Hardware - Jiri Brejcha

Unboxing Cisco Wireless CW9176I Wi-Fi 7 access point

Cisco’s Wi-Fi 7 access points introduced new packaging, replaced plastic bags with paper, and introduced new ordering process. This particular AP is the CW9176I-RTG SKU. The RTG stands for Ready To Go. It is build to stock which means super fast shipping, 1 AP per box packaging, and mounting brackets are included with no option to customise it. This -RTG option is perfect if you just need a single AP urgently to perform an “AP on a stick” site survey for example.

Now, if you want to minimise the cardboard volume and storage space, I highly recommend you use the CW9176I-CFG SKU. It allows you to order a 10-pack (that’s 10 APs per box) and fully customise mounting hardware or even opt out from it and use your existing brackets. The CFG part stands for configurable and it is build to your order.

Where in the SKU is the regulatory domain?

It’s gone, and it’s great! Cisco’s Wi-Fi 7 APs are designed for global use. The SKU is no longer assigned to any particular region or country. Simply order an AP. It will detect its location, and set the right country code.

Is this the cloud-managed or Catalyst controller managed model?

It is whatever you want it to be. After you plug it in, claim in in your Cisco Meraki Dashboard inventory, and it will run in Meraki mode. If you don’t claim it, it will discover your Catalyst 9800 controller, and become a Catalyst lightweight access point. Same SKU, same hardware, you choose how you manage it.

You can even switch between the two modes at any point in time with no TAC support whatsoever.

Each Wi-Fi 7 AP consumes a Unified License. This license is the same for both modes. It gives you rights to either cloud-manage the AP in Cisco Meraki Dashboard, or you can join it to Catalyst 9800 controller, and manage it by Catalyst Center.

What’s in the CW9176I-RTG box?

This is the individually packaged RTG SKU, 1 AP per box.

Note the paper wrap around the AP. No more plastic bags.

Underneath the AP are the instructions, bracket, and ceiling grid clip.

Detail of the low profile AIR-AP-BRACKET-1 mounting bracket and bolts.

Detail of the AIR-AP-T-RAIL-R ceiling grid mounting clip.

Finally, there is the AP.

All Cisco Wi-Fi 7 APs ship with a white Console port cover by default. Its purpose is to prevent installers from plugging the twisted pair cable carrying Ethernet to the Console port. The cover can be removed without any extra tools.

Note: For official Cisco guidance and information, please refer to the Cisco.com data sheet and deployment guide.

Unboxing external GPS antenna CW-ANT-GPS2-S-00 for Cisco CW9163E access point

Cisco CW9163E has an in-built GPS/GNSS antenna, and there is an option to attach an external one if signal strength is too weak. We are talking GPS only in this post. For Wi-Fi to work, this AP requires either omnidirectional dipoles or directional patch antenna.

Let’s peak inside the book.

There is a single hose clamp to attach the antenna to a pole, and the GPS antenna itself with directly attached cable.

Before you ask, the cable is about 3 meters long.

It’s now time to remove the GPS antenna port cap.

Detail for the GPS antenna port.

The rubber seal helps protect it from the weather.

Now, the last thing to deal with is how to mount the antenna. You can either use the 2 holes and screws (screws were not provided). Or run the provided hose clamp through the loop inside the antenna mount, pole mount the antenna, and point it towards the sky.

And here is our final setup before the AP gets mounted.

Note: For official Cisco guidance and information, please refer to the Cisco.com data sheet and deployment guide.

Unboxing Cisco CW9163E outdoor access point

CW9163E is Cisco’s outdoor Wi-Fi 6E access point. It comes in external antenna flavor only, so make sure you order either 4 omnidirectional dipoles (in some cases 2 might do just fine), or one directional patch antenna along with the AP itself.

It has built-in GPS antenna. If you expect poor GPS coverage, you can order an optional external GPS antenna.

Note that there are no plastic bags anymore.

Underneath the AP we find the mounting bracket, hose clamps, and other accessories.

Let’s look closely at the acessories.

Inside the little cardboard box is a cable gland and grounding pad.

