Wireless Wifi Driver not working

[Sol777]

Hi all,

I have been having issues with my wireless driver for months now. I am not sure what happened to my laptop but I started it up one day and haven't been able to find a wifi network since. The wifi option does not even show.

The wireless wifi driver is Realtek RTL821CE 802.11ac PCle Adapter - this only shows when I select hidden devices within device manager - device status shows as not connected to computer.

I have tried:

- System reset

- Uninstalling and re-installing the driver

- Tried alternative drivers on my laptop (though after resetting, the wireless adapter reverts to the aforementioned Realtek version)

I've had the laptop less than 12 month and its as good as useless right now - any solutions would be appreciated before I go and buy another brand!

FYI - I am running windows 11 pro, 23H2

Thank you

[Nal_NR]

Hi @Sol777,

Welcome to the HP Support Community. 

I'd be happy to help you! 

It sounds like you've already tried a few troubleshooting steps. Since the issue persists, here are some additional steps you can take:

Update Driver: Visit the HP website or Realtek's website to download and install the latest driver specifically for your laptop model. Sometimes, the driver from the manufacturer's website works better than the one Windows installs.

BIOS Update: Check if there's a BIOS update available for your laptop on HP's support website. Sometimes, a BIOS update can resolve hardware-related issues.

Power Management: Go to Device Manager, right-click on your wireless adapter, select Properties, go to the Power Management tab, and uncheck "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power."all the latest driver specifically for your laptop model. Sometimes, the driver from the manufacturer's website works better than the one Windows installs.

Check Antivirus/Firewall: Temporarily disable your antivirus and firewall to check if they are blocking the connection.

Reset Network Settings: Open Command Prompt as an administrator and run the following commands one by one:

• netsh winsock reset
• netsh int ip reset
• ipconfig /release
• ipconfig /renew
• ipconfig /flushdns

Check Physical Connection: Ensure the wireless card is properly seated in its slot if it's a removable one.

Hardware Diagnostics: Run HP's hardware diagnostics tool to check if there's a hardware issue with the wireless adapter.

If none of these steps work, there may be a deeper hardware issue with the wireless adapter or its connection to the motherboard. 

contacting HP phone support for service options would be recommended.

Hope this helps! Keep me posted for further assistance.

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