Pavilion DV7-3165DX, Atheros AR9285 WiFi Adapter, & Network Incompatibility Issues [ Edited ]

[cassidydr]

After much research, I decided to purchase a Pavilion DV7-3065DX. So, I trekked to my local Best Buy only to be told that the 3065DX had been discontinued and was no longer available for purchase. However the 3165DX, its successor had just arrived and was very similar to the previous generation. So, after a brief debate to justify the price increase with myself, I gave in and purchased it.

Within hours, I was at college trying to connect to the WiFi network without any success. After several hours of growing more and more frustrated, I decided to call it quits. Rushing home after class, I plugged in the new Linksys WRT160N wireless router that I had also purchased and configured it on my desktop. Once completed, I tried to connect to it using the new Pavilion. To my surprise, it worked! (And without any trouble whatsoever no less.) So, apparently, the wireless adapter works, but does so only on certain networks.

A week later, I've tried to connect to a number of public and private WiFi networks of different types with limited success. Of the most important, I am able to connect to my home network, but not to the public networks at my college or city libraries. At one point, the support desk at my college indicated that my WiFi adapter is one of just a handful of adapters on the list of incompatible devices for their network. Considering this was the point of purchasing the notebook in the first place, I'm extremely frustrated.

I turned to HP's support pages for a solution. I considered a driver upgrade despite using the HP Assistant to keep current on all software downloads and updates. To my dismay, the product page for the Pavilion DV7-3165DX lists a WiFi adapter from Broadcom which does not match my hardware (the Atheros AR9285). What's worse is that the manufacturer's website does not offer driver downloads to customers as its site is tailored directly to product manufacturers.

At this point, I'm aggravated and unsure of what to do. I am already attached to this notebook. Aside from waging war with fingerprints on its glossy black and shiny chrome surfaces, the trouble with the Atheros WiFi adapter is the only issue I've had. I'd hate to have to go through the ordeal of returning it, and I don't believe that this problem requires shipping the product to HP for repair. Furthermore, I believe that if it came down to either of those, I would simply return the product and find my way to another product by another manufacturer altogether.

This is certainly not the experience I had hoped for with my first HP purchase.

Any suggestions?

[swgdan]

Have you tried these drivers:

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/softwareDownloadIndex?softwareitem=ob-78603-1&lc=en&dlc=en&cc=us&...

[cassidydr]

Huh... I wonder why these drivers aren't listed for my model. I'll give them a go if there is a chance it might work.

I was told by the network administrator at school that the reason the Atheros adapter isn't compatible with the network is that it does not support frequency switching and that I would need to purchase either a USB or ExpressCard network adapter and that it is a Wireless-N, dual-band network adapter. So I did just that.

At any rate, I'll give these drivers a go and let you know how it goes. Thanks for the info!

[rasco38st]

I donwload it the Atheros driver , but  it won't install the hardward.

I click on the driver setup , but can't find the hardward is like if the hardward was not there.

when booting up pc i get message wireless module not found.

[pepe999]

Try these..

http://www.wireless-driver.com/download/atheros/atheros-wireless-network-adapter-win7-drivers.htm

[cassidydr]

I've been so busy with work and mid-terms (now finals) that I hadn't had a chance to update as promised. I tried the new drivers with no luck. I did manage to find a few more networks that I was unable to connect to with the Atheros onboard chipset whereas the Linksys USB network adapter seemed to handle it fine. After some research, it appears the issue is hardware-related, in the form of limitations, that cannot be addressed with software updates although I still do not know the specifics. Additionally, I looked into replacing the chipset, but that too seems to be impossible as it is integrated directly into the motherboard.

[cbwilliamsva]

I've tried a bunch of different drivers with no solution. I'm able to connect just fine to G networks but my HP cannot find/connect to my N network at home. I've been on the phone with HP support numerous times. Just want to find a driver that lets me connect to my N network!

[lusich · Accepted solution]

I have the same issue...however with me the solution was not in the driver.I spent 3 hours on the phone with technical support  trying to figure it out.

What it comes down to is that Atheros AR 9285 is a shi*ty wireless card. It supports the 802.11n protocol, but only on 2.4GHz (same as the b/g frequences). My Cysco wireless router was broadcasting Wireless-N on 5GHz and the AR 9285 was not able to detect it. Once I changed the router settings to allow Wireless-N networking at 2.4 GHz, the Atheros card was able to connect under the N protocol. However the maximum speeds of a 2.4GHz card are slower than the 5GHz card.

I wish they would give an option to choose what wireless card to install in my laptop. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. I'm still made that they screwed me over.

[cassidydr]

If you do a bit of research you'll discover that the DV7-3165 is being sold with two separate network adapters. The other is an Intel chipset that can now be purchased from an increasing number of online parts dealers and corrects this issue. Unfortunately, after having spent another $80 to purchase a USB WiFi adapter, I'm not willing to part with anymore of my hard-earned cash. But it CAN be replaced. The trick is just finding someone that has the part in stock.