My wife has an ASUS Vivobook X515E purchased in 2022. It worked normally for college work, email, cross-stitching patterns, and Stardew Valley, but the built-in Wi‑Fi stopped working in 2025. A local computer shop sold her a USB Wi‑Fi adapter instead of replacing the internal card and said replacing it would be difficult. I have some basic experience working with computers but cannot solder. How complicated is replacing the Wi‑Fi card in this specific model, which exact replacement or upgrade should I buy, and would it be better to have a more reputable repair shop handle it? Also, what should I check first to confirm that the internal card has actually failed?
3 Answers
You should not need to solder for a normal internal Wi‑Fi card replacement. Before buying a part, open the laptop or look up the exact submodel and identify the installed card, since X515E variants can use different modules. Take a photo of the label and connectors, then buy a card with the same interface, size, antenna connections, and operating-system support. If you are uncomfortable removing the bottom cover or tiny antenna connectors, a reputable repair shop should be able to perform the swap quickly; the first shop’s claim that it requires soldering does not sound generally correct.
The card is usually a small, screw-mounted module rather than something soldered directly to the motherboard. If your particular X515E configuration uses that style, the replacement is generally just removing the bottom cover, disconnecting the antenna leads, taking out one retaining screw, and swapping the module. Match the card’s physical form factor and interface. A compatible Wi‑Fi 6 or 6E card may work, but compatibility can depend on the laptop’s BIOS and antenna setup, so do not buy one solely based on the model name.
First verify that the internal adapter is really defective. Check whether it appears in the BIOS and in the operating system’s Device Manager, including hidden devices. If it appears with an error, try reinstalling the correct ASUS or chipset driver. If it is missing entirely even after checking BIOS and Device Manager, hardware failure is more likely. Being stuck in airplane mode without the USB adapter could be related, but it does not prove the card itself has failed.
I’ll check the BIOS and Device Manager before opening the laptop. I wasn’t sure whether the airplane-mode behavior was a useful diagnostic clue.
That is reassuring. I’ll inspect the existing hardware before ordering anything so I can match it properly.