6 GHz ports A and B, along with the GPS antenna connector live on the top side of the access point.

The bottom side hosts antenna ports C and D shared by 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radios, reset button, Console RJ-45 port, and up to 2.5 Gbps Ethernet port.

No 6 GHz outdoors in the UK yet

Ofcom, the UK regulator, doesn’t permit 6 GHz use outdoors, at least not yet as of May 2025. The 6 GHz radio of the access point is disabled in software.

Unboxing Cisco CW-ANT-D1-NS-00 directional patch antenna for CW9163E AP

Cisco’s Wi-Fi 6E outdoor CW9163E access point requires an external antenna. It has no built-in Wi-Fi antenna. The antenna is a separate purchase and is not included.

You can choose between either omnidirectional dipoles (make sure you order 4 of them), which we covered here, or an external directional patch antenna CW-ANT-D1-NS-00. That’s what we are going to talk about today.

CW-ANT-D1-NS-00 is a 2×2 self-identifying antenna (SIA). The AP detects its presence, model and gain automatically. No more manual antenna configuration needed on your part anymore, yay!

Here is what’s in the box.

After opening all little paper bags you will find these accessories.

Coaxial cable length is about 60 cm and it uses N-type connectors. On the antenna side, all coax cables are permanently attached and are not removable.

The thickest part of the N-type connector measures about 2 cm.

Don’t judge my cable management, please. Also, colour of the AP and antenna is the usual “Cisco outdoor AP grey”. White balance in these two photos is slightly misleading, my bad.

The cable length allows you to achieve about 20 cm distance between the AP and the antenna.

Ultimately, this is how the final setup looks like.

Note: For official Cisco guidance and information, please refer to the Cisco.com data sheet and deployment guide

Unboxing Cisco CW-ANT-O1-NS-00 omnidirectional dipole antenna for CW9163E AP

Cisco’s Wi-Fi 6E outdoor CW9163E access point is an external antenna only model. It requires either 4 omnidirectional dipole antennas CW-ANT-O1-NS-00, or a directional CW-ANT-D1-NS-00 antenna (note the “D”) which we covered in this post.

The CW-ANT-O1-NS-00 antenna ships in a little recycled paper bag and it includes a single antenna. Please make sure you order this CW-ANT-O1-NS-00 SKU four times and connect antennas to all 4 N-type ports.

Note: If you have no plans to use 6 GHz, or can’t use 6 GHz outdoors in your country, scroll down. You might potentially get away with 2 antennas.

Here is a detail of the label.

If you are wondering what its dimensions are, here is a small UK banana for scale 😊

Joking aside, the antenna is about 23 cm long.

And its thickest point measures 2,8 cm.

Finally, here is the AP with all 4 antennas attached.

The whole set is about 65 cm tall.

These dipoles are self-identifying antennas (SIA) and the AP automatically detects their presence, model, and gain. In my setup I have 4 dipoles connected to the AP and since I am in the UK (where we don’t permit 6 GHz outdoor use yet), my 6 GHz radio has no channel assigned, and it is disabled in software on access points installed in Europe as of April 2025.

No plans for 6 GHz? No problem.

If your country has no plans to enable 6 GHz outdoors, you could only populate the bottom 2 antennas. These are connected to the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radios. The top 2 N-type ports marked 6 GHz technically don’t need an antenna if you don’t plan to use them. But we must protect them from weather by N-type connector caps. Simply order CW-ACC-KIT1-00 accessory kit which includes 4 caps as well as other accessories.

Install the connector caps on 6 GHz ports A and B. Please note I am using compatible caps I already owned. The official Cisco ones might look slightly differently.

Let’s have a quick look from the front.

Just keep in mind that if you change your mind and want to use 6 GHz later, you will have to purchase the missing 2 antennas, remove the caps, and connect the additional antennas. So, expect some extra installation efforts. It might well make your life easier if you attach all 4 antennas from the get-go.

As expected, the AP will detect the bottom 2 antennas serving 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands but not the top two 6 GHz antennas.

