Is my Dell laptop wireless adapter dying?

zenwriter · Oct 2, 2008

I’m sorry if this is the wrong place to post this, but I am at wit’s end and Dell Hell tech support is no help at all. For weeks now, unless I am right next to my router/modem thingie, my Internet connection is slower than dial-up. If I so much as move across the room I cannot surf. My boyfriend’s internet connection is fine, so my ISP is off the hook. Does this mean that my adapter is dying? I have installed and re-installed the drivers for the wireless connection, have tried using different wireless connection managers, etc., all to no avail. Tech support from Dell is a sad joke and I’ve wasted hours on them already. Does anyone have any clues as to what I can do?

Clair Dickson · Oct 2, 2008

That's odd-- What's your signal strength? Does that change when you move across the room? Are...are you connecting to your signal as opposed to a neighbors? (I know that seems silly, but I connected to a neighbors once with my laptop and was pissed that my desktop wouldn't connect. Then I realized I had connected to linksys, not MY router.)

And make sure you don't have a bunch of spyware/malware using up your bandwidth.

I don't know if that signal problem is a sign of a dying wireless car... I've never had one die.

zenwriter · Oct 2, 2008

When I’m right next to the modem/router my signal strength is 54 Mbps. When I move away (next room, across the room) it drops to 11 Mbps, although not always right away (sometimes it will function at 54 and then drop suddenly after a few minutes). It is strange. Yep, I am definitively using the right connection. I chose a unique name and disconnected and connected again (with my password) just to see if that did anything (nope – didn’t help). I’ve run lots of scans so I’m pretty sure there’s no malware problems and I’ve even run a diagnostic scan. Nothing there. The computer is about two years old and is still on warranty, so it seems a little early for it to be failing me…

Ms Hollands · Oct 3, 2008

1. Try connecting your laptop to your router with a wire (ie, via ethernet). Does that change things? If so, you know it's definitely your wifi connection and not your laptop, which will help pinpoint what to do next.

2. It's never too early for computers to break under warranty: two of mine have (well, one was under Dell's extended warranty, which was lucky, as the standard warranty had run out by one month).

scribbler1382 · Oct 3, 2008

Try a different wireless channel. Most people use the same default channel, so when a neighbor gets a wireless network you can get some serious interference. Other things can also interfere, such as cordless phones, wireless headphones, sun flares, alien brain scans, etc.

Tirjasdyn · Oct 3, 2008

Make sure you're letting windows control the wireless card, NOT the software that comes with the card.

I had this same problem with my dell. the Intel card wireless card software doesn't work.

zenwriter · Oct 3, 2008

Try connecting your laptop to your router with a wire (ie, via ethernet). Does that change things?

Yep, I can hook it up with an ethernet cord and surf fine. It's nice to know that I could do that if all else failed, but it kinda sucks to have to be this close to the router all the time.

Try a different wireless channel.

That sounds like something I haven't tried yet. Once I figure out how (I just Googled it) I will give it a try. Thank you!

Other things can also interfere, such as....alien brain scans

Darn aliens, messing up my wifi! Just wait till I get my hands on them...

Make sure you're letting windows control the wireless card

Thank you for the suggestion. I've tried the different options and am now letting Windows control the connection -- it's the easiest set-up, too.

Is my Dell laptop wireless adapter dying?

zenwriter

Clair Dickson

A dark core to every cloud

zenwriter

Ms Hollands

Cow lover

scribbler1382

Write For You, Edit For The Reader

Tirjasdyn

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zenwriter