Can my desktop connect to a 5g network?

[Jane7117]

My All-In-One has intermittent wifi reception. When I checked with my Internet provider, they told me that my new router automatically switches btwn 2g and 5g networks but they could only detect the 2g signal on this computer. The desktop is a couple of rooms over from the router and gets a strong signal. I thought perhaps the 5g signal was too weak at this distance, but my laptop has no trouble picking it up in the same room. Can the desktop all-in-one only get 2g? Or is there something preventing it from connecting to the faster network? I need to solve this because of all the online meetings these days. They keep freezing on me. Thanks!

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi:

Below is the link to the product specs for your PC.

https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c05135971

It comes with a 802.11 b/g/n wireless network adapter.

Anytime you see a wireless N adapter with a suffix that ends in b/g/n, that means it is a single band (2.4 GHz only) wifi adapter.

Dual band wifi adapters have suffixes that end in a/b/g/n or a/g/n.

Your options would be to:

Purchase a dual band USB adapter.

Remove and upgrade the internal RTL8723BE 802.11bgn wifi adapter to a dual band model.

Before I could recommend an internal wifi card upgrade, I would need to know how many antenna wires are connected to the Realtek wifi card.

Below is the link to the service guide where you can find the instructions for opening up the PC.

http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c05145045

[Jane7117]

Thanks, Paul. I don't feel confident enough to replace the internal wifi card. Does the dual band USB adapter simply plug into the computer? Or would I still need to replace the internal card in order to use the adapter?

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

You're very welcome.

Yes, a USB adapter simply plugs into one of your PC's USB ports.

Here are a few options for you to choose from...

AC 600 = 433 MBPS max connection speed on the 5.0 GHz wifi band.

AC 1200 = 867 MBPS max connection speed on the 5.0 GHz wifi band.

https://www.amazon.com/Cudy-Adapter-Wireless-Adapters-Compatible/dp/B07TN9Q97K/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&k...

https://www.amazon.com/Adapter-1200Mbps-Techkey-Wireless-Network/dp/B07ZP4YSDM/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&k...

https://www.amazon.com/Adapter-1300mbps-Wireless-Network-Antenna/dp/B083V2W8CP/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&k...

[Jane7117]

That's great news, and I really appreciate your suggestions. Thanks so much for your help and quick replies!

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Anytime.

Glad to have been of assistance.

You can still use the internal wifi adapter's Bluetooth radio, so you will have the best of both worlds.