intel-ax210

Description

The Intel AX210 is the M.2 2230 key-M Wi-Fi 6E NIC that is currently the most accessible commodity NIC for 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) CSI extraction — see guarino2026_e72c ↗ §2.1 "the recent Intel AX200/210 chipsets are also supported with the same functionalities by FeitCSI, which — in contrast to PicoScenes — is free and open-source".

This entry is split out from the legacy combined AX200/AX210 note because the lab is standardised on AX210 specifically (Wi-Fi 6E with the 6 GHz band) and because the AX200 supply chain and driver patch matrix differ.

14× units in the lab, paired 1:1 with 14× raspberry-pi-5 hosts via 14× pi-m2-hat PCIe carriers.

Specs / capabilities

Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax): 2.4 GHz / 5 GHz / 6 GHz, 20 / 40 / 80 / 160 MHz channel widths
2×2 MIMO, up to 2.4 Gbps PHY
Bluetooth 5.3 onboard (separate USB endpoint on most carriers)
M.2 2230 key-M form factor
CNVio2 or PCIe interface depending on host — Pi 5 + M.2 HAT exposes it over PCIe
CSI exposed via FeitCSI or PicoScenes patched firmware; not in stock iwlwifi

CSI extraction path — the lab's choice

Tool	License	Supported PHYs	Why	Choose
feitcsi	Free / open-source	802.11a/g/n/ac/ax up to 160 MHz	The default per guarino2026_e72c ↗; widest community lock-in for AX210	✅
PicoScenes	Paid academic license	802.11a/g/n/ac/ax up to 160 MHz; more chipsets	Better parsers, broader chipset matrix; paid	reserve
Stock iwlwifi	Free	Standard 802.11 only	No CSI; just baseline networking	no

The Pi 5 + AX210 + FeitCSI combo is the production CSI line. PicoScenes stays as a fallback if a specific FeitCSI corner case bites.

Antenna + RF chain

Two U.FL connectors on the AX210; both must be populated for full-rate operation.
Stick antennas shipped with the Pi M.2 HAT are adequate for indoor 5 GHz; for 6 GHz consider higher-gain dipoles if range becomes an issue.
Polarisation matters less than placement: keep at least λ/2 (≈ 6 cm at 2.4 GHz) clear of metal surfaces.

Role in the experiment series

EXP-P1: AX210 enumeration via lspci; FeitCSI build + load; first CSI capture against a known frame source; antenna pattern sanity.
EXP-F1 / F2 / F3: 5 GHz (or 6 GHz, where Slovakian regulatory allows) 80 MHz Wi-Fi 6 CSI capture; 2×2 MIMO subcarrier extraction; per-link CSI streaming to the collection host.

Quirks / known issues

Firmware version + Linux kernel + FeitCSI patch must align; see the FeitCSI compatibility matrix in feitcsi.
6 GHz operation is regulated — Slovakia's regulatory domain permits Wi-Fi 6E indoor use at low power; verify the country code is set correctly via iw reg set SK.
AX210 in monitor mode requires both antennas connected or the chip will downshift to 1×1 MIMO.
The CNVio2 variant (AX210NGW vs AX210NGW) matters — the lab has the latter (PCIe-capable), which is what the Pi M.2 HAT expects.

Tooling

FeitCSI — git clone https://github.com/FeitCSI/... (preferred)
PicoScenes — academic license (alternative)
iw / iwlwifi / iwlwifi-firmware Linux package
wireshark / tshark for frame inspection

Used by (papers)

guarino2026_e72c ↗ — names AX210 + FeitCSI as a primary AX-class extractor
shahbazian2023_1172 ↗ — surveys PicoScenes + AX200/AX210
General 2024+ Wi-Fi 6 / 6E sensing literature

intel-ax200 — AX200 sibling (5 GHz only, no 6 GHz); historical reference
pi-m2-hat — the PCIe carrier
raspberry-pi-5 — the Linux host
feitcsi — the CSI extraction toolchain
picoscenes — the alternative toolchain
ieee-802-11ax — the standard