Pavilion 15-e030ax - Replacement WIFI Card for Ralink RT3290?

[SteveBBB]

Hi All, after numerous forum searches, deleting, reinstalling drivers, i have concluded that the actual Ralink RT3290 card is faulty. Without any knowledge of bus cards, chipsets etc - how do i identify a replacement card that fits in with minimal fuss? Any recommendations?

it has a AMD A10 4600APU chipset (?) if that makes a difference?

Supposedly it has a 

Old laptop - so aim is:

1 -  simple remove / replace of wifi card

2 - cheap 

3 - decent wifi range

many thanks!

SteveBBB

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi:

There are two dual band wifi cards you can upgrade to...

Dual band N:

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

Dual band AC:

Broadcom BCM4352 802.11ac 2x2 Wi-Fi + Bluetooth 4.0 combo   HP part # 724935-001.

You should be able to find either card in used but tested and working condition on eBay...maybe Amazon too.

The N card would be a bit cheaper than the AC card.

Before installing the Intel card, go to the Windows control panel>programs>uninstall a program.

If there is any Ralink bluetooth software listed there, uninstall it.

Then go to the device manager, uninstall the Ralink bluetooth adapter under the Bluetooth adapters device manager category and check the uninstall driver box.

Do the same thing for the Ralink wifi adapter under the Network Adapters device manager category.

Then shut down, unplug the PC, remove the battery and install the wifi card.

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

http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c03939658

[SteveBBB]

Many thanks for the quick reply - very much appreciated.

Quick question - will any HMC card be ok?

Or only the Broadcomm options you gave me?

Thanks,

Steve

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome, Steve.

Since your notebook has an AMD processor and chipset, it is too much of a gamble to try an Intel card in there.

It will probably not work.

Those are the best two dual band cards for your model.

If you want to put any other HMC card in there, feel free to do so.

[SteveBBB]

Thank you Paul - super informative.

Much appreciated.

Steve

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Anytime, Steve.

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

In the USA, those Broadcom N cards are cheap.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=730668-001&_sacat=0&_sop=15