No Wireless interface issues

[Alston_Dsouza]

I own a  HP Pavilion Sleekbook 14-b012au (Product No. C7D88PA#ACJ; Processor Type: AMD E1-1200 APU with Raedon (tm) HD Graphics) which i had purchased in about 2013. The laptop is used only at home, and connects automatically to my home WiFi.

• Since 30-05-2021, my Laptop is suddenly not connecting / recognising the WiFi and the bluetooth. 
• I assumed that the Norton Firewall had something to do with it, so I uninstalled the complete package. This did not solve the issue.
• I have downloaded and updated the drivers for Realtek PCIe FE Family Controller (Version 10.49.413.2021 dated 13-04-2021) and  Ralink RT3290 802.11bgn Wi-Fi Adapter (Version 5.0.57.01 dated 18-05-2015).
• As suggested on one of the boards, I also ran the 'netsh wlan show drivers' command but it just gives me the message -  'There is no wireless interface on the system'
• On checking in Device Manager > Network Adapters > Ralink RT3290 802.11bgn Wi-Fi Adapter > Properties >Details > Last removal date  shows as 30-05-2021 11:02:03.
• Device Status for Ralink RT3290 802.11bgn Wi-Fi Adapter is 'Currently hardware device is not connected to the computer(Code 45). To fix this problem, reconnect the hardware device to the computer'
• Devices Status for Realtek PCIe FE Family Controller is 'working properly'
• My WiFi router was replaced in November 2020 is now dual band - 2.4GHz and 5GHz. One of the bulletin boards mentioned that the above adapter does not support 5GHz.

Is there a solution or is my laptop basically JUNK?

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi:

I'm very surprised it has taken this long for the Ralink wifi and bluetooth adapter to completely disappear from the device manager.

It usually happens on the earlier builds of W10.

Your options would be:

1.  Go back to Windows 8.1 and the card should work fine.

2.  Purchase a USB wifi adapter and you will have wifi.

There are some model USB wifi adapters that also come with Bluetooth such as this one...I don't know if you can get this model in India though.

Amazon.com: USB WiFi Bluetooth Adapter, 600Mbps Dual Band 2.4/5Ghz Wireless Network External Receive...

3.  Replace the Ralink wifi card with this model...

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

You can probably find this model wifi card on eBay or Ali express.  I would search by the HP part number.

Below is the link to the service manual, where you can find the wifi card removal and replacement procedure...

c03590565.pdf (hp.com)

[Alston_Dsouza]

Dear Paul,

1.  Go back to Windows 8.1 and the card should work fine. - I will keep this as a last option. I did do a Windows suggested diagnostic before updating to Windows 10.

2.  Purchase a USB wifi adapter and you will have wifi. - Have already placed an order on Amazon, but we have only a WiFi option available. i would have to purchase a separate adapter for Bluetooth. I only hope it works on the 5GHz band.

3.  Replace the Ralink wifi card with this model.. - Thanks for the component info. Ill probably have to ask the office IT guy to find it / purchase it for me. Hope I dont have to pay through my nose for it. I havent gone through the manual yet, but i hope it can be a DIY project. Else the Service center charges a  bomb (Indian standard wise) for just running a diagnostic check, and separate billing for the part replacement.

If all else fails, post carrying out Suggestion No. 1, Ill probably have to purchase a new laptop.

Ill update you once the USB WiFi adapter is delivered sometime next week.

Regards from Bombay,

- Alston

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome, Alston.

Upgrading the internal card is not the easiest thing to do on your model.

I looked at chapter 4 of the manual, and I would not really want to try it myself.

Once you get to where the card is located, it takes a minute or two to replace the card.

It is getting to the card that is the hard part.

As long as you purchased a dual band USB wifi adapter, it should work on both bands.

If you post the link to the model you bought, I will let you know if it is dual band or not.

[Alston_Dsouza]

Hi Paul

Thanks for the heads up. I guess I will drop the idea of buying a new chip and having it installed.

Ive purchased a WiFi adapter - TP-Link USB WiFi Adapter for PC(TL-WN725N), N150 Wireless Network Adapter for Desktop - Nano Size WiFi Dongle Compatible with Windows 10/7/8/8.1/XP/ Mac OS 10.9-10.15 Linux Kernel 2.6.18-4.4.3

The link is as below

https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B008IFXQFU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I hope it comes before the weekend. Covid restrictions delay delivery for non-essentials.

Thanks for all your inputs till now.

Regards,

Alston

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi, Alston:

That is a single band model that only works on the 2.4 GHz wifi band like the internal card did.

This would have been the dual band model...

TP-Link Nano AC600 USB Wi-Fi WiFi Adapter(Archer T2U Nano)- 2.4G/5G Dual Band Wireless Network Adapt...