From physical footprint perspective, CW9163E equipped with the bottom 2 antennas is nearly as tall as MR76/MR86 with all 4 antennas attached.

Note: For official Cisco guidance and information, please refer to the Cisco.com data sheet and deployment guide.

Full 5 Gigabit Ethernet on Raspberry Pi 5 with iocrest Realtek RTL8126 adapter

I’ve tested a number of 10 Gigabit Ethernet adapters on Raspberry Pi 5 based on the AQC107 chip. One adapter that negotiates PCIe Gen 3, achieves 5.5 Gbps speed and overheats. Another one which only works in PCIe Gen 2 mode and peaks at 3.44 Gbps. And even a full-size PCIe card made by TP-Link which negotiates PCIe Gen 2 link speed and doesn’t go beyond 3.44 Gbps either.

The Realtek RTL8126 chip we are testing today is so far the most suitable for Raspberry Pi 5. It is capable of 5 Gigabit Ethernet at full speed. TCP iperf3 throughput peaks at 4.7 Gbps. It doesn’t overheat. And it doesn’t excessively utilise the Raspberry Pi 5 CPU.

This particular one is sold under the iocrest brand. Like the other boards and adapters there is no increst branding on it and it will likely be sold under various brands. The RTL8126 chip is the key component here.

Raspberry Pi 5 with 5 Gigabit Ethernet network adapter

How did we connect it to the Pi? Via PCIe bus. We breakout the Raspberry Pi 5’s PCIe connector via Pineboards (aka Pineberry Pi) board to M.2 M-key slot. And in that slot we install the iocrest 5 Gigabit Ethernet network adapter – that’s the black M.2 module, plus a PCB with RJ-45 connector on a grey ribbon cable.

iocrest 5 GbE adapter connected to Raspberry Pi 5 via PCIe Gen 3 link

Here is how it looks from PCI device perspective.

Performance

It has no problem negotiating full duplex 5 Gigabit Ethernet and filling the interface with traffic fully.

iperf3 with default TCP settings peaks at 4.7 Gbps up and down. More parallel streams don’t improve the result any further. This is in PCIe Gen 3 mode.

Full 5 Gigabit Ethernet throughput in PCIe Gen 3 mode

Just for the record, if we downgrade PCIe bus to Gen 2 link speeds, we are talking 3.43 Gbps down and 3.31 Gbps up iperf3 TCP throughput-wise.

Throughput in downgraded PCIe bus to Gen 2 mode

Thermal footprint

Fully loaded by TCP traffic, I see temperature of 81.2° C (178° F) on the top surface of the RTL8126 chip. Yes, it is on the warmer side, but Raspberry Pi 5 SoC runs quite warm too and it is nowhere near 122° C temperatures I observed on this “hot” 10 Gigabit Ethernet adapter.

Chip temperature, installed in Intel NUC with M.2 slot

By the looks of it, there is no temperature sensor on the PHY so I can’t measure internal temperature.

CPU utilization and temperature of fully loaded adapter with TCP traffic

Linux software support

I happened to have Raspberry Pi OS with 6.8.0-rc7 kernel running on the Raspberry Pi 5. Out of the box, the adapter did not work. iocrest included driver download link pointing to this Chinese website but I am not so sure I want to use that one.

After installing driver from Realtek’s website, the adapter works just fine.

Power draw

This adapter in PCIe Gen 3 mode draws about 1.5 W in idle, and 2.1 W under full iperf3 load.

Switching the adapter to Gen 2 mode doesn’t make any power savings. I measured 0.1 W less in Gen 2 mode.

The whole setup of Raspberry Pi 5 with fan, Pineboards PCIe adapter, and this 5 GbE adapter in PCIe Gen 3 mode draws about 5.1 Watts in total under full iperf3 load.

Does it work on Windows 11?

Yes, it does. I installed one in Intel NUC 12th generation. It runs at full speed full and Gen 3 x1 mode.

Windows 11 driver (as of May 2024) downloaded automatically via Windows Update only allows this adapter to use 2.5 GbE. To unlock 5 GbE we download driver directly from Realtek’s website and we are all set.

