Inspiron 5559 Need to upgrade network cards

The only way to upgrade to gigabit wired is to use a USB 3.x gigabit adapter externally.

Just about any 2-antenna M.2 WIFI card will work - you haven't specified what you want to upgrade.  Bluetooth?  Wireless protocol? 

The wired Ethernet is onboard - it cannot be upgraded internally (which is why you'd need a USB 3.x adapter).  Your call - they're commodities.

It's still not clear what you're looking for that the current WIFI card lacks in support -- which protocol not supported by the existing card are you looking to add?  Without knowing that, no one can make much of a recommendation.

The WiFi card IS replaceable (unlike the wired adapter).

Are both network cards are built-in in the motherboard or they are connected externally?
Is this the reason why the only way if externally adapter?

Regarding the gigabit adapter, can you recommend an adapter for me?

Regarding the WIFI card, I meant to the Wireless protocol (not the Bluetooth)

Thanks.

For wired Ethernet, yes unfortunately even though Gigabit Ethernet has been standard on Dell's business-oriented Latitude laptop series since at least 2003, on some Inspiron models they continue to ship only 100 Mb Ethernet chips.  I guess even saving a few pennies adds up if you sell enough laptops, and Dell probably figures that most consumers will always use WiFi.  In terms of a Gigabit to USB 3.0 adapter, there are indeed a lot of options, some made of plastic, some made of aluminum, others that include one or more USB ports built into them so you don't lose a USB port by having the adapter plugged in (although the included USB port would be unpowered, so it's not quite as useful), etc.  Startech and Anker have a variety of options, and both are reputable vendors.

For WiFi, the reason it's slow is that the Wireless-AC 3160 is a 1x1 card, which means although it has 2 antennas, only one is ever used for transmit and one is used for receive.  Higher-end WiFi cards use a 2x2 strategy where both antennas can be used for both transmission directions.  That system uses an M.2 slot for WiFi, so you should look into the Wireless-AC 8265 or 9260.  The latter is of course newer and technically faster, but it's still a bit harder to find from reputable vendors compared to the 8265 that's available all over the place, and the performance difference between the two likely won't matter unless you do a lot of heavy file transfers within your LAN.  If you're just browsing the Internet, then even with a fast connection you're unlikely to see a difference.  You do not want the Intel 9560, however.  That's basically a 9260 with some components missing because the card requires the CPU to have those components.

I would strongly recommend against a USB WiFi adapter because they are an inherent tradeoff.  First, you of course lose a USB port.  But second, if you get one that's small enough to be unobtrusive, then your performance will suffer because you'll be using very tiny antennas that were squeezed into that tiny adapter, whereas an internal WiFi card uses long antennas that run into the display housing.  If on the other hand you get a USB WiFi adapter that has an external antenna array, your performance will be quite good, but that's obviously inconvenient for a laptop.  And USB adapters tend to be more expensive than internal WiFi cards anyway.  Don't believe the claimed maximum speeds on any WiFi cards; that's just based on the capabilities of the internal WiFi chipset, so the fact that you might see the same max speed claimed on a USB and internal card does NOT mean that they will perform identically.  Neither one will ever reach the claimed max, but the USB version will usually fall even farther short.

Not sure if you want to go this route but ASUS AC-53 nano usb adapter is very small but works great. I have it on my old latitude and get speeds of 120 Mbps. Just make sure to go into Device manager and disable the onboard adapter if you install a USB adapter..

https://www.asus.com/ca-en/Networking/USB-AC53-Nano/

Speeds up to 867 Mbps.

Thanks for your detailed answer, very helpful.

I have found this one for example:
Dual Band 1730Mbps Intel 9260NGW NGFF 802.11ac WiFi Bluetooth Wireless Card
https://ebay.to/2QyAYXA

Some questions:
1. Is it suitable to the Inspiron 5559? Does 5559 support
2 antennas, right? 2. Is it the part here which shown in 01:22 in this video?
https://youtu.be/iWBtoh7D7q4?t=82
3. The installation is just insert the card, plug the two antennas and update the drivers? Or should I do something more?
4. This item from ebay for example, does it look reliable enough?

---

@atzoref wrote:

Thanks for your detailed answer, very helpful.

I have found this one for example:
Dual Band 1730Mbps Intel 9260NGW NGFF 802.11ac WiFi Bluetooth Wireless Card
https://ebay.to/2QyAYXA

Some questions:
1. Is it suitable to the Inspiron 5559? Does 5559 support
2 antennas, right? 2. Is it the part here which shown in 01:22 in this video?
https://youtu.be/iWBtoh7D7q4?t=82
3. The installation is just insert the card, plug the two antennas and update the drivers? Or should I do something more?
4. This item from ebay for example, does it look reliable enough?

---

1. Yes, as I already said above, the 9260 would work.  And yes it would have 2 antennas because the current WiFi card you have requires 2 antennas.  But if you'll feel better by seeing it with your own eyes, open up your system and check for yourself.  You'll be doing that anyway if you decide to replace the WiFi card, after all.

2. Yes, that segment in the video shows the WiFi card being removed.  You can also use the service manual for your system available at support.dell.com.

3. Yes, the install is that simple.  I would recommend connecting the antennas before installing the new card, however.  Antenna connectors require a fair amount of force to snap onto the card, so it's often much easier to "squeeze" the antennas onto the card connector by pressing your thumb down on the antenna while you have your index finger on the underside of the card directly below the connector.  You can't do that while the card is installed in the system.

4. I have no way of knowing about particular eBay sellers.  However, if you know anything about Chinese manufacturing practices, there are a lot of ways that third-party sellers can get illicit inventory that may or may not match the specs of a genuine product.  I wrote a post about that here for someone else asking about the Intel 9260.  That was admittedly a while ago, so things may have changed, but of course it's up to you whether you want to roll the dice.

@jphughan

Thank you for you help, I'm very appreciate that.

So I have ordered the Intel 9260 for the wifi issue (And also a USB 3.0 Gigabit Ethernet Network Adapter of Ugreen),
I hope it will make it better.

Thanks.

Hi, man! I have the exact same problem now. I was wondering if you could share some info about how it went for you, if you changed the card at home, if it worked and also if you have any tips... did you get the 9260 after all? Thank you!

Did the 9260 work for you on your 15-5559 dell?

Yes

I also experienced the intermittent disconnects with the AC3160 on my I5559. I replaced it with the Intel AX210 and it's been good for more than 24 hours now. So I'm happy with the $30 CDN fix. That said, I can only get download speed of 160Mbps while my iphone 8+ gets 400 to 600 Mbps off the same router, so there's definitely something slowing slowing the card performance down.

I just saw you post while dealing with the same issue. Did the fix work...?

I have the still have the AC-3160.  What worked for me was replacing my sorry Spectrum Cable Router with the ASUS XT8 MESH system (using 5G).    I am getting  327 DL / 12 Up.   I used to think the problem was the AC-3160.