We can't be sure about that until ME code will be reverse engineered fully and replaced with something opensource wih same functionality.
A neutralized Intel ME has 300 kB of code running, which is too small for a network stack. You don't know what's going on with a black box, so you're assuming the worst, but some things are very unlikely.
It's not that easy, since Atheros chip will have another pinout and you can't just desolder old one and solder Atheros instead.
Is it the norm now to solder wifi chips onto the motherboard? There are still laptops where you can replace it.
A neutralized Intel ME has 300 kB of code running, which is too small for a network stack.
Chek lwIP, you will be surprised. Full scale TCP/IP stack with only dozens of kb footprint. Pretty good thing, I use it often in small networking projects. More than enough for ME needs.
Is it the norm now to solder wifi chips onto the motherboard?
IDK, but I already saw few where everything is soldered on motherboard, including WiFi chip and SSD. Of course you still could find decent machines where CPU, memory, WWAN, WiFi, SSD are in sockets, but they are mostly expensive top things. Most modern laptops have CPU and at least part of memory soldered. I think soon we will have everything soldered laptops only. Sockets reduce profits, when a customer could just add some memory, replace CPU or SSD or replace WiFi card with a better one.
A neutralized Intel ME has 300 kB of code running, which is too small for a network stack. You don't know what's going on with a black box, so you're assuming the worst, but some things are very unlikely.
Is it the norm now to solder wifi chips onto the motherboard? There are still laptops where you can replace it.
Chek lwIP, you will be surprised. Full scale TCP/IP stack with only dozens of kb footprint. Pretty good thing, I use it often in small networking projects. More than enough for ME needs.
IDK, but I already saw few where everything is soldered on motherboard, including WiFi chip and SSD. Of course you still could find decent machines where CPU, memory, WWAN, WiFi, SSD are in sockets, but they are mostly expensive top things. Most modern laptops have CPU and at least part of memory soldered. I think soon we will have everything soldered laptops only. Sockets reduce profits, when a customer could just add some memory, replace CPU or SSD or replace WiFi card with a better one.