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Intel 2230BN.HMWG WiFi/Bluetooth Mini PCI-e Adapter — main product image
Intel 2230BN.HMWG WiFi/Bluetooth Mini PCI-e Adapter
Intel 2230BN.HMWG WiFi/Bluetooth Mini PCI-e Adapter
Intel 2230BN.HMWG WiFi/Bluetooth Mini PCI-e Adapter
Intel

Intel 2230BN.HMWG WiFi/Bluetooth Mini PCI-e Adapter

★★★★★3.7 (51 reviews)
Bluetooth 4.0

Drop-in 802.11n + Bluetooth 4.0 in a single Mini PCIe slot — the Intel Centrino 2230 solves both wireless gaps with one card.

$11.99*$13.00Save 7%
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*Price sourced from Amazon.com. Last updated:Jul 14, 2026.Price and availability are subject to change.

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Overview

The Intel Centrino 2230 (model 2230BNHMW, P/N 670290-001) is a Mini PCI Express combo adapter implementing IEEE 802.11n Wi-Fi at up to 300 Mbps and Bluetooth 4.0 simultaneously from a single expansion slot. The 802.11n implementation is 2.4GHz-only with 2x2 MIMO, which contextualizes the 300 Mbps figure: in practice, this is a single-band card suited to legacy hardware refresh rather than performance-critical wireless upgrades. The Bluetooth 4.0 radio adds BLE support, a meaningful capability step over older combo cards that topped out at Bluetooth 3.0 and lack the low-energy mode required by many modern peripherals.

This card targets users upgrading aging laptops — particularly business-class machines from the 2010–2014 era — that shipped with a broken, missing, or Bluetooth-only Mini PCIe card. The single-slot combo design is the key value proposition: one card, one antenna harness swap, both wireless functions restored. It is not a path to modern Wi-Fi 5 or Wi-Fi 6 performance, and buyers who need 5GHz access or sub-50ms gaming latency should look to 802.11ac cards instead. But for restoring functional wireless to a workhorse machine, keeping a secondary laptop on a home network, or equipping a Linux server with Bluetooth peripheral support, the 2230 is a known-good, driver-stable solution with years of deployment history behind it.

Key Features

Intel Centrino 2230 Mini PCI Express Wi-Fi/Bluetooth Combo Adapter

Model: 2230BNHMW

P/N:670290-001

IEEE 802.11n

Bluetooth 4.0

Specifications

Brand
Intel
Model
2230BNHMW (P/N: 670290-001)
Form Factor
Mini PCI Express (full-size)
Wi-Fi Standard
IEEE 802.11n
Maximum Data Rate
300 Mbps
Bluetooth Version
Bluetooth 4.0 (BLE supported)
Frequency Band
2.4GHz
Condition
Used

Pros & Cons

👍 Pros

  • Combines 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 in a single Mini PCIe slot, freeing the second slot (if present) for a different expansion card or avoiding a USB dongle entirely.
  • 300 Mbps maximum link rate on 802.11n is sufficient for HD streaming and general productivity workloads on legacy hardware where upgrading to 802.11ac is not possible.
  • Bluetooth 4.0 supports BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy), enabling pairing with modern peripherals that older Bluetooth 2.x/3.x cards cannot handle.
  • Intel's iwlwifi Linux driver support is mature and stable for this chipset, making it one of the more reliable choices for Linux laptop upgrades.
  • Compact 6-inch OEM-style card fits the standard Mini PCIe slot without modification in most compatible laptops.

👎 Cons

  • 2.4GHz-only 802.11n means no access to 5GHz band — in congested RF environments with many neighboring 2.4GHz networks, throughput and latency will degrade noticeably.
  • The HP OEM P/N (670290-001) can trigger BIOS whitelist rejections on HP laptops that have a different approved card list, preventing the system from booting.
  • 300 Mbps theoretical ceiling is a hard generational limit — users on gigabit home networks will find this card the bottleneck even on local transfers.
  • Full-size Mini PCIe form factor is incompatible with half-height slots without a physical adapter bracket, a constraint not always obvious from specs alone.
  • Listed as Used condition — antenna connector wear or trace damage from prior installation is a real risk that can degrade signal performance post-install.

Frequently Asked Questions

The 2230BNHMW uses the full-size Mini PCIe form factor (51mm length). It will NOT fit a half-height Mini PCIe slot without a bracket adapter. Verify your laptop or device's Mini PCIe slot dimensions before purchasing — half-height slots are common in ultrabooks and some business laptops.
802.11n tops out at 300 Mbps theoretical on a 2x2 MIMO 2.4GHz configuration. Real-world TCP throughput is typically 100–150 Mbps in a clean RF environment — adequate for HD video streaming and file transfers, but a bottleneck compared to modern 802.11ac or Wi-Fi 6 cards if your router and workflow demand it.
The 2230 uses a combo design where Wi-Fi and Bluetooth share antenna resources. This means simultaneous heavy Wi-Fi and Bluetooth traffic can cause minor coexistence interference — typical for this card class and generally not noticeable for standard peripheral use (keyboards, mice, audio).
Intel's Wireless 2230 driver support extends through Windows 10. Windows 11 compatibility depends on driver installation via the legacy Intel package — the card functions but may not appear in Windows Update automatically. Linux kernel support (iwlwifi) is solid for this chipset generation.
P/N 670290-001 is an HP OEM part number. The card is electrically identical to the retail 2230BNHMW but may have vendor ID whitelist restrictions in HP BIOS. If installing in a non-HP system, it should work without issue; if replacing in a non-HP laptop with a vendor whitelist BIOS, check compatibility before purchase.

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