Wifi upgrade on Pavilion 15-n264nf

[Alberich80]

Hello,

I wanted to upgrade the internal wifi card because it is really slow. Looking over the web I saw there was some laptop that had a whitelist and I don't know if mine has.

Can you help me to find a model that will improve speed ? I currently have a "Ralink RT3290 802.11 bgn" and like to have an ac one.

Thanks for Reading !

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi:

Your notebook should not have a BIOS whitelist.

You should be safe installing this card:

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

You should be able to find one on eBay.  Search by the HP part number:

They are not too expensive if you get one from China.

724935-001 en vente - | eBay

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

c04438537.pdf (hp.com)

[Alberich80]

Thanks for such a fast answer !

Before posting I searched a lot on the forum and saw you were often giving the Intel 7260AC as choice. Would it work too ? The laptop has an Intel processor (it would allow me to order it on Amazon I guess I saw some with the mention SPS 710661-001 on the sticker)

Which one is the best choice if I want to upgrade to win10 later ?

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

You're very welcome.

Since your notebook has an Intel processor, I would lean toward buying the Intel 7260AC card because it has newer drivers and has support for wireless display.

As far as throughput and Bluetooth support, they are equal in performance.

The only drawback with the Intel card is that there is no Bluetooth driver for it on W10 and you have to use the Bluetooth driver from my Skydrive folder which I have shared the link below.

Download, unzip and run the Bluetooth driver in the Intel 7260AC WiFi & Bluetooth Drivers.zip file.

SkyDrive - OneDrive (live.com)

I happened to save both the last W10 Wi-Fi and last Bluetooth driver Intel released for the 7260 about a month before they disappeared.

For some unknown reason both Intel and HP removed the driver from their support sites.

If you were wanting to upgrade to W10 please note that you have missed the boat on getting the free upgrade.

In October, Microsoft closed the loophole that allowed users to upgrade their W7, W8/W8.1 PC's to W10 after the July 2016 free upgrade period had expired.

It's official: No more free Windows 10 upgrades | ZDNET

So, if you want to upgrade to W10 and Windows won't activate, you will have to purchase a W10 product key.

Here are the links to the W8.1 Intel Wi-Fi and Bluetooth drivers:

Wi-Fi:

19.10.14.1

https://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp92501-93000/sp92648.exe 

Bluetooth:

20.20.0.5

https://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp84001-84500/sp84420.exe

W8.1 Broadcom Wi-Fi:

6.30.223.267

https://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp72501-73000/sp72931.exe

W8.1 Broadcom Bluetooth:

12.0.1.160

https://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp70501-71000/sp70725.exe

Before installing either card, first uninstall the Ralink wifi and Ralink Bluetooth adapters in the device manager.

If there is a box to check to uninstall the driver, check that box too.

Then shut down the PC, unplug it, remove the battery and install the AC Wi-Fi card of your choice.

[Alberich80]

Hello !

Thanks for your help !

I ordered the Intel 7260AC, I saw the good part number on the pictures and even in comments on the one I ordered on amazon but it arrived with another part number (SPS 784650-005 on the sticker).

I tried it and everything went fine ! The computer has now a decent wifi !

I used the links to the drivers you provided also thanks for that, just had to download the Intel Smart connect one also.

Thanks also on the W10 info I was not aware Microsoft closed the loophole, the computer will stay as it is now.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome. 

Glad to have been of assistance. 

[maridas]

Can you help me too please see my post