Intel only has drivers for Win10 for the AX2xx.

There are no drivers for things prior to Windows 7 on Intel's site, but there definitely exist drivers for Windows XP for a lot - here's Intel's official compatibility matrix:
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/suppo … s-products.html

Basically everything up to 6000-series WiFi-n. What that essentially means is mPCIE adapters only, no M.2 and no WiFi-ac regardless of interface. Interestingly XP is better supported than Vista.

But that's just Intel.

Realtek also seems to have purged old drivers from their site, but fortunately there's realtek.cz:
https://www.realtek.cz/realtek-wireless-drivers.html

Situation is worse than Intel, only first generation WiFi-n supported under XP.

Qualcomm-Atheros is about the same:
https://www.ath-drivers.eu/atheros-wireless-d … d-Windows7.html

I haven't found a similar overview of RaLink/Mediatek drivers, but the fact I can only find XP drivers for RaLink-branded chips, not Mediatek-branded ones says enough: older n is as good as you'll get.

Broadcom is - as usual - a complete pain for Windows drivers (they only offer Linux on their site, anything Windows-related needs to come from the OEM and is frequently device-specific). Best I can find is Lenovo's drivers for the BCM43225, a pretty ubiquitous ~10 year old early WiFi-n chip. Probably works on other BCM4322x chips as well: https://support.lenovo.com/gr/en/downloads/ds003606

If you really want/need AX speeds, the usual legacy+WiFi workaround is available: configure a WiFi AP/router with desired spec as wireless bridge, connect that wirelessly to your high-end AP and connect it via Ethernet to the old box. WinXP can do Gb Ethernet, which you're not going to even get close to with WiFi-ax (ignore the blurb, unless you're testing in a Faraday cage with little attenuation, ~750Mbps is absolute max you'll see and ~300Mbps TCP throughput in real world sitution (i.e. AP not in same room) is more what to expect).

You can also get ethernet to wireless adapters. The cheaper ones are 300Mb N. You can also use a range extender that has a Gigabit port on it.

Netgear even has some Wifi 6 range extenders. You would still be "limited" by Gigabit ethernet though.
https://www.netgear.com/home/wifi/range-extenders/

dionb wrote on 2021-06-21, 09:04:

Intel only has drivers for Win10 for the AX2xx. […]
Show full quote

Intel only has drivers for Win10 for the AX2xx.

There are no drivers for things prior to Windows 7 on Intel's site, but there definitely exist drivers for Windows XP for a lot - here's Intel's official compatibility matrix:
https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/suppo … s-products.html

Basically everything up to 6000-series WiFi-n. What that essentially means is mPCIE adapters only, no M.2 and no WiFi-ac regardless of interface. Interestingly XP is better supported than Vista.

But that's just Intel.

Realtek also seems to have purged old drivers from their site, but fortunately there's realtek.cz:
https://www.realtek.cz/realtek-wireless-drivers.html

Situation is worse than Intel, only first generation WiFi-n supported under XP.

Qualcomm-Atheros is about the same:
https://www.ath-drivers.eu/atheros-wireless-d … d-Windows7.html

I haven't found a similar overview of RaLink/Mediatek drivers, but the fact I can only find XP drivers for RaLink-branded chips, not Mediatek-branded ones says enough: older n is as good as you'll get.

Broadcom is - as usual - a complete pain for Windows drivers (they only offer Linux on their site, anything Windows-related needs to come from the OEM and is frequently device-specific). Best I can find is Lenovo's drivers for the BCM43225, a pretty ubiquitous ~10 year old early WiFi-n chip. Probably works on other BCM4322x chips as well: https://support.lenovo.com/gr/en/downloads/ds003606

If you really want/need AX speeds, the usual legacy+WiFi workaround is available: configure a WiFi AP/router with desired spec as wireless bridge, connect that wirelessly to your high-end AP and connect it via Ethernet to the old box. WinXP can do Gb Ethernet, which you're not going to even get close to with WiFi-ax (ignore the blurb, unless you're testing in a Faraday cage with little attenuation, ~750Mbps is absolute max you'll see and ~300Mbps TCP throughput in real world sitution (i.e. AP not in same room) is more what to expect).

Yeah that Intel 6235 is probably as good as it gets. I mean it's not THAT bad for the usual "moving files from the NAS" stuff.

SuperiorAnon wrote on 2021-06-21, 10:13:

[...]

Yeah that Intel 6235 is probably as good as it gets. I mean it's not THAT bad for the usual "moving files from the NAS" stuff.

Depending on the rest of your hardware, the 6300 is possibly better. 6235 is a 2x2 MIMO dualband device (with integrated BlueTooth). 6300 lacks BT, but has 3x3 MIMO, so 50% more throughput under same conditions, assuming your access point also supports 3x3 or better. Of course you do need three antennas to be able to make use of that...

The mesh access points support much more than that...

But sacrificing Bluetooth for a bit of throughput.... I would rather be able to use modern peripherals. While I like all retro HW nothing beats modern kb/mouse for long gaming sessions. 😀

Beware, Win XP (+98SE) machines shouldn't be online anymore, because they are a security breach.
XP's network stack is totally archaic and
a lot of dangerous malware, like Stuxnet is XP compatible.

https://www.howtogeek.com/77788/online-safety … -xp-for-good-2/

If XP systems absolutely must be online, VMs are an alternative, as they can be reset.
If a physical XP machine must be only, it should be running behind a dedicated device with a firewall.
(A WiFi router, for example, can be used as a LAN adapter, also.)
Ideally, it should never run unattended, also.
Except if non-TCP/IP protocols are used, I assume.

Leaving a 98SE/XP machine connected to the internet all the time
is a bit like not wearing a mask in the public in the pandemic. 😉

Anyway, these are just my two cents, of course.

PS: If anyone of you thinks that I'm not very diplomatic in this case,
then you haven't read the statements of my fellow citizens in various computer forums in ~2012-2014. 🙂
At the time XP became EOL, they debated about making all XP users that were online
financially liable in case a major botnet or DoS happened.

Edit: This quote from the link nails it pretty well, I think.
Edit2: I removed that quote, it might be too offensive to some, I'm afraid.