Intel wifi card not recognised on pavillion EC2xxx model

[klajdi_bushi]

I bought an intel AX200 wifi card to upgrade the realtek one because of latency issues, following the details found on this post : https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Hardware-and-Upgrade-Questions/Wifi-card-upgrade/td-p/9439657

I bought this card:

And the only way for this to be working is if I install it with the PC in sleep mode, as soon as I reboot the wifi disappears.

From other comments I saw that it was a drop in replacment. From the serial number looks the non vpro model.

What am I doing wrong that it does not get recognised?

[Hawks_Eye]

Hi @klajdi_bushi 

Welcome to the HP Support Community! We're here to help you get back up and running.

You're absolutely on the right track with the AX200 upgrade—it’s a solid choice over the Realtek RTL8852AE, especially for latency-sensitive tasks. But the behavior you're seeing (Wi-Fi only working in sleep mode and disappearing after reboot) strongly suggests a compatibility or whitelist issue, especially on HP Pavilion EC2xxx models.

Let’s break it down and get you closer to a stable fix:

Root Cause: HP Whitelist & Subvendor ID

HP uses a BIOS-level whitelist on many consumer models, including Pavilion EC2xxx series. This means only specific Wi-Fi cards with approved HP Subvendor IDs will initialize properly at boot.

• Your AX200 card likely has the generic Intel ID: 8086:2723
• HP-approved cards have an additional subvendor ID like: 103C:8821

If the card lacks HP’s subvendor ID, the BIOS may soft-disable it at boot—even though Windows can sometimes detect it in sleep mode or after hot-plugging.

Confirm Compatibility

You need the HP-specific AX200 with part number:

• HP SPS#: L35282-005

This version is explicitly listed for Pavilion Gaming 15-ec2xxx models and has the correct subvendor ID to pass HP’s whitelist.

What You Can Try Now

 

1. Check Device Manager After Reboot

• Is the AX200 listed under Network Adapters?
• If not, go to View → Show hidden devices and see if it’s greyed out or flagged.

 

2. Disable Fast Boot in BIOS

• Enter BIOS (Esc → F10)
• Disable Fast Boot and Secure Boot
• Save and exit

This can sometimes allow generic cards to initialize properly.

 

3. Clean Driver Install

• Uninstall all Realtek and Intel wireless drivers from Device Manager (check “Delete driver software”)
• Reboot
• Install latest AX200 drivers from Intel’s official site

 

4. Try Booting with Card Disconnected

• Boot into Windows without the AX200 installed
• Put system to sleep
• Insert AX200 and wake the system
• If it works, this confirms BIOS-level rejection at cold boot

Long-Term Fix

If you want full boot-time recognition and reliability, replace your current AX200 with the HP-branded version (L35282-005). You can find it via HP PartSurfer or trusted resellers.

If my response helped, please mark it as an Accepted Solution! ✅ It helps others and spreads support. 💙 Also, tapping "Yes" on "Was this reply helpful?" makes a big difference! Thanks! 😊

Take care, and have an amazing day!

Regards, 

Hawks_Eye

[klajdi_bushi]

Hello @Hawks_Eye,

Thanks for your prompt and in depth reply. Just to make sure that it would work with my laptop, I bought the specific version with HP SPS: L35282-005, have a look at the picture I posted earlier.

Regarding BIOS, there is no fastboot option for me to enable/disable.

I tried disabling secure boot, and it did not change anything.

Bios version is F.30

1. If the driver is installed, it will be shown on hidden devices as greyd out, even if the card is not installed, otherwise it does not show.

2. No Fastboot optionon bios. The one inside windows is disabled, tried both ways for it just to make sure

    Tried secure boot both ways, no results

3. Tried to remove all drivers from intel and realtek, even the ethernet and audio ones, no results

4. Need to check this way, but I highly doubt it would work, since the issue seems to come from the bios not starting pcie device, so...

[Hawks_Eye]

Thanks for all the details. You’ve done everything right—especially sourcing the correct HP SPS: L35282-005 AX200 card. That should have cleared the whitelist hurdle, so the fact that it’s still not initializing at boot under BIOS F.30 is telling.

Let’s dig deeper into what might be happening and how to move forward.

What We Know So Far

• Correct HP-branded AX200 installed
• BIOS version F.30
• Secure Boot toggled, Fast Boot not available
• Clean driver install attempted
• Device appears in hidden devices only if driver is preloaded

This points to a PCIe initialization failure at cold boot, even with a whitelisted card. That’s rare—but not unheard of—on certain Pavilion EC2xxx boards.

Next-Level Steps to Try

1. Check BIOS for “Wireless LAN” Toggle

Some HP BIOS versions hide wireless toggles under obscure menus:

• Enter BIOS (Esc → F10)
• Look under Advanced → Built-in Device Options
• Look for Wireless LAN, WLAN AutoConfig, or PCIe Device Enable
• If available, toggle it off, save, reboot, then toggle it on again

This can force reinitialization of the PCIe lane.

2. Try EC Reset with Battery Disconnected

If your model allows battery removal:

• Disconnect charger and battery
• Hold Power button for 60 seconds
• Reconnect battery and charger
• Boot into BIOS and check if the card appears

If battery is internal, skip this step.

3. Try Booting with AX200 in Secondary M.2 Slot (if available)

Some Pavilion boards have dual M.2 slots:

• Try moving the AX200 to the alternate slot
• This can bypass a faulty lane or trigger reinitialization

4. Flash BIOS to Earlier Version (If Available)

If F.30 introduced stricter PCIe behavior:

• Visit the HP Pavilion EC2xxx Driver Page
• Look for BIOS F.29 or earlier
• Flash using HP BIOS Update Utility (from Windows or USB)

Only downgrade BIOS if the version is officially listed for your model.

If none of these steps work, it’s likely a firmware-level PCIe lane lockout, possibly tied to a board revision. In that case:

• You can try the Realtek RTL8852AE HP version (SPS: M34029-005) as a fallback

You’ve been methodical, precise, and persistent—exactly the kind of troubleshooting that deserves a working solution.

Regards,

Hawks_Eye