Is DW1560 BCM94352z ngff not compatible with m.2 ngff slot on a motherboard?

[superczar]

I ordered a DW1560 BCM94352 card from ebay for my Asus ROG Z370-G gaming motherboard which has two m.2 slots
I am using the first slot for a nvme SSD and intended to use the second slot for this card

When I received the card, it turns out that the notches are physically different from the port (see attached comparison with the m.2 SSD)


I contacted the seller who asked me to send a photo of the motherboard slot (attached)

Now the vendor is claiming that I need to contact Asus as the slots are only for SSD and not for Wifi although the motherboard clearly says the m.2 slot should work for PCI-e/SSD/IRST


I am little surprised as I would have thought that m.2 slots differ in length but the connector side remains 22mm
I guess my question is :

a) Is the vendor trying to take me for a ride or does he have a valid point ? If m.2 wifi cards are indeed not meant to be compatible with regular m.2 slots then the failure is on my part for not having done my research properly .. If however he is making it up then I would rather open a dispute

b) If the vendor is correct then is there any other choice that I have ? WHat kind of card should I order instead?

 

[Titokhan]

@superczar

The seller is absolutely right.

As you can see here, your motherboard comes with two M key M.2 slots which are strictly meant for storage devices (for more info, see here & here). On the other hand, ROG STRIX Z370-G GAMING (WI-FI AC) does come with an extra E key M.2 slot with an Intel card, which can be easily replaced by DW1560.

You may use an M.2 wireless card to PCI-e 1X adapter (like this one) along with the DW1560, though compatibility may vary. Otherwise explore the forums, and choose from actual Apple card+adapter (best compatibility) or some other compatible PCI-e based cards.

 

[jaymonkey]

@superczar,

The only way you can use a M.2 WiFi card in a non WiFi specific M.2 slot (Key Type A+E) is to use a A+E Key to M Key adaptor.
M.2 Key type M slots are specifically for PCie based M.2 SSD's (NVMe)

You should be aware that there are two types of M.2 slots for SSD's

1. Full PCIe enabled M.2 slots which are used for NVMe SSD (Key Type M)
2. AHCI SATA M.2 slots which interface to the PCH rather than the PCIe Bus (Key Type B)

This diagram shows the physical location of each type of of key on a M.2 connector/slot:-

​

Some motherboards only have one full PCIe M.2 slot (Key Type M) the other M.2 slot on some motherboards is sometime only for AHCI SATA enabled M.2 SSD's (Key Type B). Read you motherboard manual and check the M.2 slots for compatibility and specifications.

You can only use a WiFi A+E to M key M.2 adapter in a PCIe M.2 slot Key Type M (IE: for NVMe SSD's)

If both M.2 slots of your mother board support NVMe M.2 SSD then you can use a A+E Key to M Key M.2 adaptor.
I posted some info on these adaptors with links in my post on CNVi here:-

https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/broadcom-wifi-bluetooth-guide.242423/page-31#post-1774187

See the section towards the bottom of that post (What to use Instead)

Note: Some motherboards have M.2 slots that can support both ACHI SATA and NVMe SSD's, (Key Type B+M) these type of slots are routed through the PCH and are not directly connected to the PCIe bus, if you have this type of slot then a M.2 A+E key to M key adaptor may work as long as you can manually set the slot to PCIe mode (NVMe SSD) in the BIOS, however success with a mixed SSD M.2 slot (Key type M+B) can not be guaranteed, it depends on the manufactures implementation.

Cheers
Jay

 

[pastrychef]

I ordered a DW1560 BCM94352 card from ebay for my Asus ROG Z370-G gaming motherboard which has two m.2 slots
I am using the first slot for a nvme SSD and intended to use the second slot for this card

When I received the card, it turns out that the notches are physically different from the port (see attached comparison with the m.2 SSD)
View attachment 347090

I contacted the seller who asked me to send a photo of the motherboard slot (attached)

Now the vendor is claiming that I need to contact Asus as the slots are only for SSD and not for Wifi although the motherboard clearly says the m.2 slot should work for PCI-e/SSD/IRST

View attachment 347091
I am little surprised as I would have thought that m.2 slots differ in length but the connector side remains 22mm
I guess my question is :

a) Is the vendor trying to take me for a ride or does he have a valid point ? If m.2 wifi cards are indeed not meant to be compatible with regular m.2 slots then the failure is on my part for not having done my research properly .. If however he is making it up then I would rather open a dispute

b) If the vendor is correct then is there any other choice that I have ? WHat kind of card should I order instead?

The M.2 slot you have pictured is meant for NVMe SSDs and the keying is different for Wi-Fi/Bluetooth cards.

Please see this post with info on installing Wi-Fi/Bluetooth card on an Asus Z370-G motherboard.

To get the DW1560, you will need to install a few kexts and add some KextsToPatch. Instructions and kexts can be found here.

 

[superczar]

The M.2 slot you have pictured is meant for NVMe SSDs and the keying is different for Wi-Fi/Bluetooth cards.

Please see this post with info on installing Wi-Fi/Bluetooth card on an Asus Z370-G motherboard.

To get the DW1560, you will need to install a few kexts and add some KextsToPatch. Instructions and kexts can be found here.

Thanks for this - I ended up ordering a m2 to PCIe converter (Fenvi) from aliexpress for 900 odd INR (little over $12)
a few minor niggles aside, it's all working well now (everything except watch unlock - which I guess the DW1560 can't do)

 

[pastrychef]

Thanks for this - I ended up ordering a m2 to PCIe converter (Fenvi) from aliexpress for 900 odd INR (little over $12)
a few minor niggles aside, it's all working well now (everything except watch unlock - which I guess the DW1560 can't do)

I don't know about Apple Watch... I don't have one to try...

 

[Drfrag]

I would like to know if It is possible to use two adaptors - one thunderbolt to M.2 and other M.2 to Apple card. I saw one adaptor tha even has an USB port, that I can adapt to use with BT.
My Nuc has a soldered intel wifi and only one m.2 slot that I want to use with NVME ssd, and native wi-fi/bt is my goal.