Need to replace Ralink RT3290 Wi-Fi on my HP Pavillion 15-n284ca laptop

[HuronBob1]

Hi Paul,

                     Boy reply quickly! Thanks a lot ! ! ! :smileyhappy:First of all I installed the Broadcom BCM943228HMB WiDi 802.11 a/b/g/n 2x2 Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 4.0 combo and not any intel device. Would you know if I need any software for this device. You already directed me to the updated driversfor this unit which I installed immediately after installing the card. You are right that I did not uninstall the old device or the drivers prior to the installation.  While trying to get the bluetooth running, I did uninstall the ralink device and drivers this evening. Obviously the wrong thing to do so what is your recommendation now.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Sorry.

I forgot you had a Broadcom card.  I help so many folks with these wifi card upgrades, I get confused.  Most of the folks I help have Intel PC's.

OK, yes, there is a Broadcom bluetooth driver for W10.

I posted the Broadcom bluetooth driver you need at the bottom of my first reply to your post.

If there is no bluetooth radios device manager category, unfortunately, I have no idea why not.

There should be a bluetooth radios device manager category near the top of the device manager listing, and when you click to expand that category, there should be a Broadcom bluetooth adapter.

If there is a generic bluetooth adapter listed there, then either the driver did not install correctly, or you missed that one I posted and need to install it.

[HuronBob1]

Hi Paul,

                    Just to let you know, I tried everything to uninstall the drivers for the ralink card and install the the drivers for the broadcom. I tried several times including re-downloading the drivers you directed me to. Each time I installed the broadcom device, the bluetooth icon disappeared from the device manager. It always came back when I uninstalled this device and re-installed the Ralink card. The card I purchased was either the wrong card for my particular laptop or it is defective. Is there a service manual available that would list other alternative cards for my particular laptop?

HP Pavillion 15-N284ca. Please don't get me wrong, I am not questioning your expertise, I am just trying to eliminate all the possibilities. The wi-fi still works great though. Thanks for your assistance.

Bob

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Sorry that the BT didn't work.

Unfortunately, I have no idea why the BT portion of the wifi card isn't working.

Here is the link to the service manual for your notebook.

The supported wifi cards with their HP part numbers can be found in chapter 3 on pages 22 & 23.

http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c04438537

Here is the problem...Of course you don't want the Ralink card.

None of the other cards are dual band (2.4/5.0) ghz like the one you installed.

Some folks are having issues on W10 with all of the cards listed.

You can't use the Intel card since your notebook has an AMD processor, and the Realtek 8188EE and Atheros AR9485 don't have bluetooth.

If it were me and I had to settle for one of those wifi cards, I would get the Atheros QCA 9565.

Another thing you can try is the slightly older dual band version of the Broadcom wifi card I orginally suggested...

Broadcom BCM943228HMB 802.11abgn 2×2 Wi-Fi Adapter, Broadcom Bluetooth 4.0 Adapter   HP Part # 730668-001.

You can get used but tested and working models dirt cheap on eBay.

It would use the same wifi and bluetooth drivers I posted.

[HuronBob1]

I think I have discovered the problem. What I ordered is not what I got. I ordered 

Broadcom BCM943228HMB 802.11abgn 2×2 Wi-Fi Adapter, Broadcom Bluetooth 4.0 Adapter   HP Part # 730668-001

and got 

Broadcom BCM943228HMB 802.11abgn 2×2 Wi-Fi Adapter, Broadcom Bluetooth 4.0 Adapter   HP Part # 666914-001

I would assume that these were the same part but apparently they are not. This one is going back.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

I'm surprised that one didn't work though.

It is an older part number, so perhaps it was too old.

Or the BT radio on the circuit board may have been defective.

When I order wifi cards on eBay for example, I make sure I get one that actually shows the part number on the actual item I am buying, so there is no mistake.

[HuronBob1]

HiPaul,

                    I am just going to assume that this card was defective. You must be in the U.S. I looked on eBay.ca and everything I saw had a label stuck on them stating that it was revision 1.00 of SPS 730668-011 some showed

HP P/N 718449-001 under the label that was not on very good. If the card is BCM943228HMB does the hp p/n matter?

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Yes, I'm in the USA, and no it shouldn't matter what the HP P/N is.

As long as the card is a HMC form factor, it should have worked in its entirety.

If you get a 2nd one and the BT doesn't work, then I have no clue what the issue could possibly be.

[HuronBob1]

Hi Paul, 

                     Just got my new card but am unable to test it out. My laptop developed a drinking problem over the holidays. (it attempted to ingest part of a beer and then suddenly lost its mind.)  Oh well, it was a good excersize in getting help from the support forum. Thanks for all your help on my issue Paul.

By the way,  . . . . . . . The replacement for the previous alcoholic predescessor is also an hp but with Intel cores so the card is no good to me . If someone else is in need of this one in Canada, I will let them have it at my cost.

Thanks

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Sorry to read about your misfortune.

If the notebook you have is not too old and doesn't have a BIOS whitelist, there is no reason why the BCM card you bought wouldn't work in that one too.