y410p wireless card replacement

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purelyjeff

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Sep 10, 2013
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Hello everyone,

I own a new lenovo y410p laptop with a Centrino wireless-n 2230 card. This card as I've discovered is one of the most unreliable cards and drops my network frequently (maybe out of a defect). I've ordered a new card of the same kind from lenovo and I'm hoping to replace it myself. Can anyone tell me if this is worthwhile and if the procedure itself is difficult. If it isnt worth my time, what are some alternative solutions?

PS: ive already done all the software troubleshooting.

Thanks a bunch!

Jeff
 
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JD88
It is definitely a worthwhile solution and the process isn't difficult at all. I own a y400 (same design just a few months older) and have had it apart several times.

Lenovo did a great job with these Y series laptops by making everything easily accessible. To replace the HDD, RAM, mSATA SSD, or wireless chip, you simply remove all of the screws from the back, remove the battery, and pop off the back cover. The wireless chip will have two antenna wires connected to it. Remove them carefully and then remove the unit itself. Then repeat the opposite with the new one.
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JD88

JD88

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Feb 25, 2013
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It is definitely a worthwhile solution and the process isn't difficult at all. I own a y400 (same design just a few months older) and have had it apart several times.

Lenovo did a great job with these Y series laptops by making everything easily accessible. To replace the HDD, RAM, mSATA SSD, or wireless chip, you simply remove all of the screws from the back, remove the battery, and pop off the back cover. The wireless chip will have two antenna wires connected to it. Remove them carefully and then remove the unit itself. Then repeat the opposite with the new one.
 
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purelyjeff

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Sep 10, 2013
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Hey! Thanks for such a fast and in-depth response. I was also wondering if the model itself is bad? If so, even if I replace the old card with a new one of the same kind, the same problem will still occur. Thanks again :)

 
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JD88

JD88

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Feb 25, 2013
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I can't really say if the model itself is bad or not. I haven't had any trouble with my Y400 but I'm not 100% sure if they use the same wifi chip or not. I'll try to research that. Are you getting the replacement free under warranty or buying it? If it's not free, I would get one with good reviews from somewhere like Newegg instead.
 
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purelyjeff

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Sep 10, 2013
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Im getting new one for free only if I ship the old one back. If not I'm being charged. Also, lenovo apparently has a "white list" in their bios that is very restrictive. I'm wonder if this whole card replacement thing does not work out, could I just buy a wireless usb adapter to boost the signal? Do you know anything about that prehaps?

Thanks once more!
 
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JD88

JD88

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Feb 25, 2013
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If you're getting it free then try it. Not much to lose.

And yeah, the USB dongles work pretty well actually. Better than I thought they would. I used to have an apartment where my desktop couldn't be near the modem/router so I went out and bought a Belkin USB adapter. As long as I wasn't too far away (in the next room was fine) it was great. Connection was fast and stable. I could play FPS games all day long without noticing a difference.
 
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schale01

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Oct 2, 2013
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I commend you for being able to find the part to order. I've researched picking up one of these laptops and from what I can tell reading up on the subject the 2230 is just not a quality card (It doesn't even support dual band 5ghz) . I've looked into replacing the card with a different model however lenovo in their infinite wisdom implemented a bios white-list for approved network cards. Okay... This would only be mildly annoying except that they make it near impossible to order any approved hardware. If you can pick up any of these cards with an approved Lenovo FRU then I you will probably solve your issue. If you do manage to find out where to order them though please let me know.

approved whitelisted cards:
WLAN, WiFi AC+BT4.0, Ltn BCM4352+20702 2x2AC+BT4.0 HMC FRU#: 20200381
WLAN, WiFi 2x2 ABGN+BT4.0, Cbt BCM943228HMB 2x2ABGN+BT4.0 HMC FRU# 20200221
WLAN, WiFi 2x2 ABGN+BT4.0, Liteon WB222 2x2ABGN+BT4.0 HMC FRU# 20200225
 
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