flashback to 2017, Fall

I was panicking when I tried to connect to my schools WiFi network, but for some strange reason I just could not connect to their network. I was like "the fuh...?" and I continue to troubleshooting my laptops WiFi connection. I uninstall UX31e's AzureWave AW-NB086 the driver and installed Microsoft generic driver and that did not worked. I continue installing newest and old drivers. No luck. I continue to ponder that maybe the WiFi card went bad, but alas, the WiFi connection worked on my local coffee shop and library.

The only conclusion that I gathered is that the school IT department banned my MAC address to connect to their network. I kept wondering if I broke their WiFi policies, but I'm pretty confident that I never broke their guidelines. Either way, I needed to use their WiFi and the only solution to my problem is asking IT department to unblock my MAC address or buy a new WiFi card: I chose the later. First let me tell you about the upgrade-ability of Asus UX31e WiFi module: there is none. According to the WikiDevi website, its a custom wireless card.

So I went to eBay and purchase an Asus Ex31e wireless card and for insurance I bought a generic 802.11 n wireless LAN card USB 2.0 adapter for $2. After waiting 2 weeks, I tested them both worked. So which one worked the best? Well for me the original Atheros AR9485WB-EG wireless network adapter that has Bluetooth capabilities. Also, my laptop only has 2 usb ports so I did not want to give that away either. Speed difference? Well look below: The original UX31e wireless card has OK speeds (picture above), nothing to brag about.

Its kind of impressive to have high download speeds for Ralink, but for this USB adapter the upload speeds is not impressive.

Anyway, I just wanted to write about my situation in which the IT department from my school blocked my MAC address. The only solution that I could have think of is buying a new wireless card. There are ways to spoof your MAC address, but I wanted a simple solution. So if you can't connect to your home or local library's WiFi, troubleshoot it first and then buy the hardware if you continue to have the problems. Also, I posted a video link that says "want faster WiFi?" but in reality this video is pretty good in troubleshooting your WiFi troubles.

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