Laptop doesn't see 5ghz wifi networks even though they are supported on wifi adapter

[bik3]

My laptop: HP Notebook - 14-cf0006dx

Laptop's network adapter: Realtek RTL8723DE 802.11b/g/n PCIe Adapter

Windows version: Windows 10 Home. Version 21H2 (OS Build 19044.1766)

Problem: My laptop's network adapter (Realtek RTL8723DE) supports both 2.4 Ghz and 5 Ghz wifi bands, but only 2.4 Ghz networks show up in available networks. It is not a problem with my 5 Ghz network, because I'm able to connect to it just fine on other devices. Additionally, 5 Ghz networks used to show up on this laptop prior to a fresh install of Windows which I did about a week ago.

I am not certain how to solve this problem.

• If I do 'netsh' and then 'WLAN show drivers', I see the following: Radio types supported : 802.11n 802.11g 802.11b , which indicates that both 2.4 Ghz and 5 Ghz are supported, if I understand correctly. (I thought that 802.11g and 802.11b are 2.4 Ghz only, but 802.11n supports both 2.4 Ghz and 5 Ghz.)
• If I go in to Device Manager, right click on "Realtek RTL8723DE 802.11b/g/n PCIe Adapter", click Properties, and go to "Advanced" tab, there are options to enable or disable "802.11d" and an option to set "802.11n channel width for 2.4Ghz", but nothing related to 5 Ghz specifically, and no option to enable/disable 802.11n.
• I have checked in Device Manager, and I have the latest drivers for the Realtek RTL8723DE 802.11b/g/n PCIe Adapter
• I checked my installed driver versions against the drivers for my laptop directly on HP's website just to double check; when I expand All Drivers --> Driver Network (12), the latest available downloads for both "Realtek RTL8xxx Series Wireless LAN Drivers" and "Realtek RTL8xxx Wireless LAN Drivers" match the versions showing up in both Device Manager and netsh / WLAN show drivers. (Those were the only two that seemed relevant.)

What else should I do?

Additional Notes:

• I have periodically had issues with my network adapter; it used to be that sometimes all networks would disappear for no apparent reason, showing "no available networks" (even though wifi was enabled), and I'd have to restart the computer to get them back. This used to happen a lot if I manually disabled wifi and then turned it back on too much; often wifi would turn back on, but no networks would display and I'd have to restart.
• The 5 Ghz networks only disappeared after a fresh install of Windows a week ago. Prior to that, I always saw them listed.
• When I did my fresh install of Windows a week ago, I also installed Ubuntu on another partition. The first time I tried to install Ubuntu, it did not recognize any wifi networks at all. I uninstalled and then re-installed Ubuntu and the second time, it saw wifi networks with no problem (so maybe some other driver got updated?)

Any clues?

[ub6424]

Hello @bik3 

(1) Please update your wireless driver

Realtek Semiconductor Corp. - Net - 2024.0.10.226  [ Source is Microsoft ]

Download here -> realtek-2024.0.10.226.cab

( Download file name is: 63a78b64-2684-49fd-8eaf-8a78c5401a5f_cf6fb9865082a2a052c878abec06455591c6427e.cab )

(2) Unzip the cab file using windows explorer or 7-zip

(3) Update your wireless driver using INF driver files

Here you can read and see how to update the driver locally with a driver package that contains a INF file:

https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-update-drivers-in-windows-2619214

Update your device <Realtek RTL8723DE 802.11b/g/n PCIe Adapter> below <network adapters>

(4) Reboot and test again ...

(5) Please report your results

[bik3]

Thanks for the support,  @Ub6424. Just out of curiosity, for the link you provided, what is the version of that driver? And for which exact device is it for? EDIT: I re-read your post and see now you mentioned this corresponds to Realtek RTL8723DE 802.11b/g/n PCIe Adapter. Sorry for missing that.

Also, I see now that the version of the driver is already mentioned in that post: 2024.0.10.226 . (When I run 'netsh' then 'WLAN show drivers', my driver version appears as 2024.0.10.220, so perhaps it is different than this one.) Will update and post results. Thanks again for the post!

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

Hi, @bik3 

Your notebook's Realtek RTL8723DE can only work on the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi band.

Specs on the card from the manufacturer's website:

RTL8723DE - REALTEK

Any time you see a Wireless N card with a suffix that ends in b/g/n, that means it is a single band (2.4 GHz only) Wi-Fi adapter.

Dual band Wi-Fi N adapters have suffixes that end in a/b/g/n or a/g/n.

So, your notebook's Wi-Fi card is working just fine for its designed purpose.

In order to have dual band Wi-Fi, you have two options:

1. Replace the Realtek RTL8723DE Wi-Fi card with this model:

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. 

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 the Wi-Fi card removal and replacement procedure:

HP 14 Laptop PC Maintenance and Service GuideIMPORTANT! This document is intended for HP authorized ...

2. Purchase a USB dual band Wi-Fi adapter.

[bik3]

wow, thanks a lot for this info. I had no idea. Guess it's working as expected. I could swear I used to see 5Ghz networks available, but maybe I"m mistaken?

I happen to have a USB dongle wifi adapter that's dual band, might try that out. Thanks again.

[bik3]

@Paul_Tikkanen - I'm a little confused now.

If I run netsh from cmd, and then WLAN show drivers from the netsh shell, I see the following: Radio types supported : 802.11n 802.11g 802.11b  . Not disputing what you wrote about my wifi card, but aren't one of these radio types 5 Ghz? If my card were to support 5 Ghz, what would you expect to see in this output?

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

No, that model wifi card has always been limited to working on the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi band.

N can work on the 2.4 GHz wifi band only, as does the RTL8723DE

The official specs from the Realtek site indicate the card only works on the 2.4 GHz wifi band only.

[bik3]

Thanks for the response, Paul. Everything I look up about 802.11n says that it is dual band and can connect to the 5 Ghz band. (Example: https://internet-access-guide.com/can-802-11n-connect-to-5ghz/). I realize my adapter only works for 2.4 GHz (the Realtek website confirms as much), so in my case, there's nothing I can do to make it recognize 5 Ghz bands, but I just want to clarify for others who might browse this thread - 802.11n itself can work with both bands, correct? It was my understanding that 802.11 g and 802.11 b only connect to 2.4 Ghz, but 802.11n can connect to either 5 Ghz or 2.4 Ghz.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

There isn't a thing you can do to make that card work on the 5.0 GHz Wi-Fi band.

You are 100% correct regarding the specs.

b/g only works on the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi band.

The max throughput with a 'b' wifi adapter is 11 MBPS.

The max throughput with a 'g' wifi adapter is 54 MBPS.

The maximum throughput with a 1 x 1 Wireless N adapter such as the RTL8723DE is 72 MBPS on the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi band.

If that card could work on the 5.0 GHz wifi band (which again it absolutely cannot), the maximum throughput would be 150 MBPs.

A 2 x 2 Wi-Fi N card has a maximum throughput of 144 MBPS on the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi band, and 300 MBPS on the 5.0 GHz Wi-Fi band, assuming it is dual band capable,

However, the Wi-Fi card has to be designed to work on both bands in order for the 5.0 GHz wireless N to connect to the 5.0 GHz Wi-Fi band.

Most folks just upgrade the 8723DE to the 8821CE card I recommended and then they can connect to the 5.0 GHz Wi-Fi band.

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[ub6424]

Hello @Paul_Tikkanen 

Great information you share with us. Thank you very much!