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- HP Community
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- Notebook Hardware and Upgrade Questions
- Re: Upgrade Realtek RTL8821CE 802.11ac PCIe Adapter

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09-18-2025 09:37 AM
I would like to upgrade the Realtek RTL8821CE 802.11ac PCIe Adapter. What are some compatible cards?
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Accepted Solutions
09-18-2025 09:56 AM
I believe the model series is one of the very few that still has a BIOS whitelist which will prevent a different model Wi-Fi card from working.
Not only that, but since your notebook only comes with one antenna wire, there's only one model Wi-Fi 6 card you can experiment with, because the others would require two antenna wires.
Realtek Wi-Fi 6 RTL8852BE-VS + Bluetooth 5.3 HP Part # N26166-005
I see several for sale on eBay. Search by the HP part number.
Just understand that the odds are stacked against you for having it work.
Below is the link to the service manual:
09-18-2025 09:56 AM
I believe the model series is one of the very few that still has a BIOS whitelist which will prevent a different model Wi-Fi card from working.
Not only that, but since your notebook only comes with one antenna wire, there's only one model Wi-Fi 6 card you can experiment with, because the others would require two antenna wires.
Realtek Wi-Fi 6 RTL8852BE-VS + Bluetooth 5.3 HP Part # N26166-005
I see several for sale on eBay. Search by the HP part number.
Just understand that the odds are stacked against you for having it work.
Below is the link to the service manual: