1733Mbps 11ac Dual Band PCIe Wi-Fi 5 / Bluetooth 5 Adapter
A Gigabyte PCIe card carrying the Intel Wireless-AC 9260 module, for 160MHz Wi-Fi 5 at up to 1.73Gbps and Bluetooth 5.
The Gigabyte GC-WB1733D-I is a step up from a basic AC1200 card. It uses Intel’s Wireless-AC 9260, a 2×2 802.11ac Wave 2 module that supports 160MHz channels, which doubles the 5GHz throughput of a standard 80MHz Wi-Fi 5 card to a theoretical 1733Mbps. Paired with a router that supports 160MHz, that is more than enough to make full use of a gigabit broadband connection over wireless. Intel’s driver support is also mature and stable across Windows 10 and 11.
Performance
Alongside the 160MHz channel support the module offers downlink MU-MIMO, which lets a capable router serve several devices at once instead of taking turns, improving throughput in busy households. On an ordinary 80MHz router the card still runs at up to 867Mbps on 5GHz, so it remains a good choice even if the network is upgraded later. The two-antenna 2Tx2R design uses an external antenna module that connects to the rear bracket and can be positioned away from the case for better reception.
Bluetooth and compatibility
Bluetooth 5 gives longer range and faster transfers than Bluetooth 4.2 for headsets, controllers and peripherals, and connects through an internal USB header cable, so a free USB 2.0 header is required. The card fits a PCIe x1 slot and supports WPA2 and enterprise 802.1X security. As with our other wireless options, an equivalent card of the same standard and speed class may occasionally be substituted; Punch fits and tests the card in every build.
Ideal for
- Gigabit broadband over Wi-Fi with a 160MHz-capable router
- Busy homes where MU-MIMO helps several devices share the network
- Desktops needing Bluetooth 5 for controllers and audio
Specifications
- Model: Gigabyte GC-WB1733D-I (rev. 1.x)
- Wireless module: Intel Wireless-AC 9260
- Wireless standard: IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac with Wave 2 features; 802.11d/e/h/i/w/r/k
- Bands: 2.4GHz and 5GHz (dual band), 160MHz channel support
- Antenna configuration: 2Tx2R (2×2)
- Maximum data rate: 1733Mbps (1.73Gbps)
- MU-MIMO: yes
- Bluetooth: 5
- Interface: PCI Express (Wi-Fi via PCIe, Bluetooth via USB header)
- Security: WPA, WPA2, 802.1X (EAP-TLS, TTLS, PEAP, EAP-SIM, EAP-AKA), WPS 2.0, Protected Management Frames
- Other: Wi-Fi Miracast as source, Wi-Fi Direct, WMM, WMM-PS
- Module OS support (Intel): Windows 10/11 64-bit, Linux, Chrome OS
