hp 14s wifi-bluetooth card replacement

[Moma_23]

my situation:  internal wifi not stable, basic troubleshooting failed, stuck using usb wifi which works but is slow, cannot kill internal wifi card because i still use its bluetooth receiver.

my network card: Realtek RTL8821CE-M 802.11a/b/g/n/ac

i want to replace the card. the manual of my hp laptop lists only 3 possible cards: 
Realtek RTL8822CE 802.11ac 2 × 2 Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 5.0 L44796-005
Realtek RTL8723DE 802.11bgn 1 × 1 Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 4.2 L21480-005
Realtek RTL8821CE 802.11ac 1 × 1 Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 4.2 L17365-005

these alternative cards are old and hard to find from reputable sources, moreover they're all infamous realtek models that have had issues in hp laptops so i'm very hesitant to buy another realtek

i would want to put in something from intel, either ax200 or ax210. these cards have the correct key (EA) and should work with my 11th gen intel processor. they are 2x2 cards, so i was thinking to connect only the main antenna, which should be enough for bluetooth and "slow" wifi (same speed as my current realtek apparently). the second antenna should only be the additional wifi radio. if not i might just throw another cable in there.

my question: will hp laptop complain if i put in a card not listed in the manual? are they hardware locked? 
additional question: does someone have experience with intel cards in these realtek only laptops? are they plug and play? did you had the second antenna? or used only one?

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Here's the problem with what you want to do:

Since the PC came with the Realtek RTL8821CE Wi-Fi adapter, it only came with one antenna wire.

If the notebook can use a different model Wi-Fi card such as the AX200, it will not work properly with one antenna wire and since the second wire is also used for Bluetooth reception the AX200 would not have Bluetooth functionality.

That is assuming the notebook would accept a different model card not listed in the service manual and I can't find any posts where someone has upgraded the Wi-Fi adapter in that model series.

HP does not provide any information on what notebooks will lock out Wi-Fi cards not listed in the manual.

Most notebooks made in 2013 or later do not have this problem but there are some exceptions and the only way we find out about the exceptions is when a forum member installs a card and reports it doesn't work.

If it was easy to install a second antenna wire, that wouldn't be much of an issue but to do the job right, you have to order the dual antenna kit listed in chapter 3 of the service manual, completely disassemble the notebook including removing the display bezel, to properly route the second antenna wires.

Have you tried updating the Realtek Wi-Fi card driver to the latest version HP currently has?

2024.10.230.2

https://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp157001-157500/sp157102.exe 

If you want to try the AX200 Wi-Fi card, this is the part number you need:

Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX200 802.11ax 2 × 2 Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 5.0     HP part # L35282-005

[Moma_23]

Thanks for replying to me quickly

I did not find a definitive answer from the internet on what each antenna does on 2x2 cards. Intel models do have a MAIN and an AUX (instead of 1 and 2 like realtek cards) so there's a possibility that naming isn't random and than connecting only the "main" will work. 

I know antenna are just wires, the card is completely capable of doing everything on its own but the radio range will be extremely low.

I won't disassembled the PC screen just to route another wire, one is definitely enough for me. However, since the internal are clearly designed to house a sata HDD, there's a big empty space next to the battery so there's space for a wire curled up in there. The laptop housing is mostly cheap plastic so there shouldn't be any issues for the signal to get in.

If the MAIN does both, i'll quite happily live with 1 wire and no gigabit wifi capability.

If both wires are required, i'll try to find out which antenna does bluetooth and therefore requires less range (if the bluetooth peripherals you use are always close to the PC like mouse and keyboard) and have it down near the battery. The wifi antenna that needs the range to get to the router will be connected to the wire that already runs through the screen.

I didn't find any kits of AX200 with laptop wires included, and i refuse to get upcharged for a small piece of copper. so i ordered a kit of the ax210 with small antenna wires included. The card is shipped with several laptops from other brands with the same processor and it's cited as "fully compatible" on intel's website. Now I just have to pray HP didn't put some sort of predatory hardware lock on this thing like they do on some other products.

Ps: the last time i tried to fix the issue by once again downloading drivers was 2 months ago. Since my realtek card is old and development probably stopped i would assume those drivers you linked are the same version (they are called 2024)

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

The main antenna provides most if not all of the Wi-Fi reception but without an Aux wire, you will not have Bluetooth.

Some folks that have installed the AX200 for example, indicate that the signal strength was a little degraded without the second wire and confirmed no Bluetooth reception. 

Maybe a Bluetooth device will work right next to the laptop, but not more than that.

Hopefully what you bought will work for you.

Please post back and let us know the results.

For the Realtek Wi-Fi driver, all you need to do is check the currently installed driver version and date in the device manager and compare it with the version I posted.