band N600 | See details at Amazon |
Before Proceeding:
1. Check the chipset before purchasing any below-mentioned PCIe WiFi cards. Many manufacturers (for example TP-Link) create a product with a different chipset without changing the product name.
2. WiFi speed mentioned here is the maximum speed advertised by the manufacturer. Actual speed may vary depending on network conditions, environmental factors etc.
3. It is solely your responsibility to check if the PCIe card is compatible with your Desktop hardware (Case, motherboard etc.).
4. Many PCIe cards mentioned in this list have Bluetooth inbuilt. However, an additional USB port or 9-pin connection to the motherboard will be required for it to work.
5. This list is in the order of the latest WiFi standard (WiFi 6E, WiFi6, WiFi5 and so on). All of these PCIe cards work with Linux. Buy any card that suits your needs.
WiFi Chipsets compatible with Linux
The below table shows the chipset used in the PCIe cards mentioned in this article, their WiFi versions and their respective in-kernel support.
| Chipset | WiFi | In-Kernel Support |
|---|---|---|
| Intel AX210 | WiFi 6E | 5.10+ |
| Intel AX200 | WiFi 6 | 5.1+ |
| MediaTek MT7921 | WiFi 6 | 5.12+ |
| Intel 9260 | WiFi 5 | 4.14+ |
| Atheros AR9382/AR9462 | WiFi 4 | 3.17+ |
As you can see from the table, the in-kernel support for Intel AX210 (WiFi 6E) is from version 5.10 and above. So, from this version and above you may get plug-and-play support for the PCIe WiFi card with an Intel AX210 chipset.
In any case, if any of the cards mentioned in this article doesn’t work out-of-the-box for you or you’re not using the recommended kernel version, then you have to manually install the drivers.
Follow these links for more information regarding the drivers:
Intel WiFi Drivers | MediaTek Drivers | Atheros drivers
Best WiFi Cards for Linux
1. GIGABYTE WiFi 6E GC-WBAX210
The first PCIe WiFi card for Linux on this list is the GIGABYTE GC-WBAX210. This tri-band (2.4GHz, 5GHz and 6GHz) card is powered by an Intel AX210 chipset that supports the latest WiFi 6E standard and 160MHz channel.
It also has dual-stream Wireless in the 2.4GHz, 5GHz and 6GHz bands and you can get a maximum speed of up to 2400Mbps.
As for the antenna, this PCIe card is equipped with AORUS high-performance antenna. This external antenna has a multiple angle-tilt feature and magnetic base that allows you to place the antenna in an optimum location where you can get the best signal reception.
Moreover, GIGABYTE GC-WBAX210 has MU-MIMO and Bluetooth 5.2 technology inbuilt. You can connect all your Bluetooth peripherals without the need of purchasing an external adapter.
If you are looking for a PCIe card for your Linux PC with all the latest WiFi features, then GIGABYTE GC-WBAX210 will be the best choice.
Features of GIGABYTE GC-WBAX210:
- WiFi 6E compatibility with Intel AX210 Chipset.
- Tri-band (6GHz, 5GHz and 2.4GHz) PCIe WiFi card.
- Support dual-stream Wireless in the 2.4GHz, 5GHz and 6GHz bands.
- Maximum speeds of up to 2400Mbps.
- Supports 160 MHz channel.
- Bluetooth 5.2 is included.
- External AORUS high-performance 2Tx2R antenna with magnetic base.
2. OKN WiFi 6E PCIe WiFi Card for PC
Another WiFi 6E PCIe WiFi card for Linux is on this list. OKN WiFi 6E card is a tri-band WiFi card with a maximum speed of up to 2.4Gbps on both 5GHz and 6 GHz bands and up to 600 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band.
This WiFi 6E card is powered by an Intel AX210 chipset and supports 160MHz channel to increase the throughput and provide better connectivity when multiple users are connected.
Moreover, it has inbuilt Bluetooth 5.2 technology to connect your wireless peripherals like headphones, wireless keyboards etc without the need for any additional Bluetooth adapter on your PC.
For using this PCIe card at full potential, you’ll need the latest router that supports WiFi 6E. If you don’t have one right now, do not fret, as this card is backwards compatible with older (802.11a/b/g/n/ac) WiFi standards.
Features of OKN WiFi 6E card:
- WiFi 6E compatibility with Intel AX210 Chipset.
- Tri-band (6GHz, 5GHz and 2.4GHz) PCIe WiFi card.
- Maximum speed of up to 2.4Gbps at 6GHz and 5GHz, up to 600Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band.
- 2 External High Gain Antenna.
- Supports 160 MHz channel.
- Bluetooth 5.2 is included.
- Equipped with OFDMA, MU-MIMO, 1024QAM and Target Wake Time technologies.
- Backward compatible with 802.11a/b/g/n/ac WiFi standards.
3. TP-Link WiFi 6 AX3000 PCIe WiFi Card (Archer TX3000E)
TP-Link Archer TX3000E ships with an Intel AX200 WiFi chipset that has the latest WiFi 6 technology.
This is a dual-band (2.4 GHz and 5 GHz) WiFi card for PC with a maximum speed of up to 2400 Mbps on the 5 GHz band and up to 574 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band.
As for the antennas, Archer TX3000E has 2 multi-directional antennas. These high-performance antennas are shipped with a magnetized base. Therefore, you can easily place them in an optimal location to get the best signal reception.
Moreover, it has integrated Bluetooth 5.0 support to connect all your favourite devices like headphones, wireless speakers etc. without needing any additional Bluetooth adapters on your PC.
Archer TX3000E is also equipped with OFDMA and MU-MIMO technologies. However, to use the full potential of this WiFi card, a WiFi 6 router is recommended. If you don’t have one right now, then don’t worry, Archer TX3000E is backwards compatible with older 802.11 ac/a/b/g/n standards.
Features of TP-Link WiFi 6 AX3000:
- WiFi 6 Compatibility with Intel AX200 chipset.
- Maximum Speed of up to 2402 Mbps (5 GHz) & 574 Mbps (2.4 GHz).
- 2 multi-directional and high-performance antennas with a magnetized base.
- Equipped with OFDMA and MU-MIMO technologies.
- Supports WPA3 security standard.
- Bluetooth 5.0 is included to connect controllers, headphones, wireless keyboards and other Bluetooth devices.
- Backwards compatible with 802.11ac/a/b/g/n standards.
4. EDUP PCIe WiFi 6 Network Card
EDUP PCIe WiFi 6 is a dual-band (2.4GHz and 5.8GHz) WiFi card powered by the MediaTek MT7921 chipset. It offers a maximum speed of up to 1200Mbps on 5.8GHz and up to 600 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band.
This PCIe WiFi card ships with two 6dBi External antennas and has MU-MIMO and Bluetooth 5.2 technology inbuilt. Moreover, this WiFi 6 card is also backwards compatible with the older 802.11 ac/b/g/n WiFi standards.
This PCIe card is a great alternative for WiFi 6 with Intel AX200 chipset.
Features of EDUP PCIe WiFi 6 Network Card:
- WiFi 6 Compatibility with MediaTek MT7921 chipset.
- Dual-band (2.4 GHz and 5.8GHz) PCIe WiFi card.
- Maximum speed of up to 1200Mbps on 5.8GHz and up to 600Mbps on 2.4 GHz band.
- 2x 6dBi External Antenna.
- Supports MU-MIMO Wireless Technology.
- Bluetooth 5.2 Technology included.
- Backwards Compatible with IEEE 802.11 ac/b/g/n standards.
5. ASUS Wireless-AC2100 PCIe WiFi Adapter (PCE-AC58BT)
ASUS PCE-AC58BT is a dual-band (2.4GHz and 5GHz) PCIe WiFi card powered by Intel 9260 Wireless Chipset. It offers a maximum speed of up to 1.73 Gbps on the 5GHz band when using 160MHz channel.
As for the antenna, this card ships with an external antenna with base to place the antenna at an optimum location to get the best signal reception.
Moreover, PCE-AC58BT has MU-MIMO and Bluetooth 5.0 technology to connect all your wireless peripherals like headphones, speakers etc. without the need for any additional Bluetooth adapter.
Unlike previously mentioned PCIe cards for Linux, this one is not a WiFi 6 device. It is a WiFi 5 device (using the 802.11ac standard).
If you have a WiFi 5 router and don’t plan to switch to a WiFi 6 router anytime soon, then Asus PCE-AC58BT will be a great choice for your Linux desktop.
Features of ASUS PCE-AC58BT:
- Intel 9260 Wireless chipset.
- Supports 160MHz channels.
- Maximum speed of up to 1.73Gbps on 5GHz band with 160MHz support.
- Bluetooth 5.0 technology included.
- Built-in MU-MIMO technology.
- Ships with External Antenna with Base for increased coverage and better connectivity.
6. FebSmart Wireless Dual Band N600 (FS-N600)
Last on the PCIe card for Linux list is the FebSmart FS-N600 Wireless Dual Band (2.4GHz and 5GHz) card. It offers a maximum speed of up to 300Mbps on both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands.
It comes with 2 external detachable antennas and supports WEP, WPA/WPA2, WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK encryption standards.
Unlike other PCIe WiFi cards on this list, this one doesn’t have inbuilt Bluetooth or uses the latest WiFi standards. However, if you want a low-cost WiFi card for an old Linux PC, then give this card a try.
Note: This card is available in 2 different chipsets – Atheros AR9382 and AR9462. Both chipsets work with Linux. However, you may need to install drivers on some distros. You can refer to the Ath9k wireless drivers for the same.
Features of FebSmart Wireless Dual Band N600:
- Qualcomm Atheros AR9382/AR9462 Chipset.
- Dual-band (2.4 GHz and 5GHz) PCIe WiFi card.
- Maximum speed of up to 300Mbps on 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands.
- 2 External detachable antennas.
- Supports WEP, WPA/WPA2, WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK (TKIP/AES) encryption standards.
Conclusion
That’s it for the best PCIe WiFi card for Linux list. If you are using the right kernel version, then these WiFi cards will work out of the box for you.
Intel has great Linux support and most drivers are in-built into the kernel and will likely work out of the box. If you don’t want the hassle of installing the drivers manually, then I recommend sticking to PCIe cards with Intel Chipset.
Also, you can check out my other articles related to Linux here.
If you like this post, then follow Techsphinx on Facebook and Twitter for more reviews, tricks, tips and tutorials.
This article needs update or correction? Report the issue here so I can update it.
