Thinkpads Forum

Hi,

I recently purchased a W520 Thinkpad with the Lenovo b/g/n wireless card. However, I'd like to change this card and put in an Intel 6300 that supports 5GHz channels. So, is it as simple as buying a wireless card online, looking through the hardware manual and replacing the current card? I ask since I read somewhere that buying external cards and putting them in won't boot up the W520.

It's not external cards, it's non-Lenovo branded cards that won't work without a BIOS hack, even if they're a generic of the same card. Lenovo likes to whitelist non-Lenovo cards in the bios. Swapping the cards is pretty easy, but it looks like the Thinkpad card uses a 2x2 antenna configuration while the 6300 uses 3x3. You may need the extra antenna to get the better range and signal. I don't know how easy it is to do on the W520. It's probably not rocket science, but you'll need to take apart the LCD at a minimum.

Not necessary to pull the LCD apart. The additional antenna line is in there. I did just this on my W520.