HackerGadgets AC1200 USB-C Wi-Fi card (MT7921, monitor mode)
A MediaTek MT7921AUN Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 card with monitor mode that plugs into the AIO board's internal USB-C and brings its antennas out on u.FL.
What it takes
- Purchase required
- Disassembly
Difficulty 2 of 3 — moderate.
Details
The card carries 2× u.FL for Wi-Fi and 2× for Bluetooth, covers 2.4, 5 and 6 GHz (802.11ax) plus Bluetooth 5.2, draws up to 2.7 W and is sold to sit inside the uConsole on the AIO board's USB-C — a second radio that does monitor mode next to the compute module's own Wi-Fi. vileer confirms both Wi-Fi ports carry 2.4 and 5 GHz, so either takes a dual-band antenna. The 7-antenna mounting kit ships the longer pigtails the card needs; the 4-antenna kit's leads are too short.
Caveat: AIO v2 boards shipped before 15 January 2026 limit the internal USB-C to 0.68 A, which starves this card — see the AIO v2 entry for the resistor fix and compensation plan.
Links
Open at HackerGadgets — AC1200 USB-C WiFi cardRelated mods
An RTL8187 USB Wi-Fi stick soldered to spare USB pins on the HackerGadgets board, antenna on its spare SMA — a monitor-mode radio beside the CM5's own Wi-Fi.
Which plug-in USB Wi-Fi adapters behave on the uConsole: MediaTek chipsets do monitor mode without a fight, Realtek-based ALFA cards mostly do not.
One line in config.txt switches a CM4 from its on-module PCB antenna to the u.FL connector the uConsole's antenna is actually plugged into.
Swap the stock foil antenna for a u.FL-to-RP-SMA pigtail, a small dual-band whip and a printed mount, with three years of measurements behind the choice.
The zero-cost fix: a scrap of plastic or foam tape between the foil antenna and the aluminium body, plus a re-routed lead, is worth 10–15 points of signal.
A CM5 that quietly joins the crowded 2.4 GHz band inside a metal case gets a steadier link once NetworkManager is told to use 5 GHz only.