EliteDesk 800 G2 DW 35w (Mini) M.2 Wifi Bluetooth Adapter Kit Recommendation Needed

[MrFartswell]

Hi All,

So I have purchased an ex-Government HP EliteDesk 800 35W G2 Desktop Mini and the refurb guys I purchased this from didn't do such a great job of the refurb ... that said, I have cleaned all the dust out of the unit, updated the BIOS, clean installed Win 10 Pro in UEFI/GPT mode (they installed in Legacy ... why I'll never know) and activated Secure Boot, upgraded my TPM from 1.2 to 2.0 and then upgraded to Windows 11 which is running perfectly FYI (I know, I know ... I'm running Win 11 on unsupported hardware but please read on).

I know I can simply go and buy a Blueooth USB dongle ... but in the interest of trying to get the best possible connections via WIFI & Bluetooth I am after some assistance in what to get in relation to an M.2 WIFI/BLUETOOTH card and antennas.

Please note that I am well aware an Ethernet connection would be the best silution for network speed, however WIFI usage is a neccessity for me due to the required location and use case for this device.

ATM I am somewhat confused after having located information indicating that the HP Desktop Mini Series (800/705/600/400 G2) all come standard with built-in WIFI antennae and the way I am understanding it, that is regardless of whether the unit originally shipped with an M.2 WIFI/Bluetooth card and antennae or if one is added (I apologize but I have lost the reference to said info but believe it was indeed from an official HP Support Document).

So my questions ...

1) Do I need to buy WIFI/Bluetooth antennae kit if I purchase a compatible M.2 WIFI/Bluetooth card only? I guess that could be construed as a somewhat ridiculous question as I thought external antennae would be a neccessity but again, the previous statement about the info I found indicating built-in antennae has me confuzled

2) I am aware of the compatibilty for an M.2 WIFI/Bluetooth card for this unit as I managed to locate the Maintenance and Service Guide which indicates:

Considering that my router supports both 2.4 and 5gHz channels, I know that as highlighted above, I would therefore be seeking out an a/b/g/n + Bluetooth 4.0 (or maybe higher Re Bluetooth spec) M.2 card to support the higher speed available via a 5gHz connection.

In the interest of trying to cut a long stort short, can anyone using this unit who has applied this sort of upgrade (or even if you just know what you're on about really) recommend a kit that I could purchase? Is there actually an HP branded "HP WLAN 802.11 a/b/g/n + Bluetooth 4.0" card AND either "Antenna, dual band dipole, 802.11 a/b/g/n + Velcro" OR "External Antenna Kit" I can easily purchase still from HP themselves or a third party? If not ... recommendations for a complete kit to satisfy the requirements please?

Thanking you in advance for your time.

[eeky_peeky]

Hey

Just stumbled across your post and I actually just had to buy a replacement antenna after I drop my G2 and it landed right on the rear antenna 😞

I bought option 1 from here and a cover for the rear antenna. Intel 3165 cards are pretty cheap on ebay, the one I've got always gets full speed on Virgin M200 with the internal antennas

Step by step installation can be found on page 54 of the service manual, it's pretty easy, shouldn't take longer than 15 minutes.