Upgrade to 802.11ac Wireless Card

[eandamom]

What are the specifications for selecting a replacement wireless card to upgrade 802.11bgn to 802.11ac?  This is for a 15t Pavilion 15-ab200 L8V46AV. 

The HP Parts Store indicates that a compatible replacement product is "Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165 802.11 ac 1x1 WiFi and Bluetooth 4.2 combination WLAN adapter", part number 806723-005.  However, some other posts in the support forum indicate that this might not work on all laptops due to having 1 antenna not 2.  Will this work for the 15t Pavilion 15-ab200?

Thanks!

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi:

That is correct.  The card's bluetooth won't work.

Get the equivalent Realtek wifi card.  Not listed in your notebook's service manual, but it should work just fine.

Realtek RTL8821CE 802.11 ac 1x1 WiFi + Bluetooth 4.2 Combo Adapter (MU-MIMO supported) HP part # L17365-005.

You can find this model on eBay, or at the HP parts store for $16.50.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=L17365-005&_sacat=0&_sop=15

https://parts.hp.com/hpparts/default.aspx

The card has the same throughput as your current wifi card on the 2.4 GHz wifi band, but on the 5.0 GHz wifi band with an AC router, it has a maximum throughput of 433 MBPS.

Here is the link to the service manual for your notebook, where you can find the wifi card removal and replacement procedure.

http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c04642845

[eandamom]

Thanks for such a quick response!  We'll give it a try!

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

You're very welcome.

This discussion proves the card works for notebooks in that model series.

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Wireless-and-Networking/Upgrade-for-Wireless-Card/td-p/722451...

Here are the latest drivers for the card...

Wifi:

https://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp103501-104000/sp103647.exe

Bluetooth:

https://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp102001-102500/sp102395.exe