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Changing a NIC in Toshiba laptop

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#1 ·
I have a Toshiba P875 laptop with a Intel Centrino N 220 card in it. I want to replace this with a Intel AC protocol card for faster internet. I contacted Intel and was told of legal regulations but nothing about hardware problems that might occur. Anyone know of problems with this? It sounds very doable but I would like to get info from people that have gone there before.
 
#2 ·
Disassembling laptops is not straightforward and varies from model to model.

Rules to keep in mind is this:

1. Keep screws in groups as you unscrew them, putting them back later usually results in surplus of screws 🙂
2. Note the order of what you did on a piece of paper.
3. Parts and screws you take out, should be placed on the table in order you disassemble them.

You can find on youtube some videos for your model on how to disassemble.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Ips23:
The wireless card inside a laptop can be a real challenge to replace, and you can damage your laptop in the process.
My advice is to install and use an external USB 802.11ac wireless adapter.
The internal wireless card can then be disabled in the Device Manager.

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#11 ·
Thank you for your help. The replacement part is very easy as the card is very easily accessible and 1 screw holds it in place . When you remove the screw, the card pos up like a memory blade. I have used an external adapter (ASUS AC-53) and it works but I noticed how secure the signal is using the internal NIC. Just want to see if it works so I don't waste my money on Ebay. Thank you again, you're great !
 
#4 ·
IF you can access the wireless card easily through a cover on the laptop bottom it is quite easy and safe (following precautions of course) to replace it. If you have to dig deeper, often by removing the keyboard, I cannot advise doing that.

Sometimes a laptop will refuse to even boot unless the wireless card is the only one or a very few accepted.

Sometimes a replacement card will work great. Sometimes it will almost work, but the lack of a proper driver will sink it.

You really don't know unless the laptop manufacturer has listed an alternate adapter for the particular model or somebody has tried it.
 
#12 ·
Thank you for your reply. That's what I want to find out at this site if anyone has done this and if it worked - the laptop is now able to read and receive AC protocol signals . I have called both Intel and Toshiba and I was surprised I got through to a real person. Though the Toshiba help was hard to talk to due to location probably (I'm thinking they were on another continent) They were of real no help as was the Intel people. (passed to no less than 5 people till finally I got someone and they read me a list of legal restrictions. This virus is affecting everyone I guess. Thank you again for your reply.
 
#5 ·
To reiterate what others have mentioned, this will be more of a trial and error on your part. While there are adapters that you can install, it may not work due to driver incompatibility, or simply the port doesn't allow it. Toshiba is really the people you should ask to see other wireless cards are compatible.

Having said that, if there is nothing wrong with the current wireless adapter, other than not having .ac technology, I would also echo Frank's suggestion to disable the current one and use an USB Wireless Adapter instead. They should be about the same price as an internal one and you don't have to mess with screws/cables/etc. plus the added benefit that you can use it on other machines if needed in a pinch.
 
#7 ·
Something else to add when attempting to replace an internal wireless NIC, some manufacturers have a white list embedded in the firmware to limit specific wireless NICs to be used in the laptop. I ran across this with a Lenovo laptop. I found a hacked BIOS firmware online which removed the white list. I don't remember if I used the hacked BIOS firmware or just left it alone. The laptop just died recently.

I only found out about this when I think during POST a message was thrown up about unsupported hardware.
 
#10 ·
Disassembling laptops is not straightforward and varies from model to model.

Rules to keep in mind is this:

1. Keep screws in groups as you unscrew them, putting them back later usually results in surplus of screws 🙂
2. Note the order of what you did on a piece of paper.
3. Parts and screws you take out, should be placed on the table in order you disassemble them.

You can find on youtube some videos for your model on how to disassemble.
Thank you for your reply but this replacement just entails the removal of 1 screw where the NIC will pop up (like a memory blade). I'm not worried about the replacement of hardware as I am more concerned with if I buy a new AC NIC, will it work in this model of laptop. Thank you again, and I did look on YouTube and saw how easy it was to remove and replace this NIC. Just want to know if it will work so I don't waste my money.
 
#18 ·
I get Verizon FIOS which has many different speeds promised. If I use an external USB ac adapter (asus 53) and I log onto 5Ghz AC from my router, my Network and Internet Settings status shows 133 Mbps. If I connect using the built in NIC from Toshiba (Intel Centrino N 2200) I get 72 Mbps. So you can see why I am trying to get a little more speed and If it doesn't work, I'll just a new laptop with an AC protocol built in.
 
#21 ·
OK, first THANK YOU ALL for all your replies and comments. It looks like I have found my answer. I have a computer store close by and in speaking to a tech he offered me a Dual Band Intel 7260HMW Mini PCI-E WiFi Card he took from a broken Toshiba laptop to try. IT WORKED. So now I know what I need. Thank you all again for the help.
 
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