Drivers for Atheros AR5B22 Ethernet/WiFi/Bluetooth card

[ddddavo]

Have a working DV7 7xxx laptop, have just purchased Broadcomm/Atheros AR5B22 networking card to support 5 GHz Wifi.
Windows 7 can't find drivers because Ethernet not functioning...chicken/egg issue.
Looked in forums and supposedly SP54972 has drivers...the package installs, but nothing works.  Can't find any commodity drivers that do anything in first two pages of Google results...

This card evidently was supported on some HP models.
Anybody know what driver pack would work???

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

Hi:

I don't think that card was ever used in any HP notebook's I am aware of.

Please post the hardware ID for the card.

Use this guide to find that information.

https://www.howtogeek.com/193798/how-to-find-drivers-for-unknown-devices-in-the-device-manager/

Did you get the card for free, because this is a much better card you could have installed if your PC has an Intel core processor...

Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260 802.11 ac 2x2 WiFi + BT 4.0    HP Part # 710661-001

[ddddavo]

PCI\VEN_168C&DEV_0034&REV_01
PCI\VEN_168C&DEV_0034
PCI\VEN_168C&CC_028000
PCI\VEN_168C&CC_028iv0
PCI\VEN_168C
PCI\CC_028000
PCI\CC_0280

Googled the device info and came up with zero drivers...just driver spam sites (that offer to install "useful" driver software tools.  Was used in some laptops back in the day...

Got the card for $5 so it's a throw-away.

Thanks for the tip on the Intel card...will look into it!!

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

I found a universal driver file that has many hardware ID's that match the one you posted but they all have the &SUBSYS descriptor and not just the generic PCI\VEN_168C&DEV_0034

Like this, for example...

PCI\VEN_168C&DEV_0034&SUBSYS_3117168C

See if you can manually install the driver as follows...I zipped it up and attached it below.

Download and unzip the file to its folder.  Do not do anything with the files in the folder.

Go to the device manager, click on the Network Controller needing the driver.

Click on the driver tab.  Click on Update Driver.

Select the Browse my computer for driver software option. and browse to the driver folder you unzipped.

Make sure the Include Subfolders box is checked, and hopefully the driver will install.

You can find the Intel AC wifi adapter on Amazon or eBay.  eBay will be cheaper.

Search by the HP part number, not the model of the wifi card.

Maybe this vendor still has some...I helped another forum member a while back with the same card suggestion.

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Wireless-and-Networking/Wifi-adapter-intermittently-working/m...

[ddddavo]

Looked on Amazon and there appear to be two versions of the Intel 7260...the "AC" version and the "N" version.
Can't figure out what the difference is...apparently, the AC version is the one HP used.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi:

See my post above...

[ddddavo]

I had tried some other generic drivers (actually, several of them) and nothing installed.

The ones you found -- same outcome.

Ordered the Intel card.

THANKS for your tips and effort!!!

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Anytime.

Glad to have been of assistance.

Please post back and let us know how the Intel wifi card upgrade went.

[ddddavo]

Installed the drivers from SP74945, everything seems to be fine.
Except...that's just the WiFi, haven't tested Ethernet yet.

More importantly -- complete failure to install anything in BlueTooth beyond basic devices.
Went to Intel's site and it says the baseline drivers are happy, but none of the services were properly installed.
Do you know the SP # for those?

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi:

I would install these wifi and bluetooth drivers from Intel...those are the drivers I'm using for my 7260AC card.

WiFi:  Select the W7 x64 driver from the list.

https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/selfservice/hp-pavilion-570-p000-desktop-pc-series/13823514

Bluetooth:  Select the W7 x64 driver from the list...

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/28622/Intel-Wireless-Bluetooth-for-Intel-Wireless-7260-Fam...

Ethernet:   Download, unzip and run the setup application from the W7 driver file at the link below...

https://www.realtek.com/en/component/zoo/category/network-interface-controllers-10-100-1000m-gigabit...