Frequently dropping Wifi connection after 7260 AC upgrade

[Sergej2]

Hello together, 

a couple of weeks ago the Intel 7260 N HMC 2 x 2 wireless card of my HP ENVY 17-j145ng stopped working. So I did some research and decided to go for an upgrade with the AC version of that wireless card.

Unfortunately I ended up with random disconnects and a bit of confusion. Before I go into details I would just like to know If that card (INTEL Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 2x2 AC+BT HMC) is really compatible to my HP ENVY.

Hope you can help me. Thank you in advance!

Best regards 

Sergej

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi:

This part number AC card should have worked just fine in your notebook...

 Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 802.11 ac 2x2 WiFi + BT 4.0                 HP Part #710661-001

Did you update the driver to the latest version?   Download and unzip the latest W10 x64 driver file to its folder.

Go to the device manager, click to expand the Network Adapters device manager category.

Click on the Intel 7260 wifi adapter, click on the driver tab.  Click on Update Driver.  Select the browse my computer for driver software, and browse to the driver file you unzipped.   Make sure the include subfolders box is checked and the driver should install.  Then restart the PC.

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000017246/network-and-i-o/wireless-networki...

Did you connect the antennas to the correct terminals (main to main, and aux to aux)?

[Sergej2]

Hi, 

thank you for the quick response. At least I'm glad to hear that the AC card is not blacklisted or something similar on my notebook..

I did the exact same thing as you described, multiple times. Also uninstalling all the 7260N wifi and BT drivers first and then updating with the latest version of that Windows10 x64 driver. But the result is always the same. It works for a while (5 minutes, 10 minutes, or even 2 hours) and then starts to randomly disconnect. Feels like the wifi adapter is restarting since the wifi icon (the one in the bottom right corner) dissappears also for 1-2 minutes. 

As soon as I am back home again I will check the aux and main antenna connection. I am pretty sure I connected them correctly but you never know. 

I removed the old 7260 N card first, installed the new AC card and then tried to manage the drivers. Maybe that is the cause of my problem? Should I try to remove the old drivers while the old card is installed - would that make any difference?

And is there a way to check if my adapter is just defective? 

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

You're very welcome.

I am not a PC repair tech by trade or training, so I don't know if there is a way to test the card itself for functionality.

However, it is not out of the realm of possibility that the card has a problem.

I have the same card with the part number I posted, and it works flawlessly in my HP 350 G1 business notebook (and the card is not even listed as supported in the service manual).

I think you have done all of the troubleshooting steps I can think of, except going to the advanced settings for the device in the device manager.

See if changing the Raoming Aggressiveness setting from the default to Lowest makes a difference.  Maybe the wifi card is looking for a better signal, and that is why it randomly drops the connection.

Make sure the Transmit Power setting is on the highest level.

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005585/network-and-i-o/wireless-networki...

Another thing you can do is uninstall the intel proset wireless software and just use the driver I posted using the method I posted.  You don't need the Intel wireless software if you are letting Windows manage your wireless connection.

The card with the part number I posted is cheap enough on eBay ($15 - $25), so you may want to just buy another one if you can't get that one to perform right.

Do your search by the HP part number I posted, and not the model of the wifi card.

[Sergej2]

Just a short update: As you suggested I ordered a new card two days ago. It should arrive tomorrow, hopefully. I will keep you informed! 

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Let's hope the replacement card solves the problem...

[Sergej2]

Good news, the old card was defective and the new one works just fine. To be on the safe side I also followed the steps you described in your post before. Not even one disconnect so far in both 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz.

Thank you very much for your quick support, this can be closed now!

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Anytime.

Glad to have been of assistance and thanks for letting us know that replacing the wifi card resolved the problem.