HP Envy 700-230qe has a RT3290 802.11bgn Wi-Fi Adapter does it have dual bands

[hyaduckh]

Does the HP Envy 700-230qe has a RT3290 802.11bgn Wi-Fi Adapter. Is it a single or a dual band wifi receiver? If it is single band is there a list on compatible dual band wifi receivers for my HP Envy 700-230qe computer and if there is where do I go?

Thank you,

Harry

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi:

The RT3290 802.11bgn is a single band wifi adapter.

Anytime you see a wireless N card with a suffix that ends in bgn, that means it is a single band wifi card.

Dual band wireless N cards have suffixes that end in abgn or agn.

A direct swap upgrade to a dual band wifi adapter requires that two antenna cables have to be connected to the card.

So, if your PC has two antenna cables connected to the Ralink wifi card in there now, let me know, and I will suggest a suitable replacement.

if not, I suggest you purchase an external USB dual band AC wifi adapter.

[hyaduckhJ]

Thank you very much for your help. I do not see any antennas on the outside. I removed the cover and I only see one card and it is the video card. The RT3290 802.11bgn Wi-Fi adapter must be built into the motherboard and I don't see any antennas on the inside either.

Harry

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome, Harry.

Yes, the wifi card is probably located on the motherboard, as the specs indicate that it has a PCI Express x1 half-length minicard expansion slot.

That is where the wifi adapter plugs into.

There has to be at least one antenna cable connected to it in order for the wifi card to work.

This is a picture of what the wifi card will look like.  It will be about an inch long and about 3/4" wide.

The antenna cable(s) will be attached to those gold colored terminals.  A cable will be very thin and delicate.

The card should be laying flat on the motherboard.

[hyaduckhJ]

Thank you for the picture that helped a lot. The express expansion **bleep** has four card readers in it. I found the card on the motherboard. It has two thin black wires  (one on each of the two gold terminals) that run around in the case and disapear into a hole in the top of the case. 

The reason I am trying to figure out if my Wi-Fi card accepts a dual Wi-Fi router. I have a dual wi-fi router and my cell phone picks up both channels but my comuter only sees the 2.4g channel.

Thanks again,

Harry

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

You're very welcome, Harry.

That's good news that the wifi card has two antennas connected to it.

That card will only work on the 2.4 GHz band, so if you want to replace it (you have to be careful removing and replacing those thin antenna wires to the wifi card), I recommend you go with this one...

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

The card is readily available on Amazon or eBay.

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

You can get the W8.1 wifi and bluetooth drivers directly from the Intel website.

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/product/75439/Intel-Dual-Band-Wireless-AC-7260

[hyaduckhJ]

Thank you Paul it is very kind of you to take the time out of your day to help me.

I have looked at the part on Amazon and Ebay and they both say the wi-fi adaplter is for a Laptop. Here is the ebay link just in case I am missing something.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Dual-Band-Wireless-AC-7260HMW-Mini-PCI-E-BT4-0-Card-Intel-For-HP-SPS-710661...

As long as those two wires are not soldered in or have a release mechanism I should be able to remove the two antinnas safely. 

I have two open bays. Would it be better to replace that module or would it be better to put another unit in the drive bay similar to my video card. 

Replacing the module with the one you recommend does not seem difficult but the specs say it is for a laptop is the only thing that concerns me.

Thanks,

Harry

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Anytime, Larry.

The wifi card in your PC now is a laptop wifi card.

The newer model desktop PC's use the same wifi cards as notebooks do.

That would be the correct 7260 AC wifi card...

The antennas snap on and off the wifi card.

You have to be real careful popping them off and snapping them back on.  You can see how thin the wires are.

I am careful to center the connector right over the terminal and push down on it to reattach it.

Here is a blow up of what the end of those things look like...you can see the way the gold contact is split into 3rds so it can snap over the wifi card's terminal.

[hyaduckh]

Thank you Paul you have been a tremendous help.  I just need to clarify one more thing and then I should be all set. Is this the software I need to download.

Thanks,

Harry

For Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 Intel® PROSet/Wireless Software and Drivers for Windows 8.1* V...

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome, Harry.

Specifically, you need these wifi and bluetooth drivers...

2nd file down on the left for 64 bit.

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/27990/Intel-PROSet-Wireless-Software-and-Drivers-for-Windo...

1st file on the left for 64 bit.

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/27866/Intel-Wireless-Bluetooth-for-Windows-8-1-?product=75...