Intel 4965 802.11n in a nc8430

Does anyone know if the nc8430 is upgradable with the new 802.11n card from Intel?

I read in different places that there should be a Mini PCI-e slot for the wifi card and 3 antennas built in, for the MiMo technology.

As far as I know the nc8430 does have a Mini PCI-e slot, but I'm not sure about the amount of antennas.

Anyone who has done this upgrade or knows if it's possible?

 

I've been inside of my nc8430, and it looks like it only has two antennas...though I have no idea if a third could be added. It is probably possible, though I would contact HP about it first.

 

The antennas are no problem. It seems that the card is incompatible though. I remember getting a Error 104 at reboot asking to replace the wifi card with a compatible one. Don't know if it is something a new BIOS could correct.

 

HP has a whitelist in the BIOS of their notebooks of all the wireless cards that will work AFAIK. That would probably be the reason why the new card isn't working.

 

It doesn't sound very likely as I am sure they would have done the same thing with the hard disks which to be honest are much more easier replaced.

 

Unfortunately, its true. This has been the case with all HP notebooks(also IBM/Lenovo do the same). Unofficially they claim the FCC restrictions but other manufacturers dont have such problems. They do this worldwide even though the FCC is a US govt agency. if you are up to it you can hack the BIOS and run the 4965 but you will still need the extra antenna for the n receiver to work properly. In any case, this whitelist is specific for the WLAN hardware only.

 

A third antenna is pretty inexpensive to buy.
I know that that the PCI Class ID can sometimes be changed on Thinkpads with a simple program.
I'm surprised that no one have done it for at least some HP model.

The key to get a full .n speed is to choose WLAN chips in card and router or AP from the same manufacturer, AFAIK.
I'd go Atheros all the way, if HP allowed me. . . =(

There's another way of doing it though, and you don't need to modify the BIOS.
You have to manually change the WLAN card ID. This works well when you're using a card that is identical to a card on HP's list, only that it just have a different ID. This is most likely not possible if HP never added a .n card to the list.

Dell True Mobile .g cards which have a Broadcom chip, can be used in some HP computers to get better support with Linux or that other OS. I think most HP Intel laptops are sold with an Intel card, but they still have a Broadcom card on the list, that's why it works.

Changing the ID from some different kind of card is the only solution (except BIOS editing), like giving a 4965 card a HP 3945 ID. I guess that it can be impossible, but if it works you probably need to manually install drivers of course.

I know I'd rather waste a $30 WLAN card than a $1500 PC because of a bad flash. . . ok, it wouldn't cost me that much to fix it but you know what I mean.

 

It seems you are right.
After reading the above I am glad they did not do the same with the HD and memory!!
Imagine not being able to upgrade anything without having to pay X4 for the same relabeled hardware from HP.

Let's see if anyone comes up with a moded BIOS for the nc8430.