Change LAN and wifi adapter of HP Pavillion T1N03EA

[Condricio]

Hello,

I have an HP Pavillion T1N03EA that comes with these network adapters:

Realtek PCIe FE Family Controller #2

Realtek RTL8723BE 802.11 bgn wifi adapter

I would like to change both, as the LAN is capped at 100 Mbps, and I do not have support for 5GHz wifi.

According to the specifications page, the system has only one wifi antenna, and it seems that to add a second one I would need to remove even the display.

I was wondering if there is an easy way of replacing the lan and/or wifi adapters, and which replacement pieced would be the best.

Thanks!

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

Hi:

The ethernet adapter is an integral part of the motherboard and cannot be upgraded.

For that, your only option would be to purchase a USB to RJ-45 gigabit ethernet adapter, plug that into your PC's USB 3 port and you will have faster throughput.

Something like this...

Adaptador USB Ethernet, VKUSRA Adaptador Ethernet, Aluminio USB 3.0 to RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet para Wi...

There is one dual band AC wifi card you can do a direct swap with the RTL8723BE, and that is this one...

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

The card has a maximum throughput of 433 MBPS on the 5.0 GHz Wi-Fi band with an AC router and an excellent signal.

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

l17365-005 en venta - | eBay

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 the Wi-Fi card removal and replacement procedure...

HP Pavilion Gaming Notebook Maintenance and Service Guide

[Condricio]

Hello,

Thanks for your detailed and helpful answer!

I was wondering if the proposed wifi adapter will have any other limitation (in addition to the 433 Mbps bandwidth, compared to 1 Gbps or more of other wifi adapters) when compared to a dual antenna one.

For example in quality of signal received when at a long distance, or anything else.

If it's only de bandwidth, 433 Mbps should be enough for the use I will give to the computer.

Best,

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

It depends on the model wifi adapter.

For example: 

An Intel 3168 AC Wi-Fi adapter requires two antenna wires for both the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to work properly, yet it has the same throughput specs as the RTL8821CE, which only uses one antenna wire.

But an Intel 7265 AC wifi card has twice the throughput of 867 MBPS.

The reception should be the same on either card.

I have a HP 255 G7 notebook with the Realtek 8821CE Wi-Fi card and the reception is fine.

It would be no different than the reception you are currently getting with the RTL8723BE card you have now.