Driver from Realtek’s website with full 5 GbE support

5 GbE full duplex with driver from Realtek’s website

With the adapter inserted in M.2 M-key slot, we won’t be able pop the NUC bottom lid back on. The adapter is just a bit too tall.

Bottom lid won’t fit with the adapter installed

Throughput also looks good. I might revisit Windows throughput testing tools at some point. But for now, I take 4.74 Gbps down and 4.42 Gbps up speeds. Increasing number of parallel streams did not improve throughput in any way.

For the record, Jumbo frames seem to be supported but I had no reason to explore this further this time.

Summary

As I mentioned towards the beginning, 5 Gigabit Ethernet based on Realtek RTL8126 chip seems to strike the perfect balance for Raspberry Pi 5. It delivers 4.7 Gbps up and down, doesn’t consume much power, and doesn’t produce excessive amount of heat.

Long-time test will tell how it actually performs but for now I am happy with what I’ve seen.

From driver perspective, I am wondering if the latest Linux kernel supports this chip natively or if I can enable the right kernel module manually.

How to connect full-size 10 Gigabit Ethernet PCIe adapter TP-Link TX401 to Raspberry Pi 5 and Intel NUC

It is refreshing to be able to test hardware which actually has a product name :) TP-Link TX401 is a 10 Gigabit Ethernet copper PCIe adapter.

How to connect standard PCIe card to Raspberry Pi 5

I am testing on Raspberry Pi 5 and Intel NUC. Both do have an M.2 M-key slot and they won’t take this card natively, will they?

Pineboards (previously known as Pineberry Pi) makes a great PCIe Gen 3 compatible board that breaks out Raspberry Pi 5 PCIe connector to M.2 M-key slot. And from there we can use another adapter – MZHOU M.2 to PCIe 4X Adapter. It allows us to insert a standard size PCIe card into M.2 M-key slot.

Pineberry Pi M.2 M-key adapter -> M.2 to PCIe adapter -> PCIe card

The Ethernet adapter is correctly recognised. We just need to build a custom Linux kernel with AQC107 kernel module enabled. Steps by steps instructions are here for your reference. They work for all AQC107 based adapters I’ve tested.

It negotiates 10 Gbps Full duplex link with my switch.

But it only works in PCIe Gen 2 mode on Raspberry Pi 5 in this setup. That means that throughput will be significantly limited to 3.44 Gbps download TCP speed and 3.07 Gbps upload. Using more parallel streams did not help in any way. We are limited by the 4 Gbps throughput of PCIe Gen 2.

I was not able to make PCIe Gen 3 work using this setup. Understandably, high-speed buses don’t like the extra connectors and adapters.

Updated: It wasn’t available back then when I tested this, but Pineboards now sells uPCIty Lite HAT for Raspberry Pi 5 which completely removes the need for the intermediate MZHOU adapter.

How to connect standard PCIe card to Intel NUC

The same M.2 M-key to standard PCIe card adapter works with my Intel NUC 12th Generation.

Windows 11 automatically downloads the latest AQC107 driver using Windows Update.

It negotiates 10 Gbps Full duplex.

The TP-Link card successfully negotiates PCIe Gen 3 x4.

PCIe Gen 3 allows us to achieve TCP throughput of 9.48 Gbps with no effort in the download direction and 9.49 Gbps in the upload. So this card can clearly do 10 Gigabit Ethernet, it just needs PCIe Gen 3 link speed.

No overheating problem

Unlike unbranded Chinese adapters using the same AQC107 chip, this adapter is designed does not overheat. You can read some horror stories about chip temperatures of 122° degree Celsius (252° F) here.

PCIe Gen 2 full load temperature 63.3° C

TP-Link TX401 in PCIe Gen 3 mode on Windows 11 runs at normal temperature

Summary

This adapter achieves nearly 9.5 Gbps of TCP throughput in either direction on Windows if you allow it to use PCIe gen 3 link speed.

Unfortunately, it only negotiated PCIe Gen 2 with Raspberry Pi 5 and Ethernet throughput is limited to about 3.4 Gbps. So for Raspberry Pi, I would recommend a 2.5 GbE adapter which it can fully handle. Alternatively, a 5 GbE adapter. Coming up next. Stay tuned.

It is a good product though with solid cooling. It still produces some heat but that’s a feature of the AQC107 chip. Its advantage is that it keeps the actual system CPU utilisation low even when fully loaded.

The TX401 is a great fit for a desktop machine. If you run a Mac or NUC, I recommend the external 10 Gigabit Ethernet network adapter connected via USB-C using Thunderbolt 3 protocol. No drivers needed.

Direct 20 Gbps connection between Mac and Windows 11 machine with no Ethernet adapters

Problem statement

Here is the challenge. We have a MacBook Pro M2 and an Intel NUC 12th generation PC running Windows 11. We want to transfer a significant amount of data between the two and potentially sync content of 2 directories. The Mac has no Ethernet adapter.

Solution

Both machines support Thunderbolt 4 and USB4. I happen to have a 0.5 m (1.6 ft) Thunderbolt 4 cable in my tools bag. We connect the two machines back to back. They establish USB4 peer to peer 20/20 Gbps connection, and automatically assign locally significant IP addresses from the 169.254.0.0/16 APIPA range.

For the record, I am using the Thunderbolt 4 cable shipped with my trusty OWC 10 Gigabit Ethernet Thunderbolt adapter.

Direct MacBook to Intel NUC USB4 20/20 Gbps connection

The MacBook side

Let’s start with the Mac. Head over to System Settings and Network. Select the Thunderbolt Bridge adapter and explore its config.

Thunderbolt bridge interface and IP address

As far as I can tell, the machines have decided to use USB4. From what Windows network manager is telling us, they negotiated 20/20 Gbps link speed. I expected 40 Gbps but I think I set a wrong expectation in my head. 20 Gbps up and 20 Gbps down full duplex makes up 40 Gbps.

Windows PC on the other end of the Thunderbolt link

A quick iperf3 test gives us amazing throughput of 16.4 Gbps of TCP traffic from the Mac client to PC server. That’s fast!

By default macOS uses standard MTU size of 1500 Bytes. This is important hold that thought.

In the downstream direction, that is from Windows PC towards the Mac, we “only” get 5.3 Gbps. Windows claims 20/20 Gbps link speed, so what’s wrong?

Limited 5.3 Gbps TCP throughput from PC to Mac

Yes, we need to bump MTU (Maximum Transmission Unit) size to the maximum value of 9000 Bytes on my Mac. Apparently, Windows defaults to 62000 Bytes MTU on this peer to peer link type, and there is no UI option to change it. But that’s fine for now.

Let’s retest upload speed. Now we are talking. That’s 16.4 Gbps TCP from Mac to PC and 12.8 Gbps from PC to Mac. I am starting the file transfer.

12.8 Gbps TCP from PC to Mac with Jumbo frames enabled

We are not done yet.

Intel NUC and the Windows part

Windows sees this link as a peer to peer USB4 connection.

The two machines negotiated a 20/20 Gbps link. Windows uses 62000 Bytes MTU by default with no obvious UI option to change it. Mac uses 9000 Bytes. MTU mismatch is bad and we should fix that.

Adapter settings don’t offer MTU adjustment in the UI

Let’s deal with the MTU, and set it to 9000 Bytes on Windows. Same as the Mac.

Set MTU to 9000 Bytes on Windows 11 for this adapter

With matching MTU on both sides of the pipe, we get 15.1 Gbps TCP throughput from Mac to PC, and 13.6 Gbps from PC to Mac. Slightly more symmetrical in both directions.

Summary

I knew Thunderbolt 4 peer to peer connection was possible between 2 Macs but I’ve never tried connecting a Mac to a PC. It works.

Use a Thunderbolt 4 cable, not just a regular “USB-C to USB-C” cable. If there is a Mac involved, increase macOS MTU size to Jumbo 9000 Bytes and match MTU setting on both machines.

The outcome is a peer to peer 20/20 Gbps USB4 link with TCP throughput around 15 Gbps in either direction.