Can the WIFI card in my Pavilion laptop 15-ab283nr be upgraded to WIFI6 . O

[WRCLVR]

Can the WIFI card ( Realtek RTL-8723 BE )  10EC  in my laptop be upgraded to a WIFI 6 card ?  If so what brand and model #  is best?  I want WIFI 6  to pair with my new ASUS WIFI 6 ( not 6e ) network . i already have ATT  fiber optic 1 GIG coming into the house. I do want the Bluetooth  to work as well, Seen some horror stories about the newer bluetooth not working on some cards b/c poor drivers , just wont work etc

Also how difficult is it to remove the card and install the new one ? 

Thanks  Milburn

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi:

This is interesting...the parts list for your notebook indicates that it comes with an Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165 802.11 ac 1x1 WiFi and Bluetooth 4.2 combination WLAN adapter.

HP PartSurfer

But you indicated your notebook has a single band Realtek RTL8723BE wifi card.

The Intel 3165 card would require two antenna wires be connected in order to work properly.

Usually (95% of the time) notebooks with the RTL8723BE wifi adapter only have one antenna wire and all but one dual band wifi cards require two antenna wires for both the wifi and bluetooth to work correctly.

So...I recommend you open up the notebook and confirm how many antenna wires there are.

If there is only one...

The best card you can upgrade to would be this one...It would have a max throughput of 433 MBPS on the 5.0 GHz wifi band.

Realtek RTL8821CE 802.11 ac 1x1 WiFi + Bluetooth 4.2 Combo Adapter (MU-MIMO supported) HP part # L17365-005.

You can find this model on eBay, or Ali Express. 

I see some Intel 3165 cards listed on the eBay listings, so don't buy those.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=L17365-005&_sacat=0&_sop=15

RTL8821CE - Buy RTL8821CE with free shipping on AliExpress

On the Ali Express listings, make sure the card has the HP Part # of 915620-001

Below is the link to the service manual where you can find removal and replacement procedure.

HP Pavilion Notebook (Intel)Star WarsTM Special Edition Notebook Maintenance and Service Guide

If there are two wifi antenna wires connected to the RTL8723BE card you can upgrade to this model card instead.

Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265 802.11 ac 2x2 WiFi + BT 4.0 Combo Adapter (non vPRO)   HP part # 784644-005

The above card would have a max throughput of 867 MBPS on the 5.0 GHz wifi band.

For Wifi 6, you can experiment with this card.  No guarantee it will work though.

Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200 ax 2×2 + Bluetooth 5.0 MU-MIMO M.2 2230 non-vPro   HP part # L35282-005.

You should also be able to find both Intel cards on eBay if you search by the HP part number, not the model of the wifi card.

The Intel cards must be non-vPro or they will not work, which is why you should search by the HP part number.

[WRCLVR]

Yes the RTL 8723 BE  b/g/n  card is what comes up in win for the adapter.  LOL Should i trust  Win ?  LOL

I guess I can take it apart  to see if it has 1 or 2 antennas.

Realtek RTL8821CE 802.11 ac 1x1 WiFi + Bluetooth 4.2 Combo Adapter (MU-MIMO supported) HP part # L17365-005. Other posts in the HP Support forums state issues with connectivity even with the latest update for that card ?  

Please advise if I should wait until HP get that sorted.

Many thanks for the links for all items including the service manual.  wish there were more people like your self 🙂

Regards, Milburn

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome, Milburn.

It's hard to say how the card will work in your notebook.

It definitely has not been a stellar performing card, based on all the information I have read.

It is certainly not a card that I would recommend if your notebook had two wifi antenna wires.

I have the RTL8821CE wifi card in two HP 255 G7's, and I have never had an issue with it, on any driver version or on any build release of W10.

Knock on wood.

[WRCLVR]

The service manual indicates the RTL 8723 BE  b/bios and win report the Processor as i7-6700HQ  which is not listed in the service manual only a i7-6700H.  Weird...

Man you are fast.. Can I put you on speed dials ?

Thanks  It is not expensive so will prolly get one after i confirm 2 antennas on the module ( service manual indicates 2 as well but might not be specific to the  8723 BE b/g/n....)

I'll post up again confirming 2 antennas

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Yes, please do because if your notebook has two antenna wires attached to the card, I will give you other options.

[WRCLVR]

It only has one antenna ( 1)  black wire with  tag 1  ....that goes along the back side of the case. It has HP p/n 792204-001  ; SPS#792610-001 Rev :02  U98H121.03 MO 22020 22245-04  CT GEREK02XH235XW

There are 2 connections but only the right hand one is being used and there are no other wires.

  screw on the edge centered, then the open connector  and then the wired connector w blakc wors as described going out along trhe back of the case

So unless i can upgrade to 2 antenna wires , I will have to use the single wire L17365-005, i reckon

Will that card need the bios updated? 

I do  plan on going from  8GB RAM ( 2 x 4GB )  to 16 GB ( 2 x 8 GB)  as well although that wont help my other issue

Thanks  Paul 

[WRCLVR]

One last question.... non Vpro ?

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

You're very welcome.

I was afraid of that...

You'll have to live with the RTL8821CE card unless you want to order the dual antenna kit listed in chapter 3 of the service manual (if you can even find one for sale), and completely disassemble the notebook including the display panel area to run a second antenna wire.

I hardly think it is worth going through all of that trouble.

The Realtek RTL8821CE wifi card is non-vPro.

Only Intel wifi cards come in vPro versions to support Intel vPro technology found exclusively on the higher end HP business notebooks and desktop PC's.

What Is the Intel vPro® Platform?

[WRCLVR]

So i did install the 8821 AC single antenna card in my 15AB283nr laptop.  Cost was $21 USD inc shipping.

No issues w install, recognized it immediately along with the RAM upgrade from 8 -> 16 GB.  It now reports 433 mbs on the card ( < 100 before )  and an ATT and google speed test shows  150 mbs to laptop comparted to 45-50 mbs before.  I am using an Asus WIFI 6 router and have 1 GB ATT fiber optic coming in.   Running Win 10 64 bit  20H2

Just adding this so other people will know that it will work. thanks to Paul !!!!