Dell Inspiron 15 replace wifi adapter

Question

Hello,

My father has an older dell laptop which started to get problems with his internet connection.

For some reason, the laptop rarely connects to the unsecured network at the camping where he lives at the moment. Most of the time it will take half an hour, or it simply won't connect at all.

So my question is: Can I replace the wifi adapter with an Intel® Centrino (N 2230 for example)?

I know I'll have to download the new drivers, but could there be any hardware conflicts?

Some specs:

Model: Dell Inspiron 15 N5050
CPU: Intel® Core i3-2350m
RAM: 4GB DDR3
HDD: 500GB
Wifi: Dell 1701

Luuk

kirkd · Accepted Answer

I don't know but doubt they have a hidden white list. Compare the specs of the boards and pick one with a large range.

Lucas_NL · Accepted Answer

hello again

After replacing the original adapter with the Intel Centrino Wireless-N 2230 it all seems to work fine. It connects to every network without any trouble.

I'm glad Dell doesn't have anything like a whitelist and that non Dell adapters also work with no problems.

Luuk

kirkd · Answer

If the laptop connects to other networks, then the problem is probably a low signal strength from the camp router or low broadcast power from the laptop. Have him check by moving as close to the camp router as possible. If it's OK there, then a signal booster may help.

Lucas_NL · Answer

Hello Kirk,

Thank you for your reply.
That was my first thought too, but the laptop shows the network in the list of available networks (with a connection of 4 out of 5), but the moment you press connect, it immediately says it can't connect to the network. Also my laptop and all the phones we had there do connect to that network with quiet a stable connection.

I assumed it was a driver problem, so I searched the dell forums and read a couple of times that removing the drivers, restarting the laptop and letting it install the original drivers again might solve these kind of problems, but that didn't work either (installing the newer updates also didn't solve the problem).

That's why I asked if I could replace the adapter with a Centrino wireless adapter, because the old adapter might just be damaged/dying. We never had this problem with vacation parks that had unsecured networks, and nothing has changed since, except the drivers which I already ruled out.

So can I replace it with an Intel adapter, or can't I? I'm not an expert when it comes to laptops and Wifi, but I build plenty of pc's as a hobby and some parts just might interfere with each other. And as the adapter is originally by Dell, I don't know if it accepts other devices from other companies. That's why I asked.

Luuk

Lucas_NL · Answer

Hello Kirk, Thank you for your reply That was my first thought too, but the laptop shows the network in the list of available networks (with a connection of 4 out of 5), but the moment you press connect, it immediately says it can't connect to the network. Also my laptop and all the phones we had there do connect to that network with quiet a stable connection. I assumed it was a driver problem, so I searched the dell forums and read a couple of times that removing the drivers, restarting the laptop and letting it install the original drivers again might solve these kind of problems, but that didn't work either (installing the newer updates also didn't solve the problem). That's why I asked if I could replace the adapter with a Centrino wireless adapter, because the old adapter might just be damaged/dying. We never had this problem with vacation parks that had unsecured networks, and nothing has changed since, except the drivers which I already ruled out. So can I replace it with an Intel adapter, or can't I? I'm not an expert when it comes to laptops and Wifi, but I build plenty of pc's as a hobby and some parts just might interfere with each other. And as the adapter is originally by Dell, I don't know if it accepts other devices from other companies. That's why I asked. Luuk

kirkd · Answer

If the Centrino adaptor was originally offered as an option on the laptop, then it should fit as a replacement. If not, you will need to check with Dell.

Lucas_NL · Answer

Hello KirkD,

I searched if this particular laptop model came shipped with other adapters and all I could find were these:

1. Dell Wireless WLAN 1701 Half Mini-Card + BlueTooth 3.0
2. Dell Wireless WLAN 1702 Half Mini-Card + BlueTooth 3.0
3. Dell Wireless WLAN 1502 Half Mini-Card
4. Dell Wireless WLAN 1503 Half Mini-Card
source: https://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20130524065159AAKnNFR

So this laptop model didn't come with other adapters than the ones made by Dell.

I also read that some laptop manufacturers have a "white list" for supported network adapters hidden in the BIOS. If the adapter isn't on the list, it won't work with the laptop.

So does Dell also use these kind of white lists for their laptops? If so, can I find those lists somewhere?

Thanks in advance.

Luuk

Lucas_NL · Answer

Sorry I didn't reply for a couple of days...

Okay, so the adapter finally died and can't connect nor find any network at all. So I just ordered an Intel Centrino.

I will bring an update when I've installed the new card.

Luuk

Lucas_NL · Answer

Hello again.

I replaced the old adapter with an Intel Centrino Wireless-N 2230, the one I mentioned before, and all seems working fine. It connects fine with my home network, so it will probably connect just as fine to the one at the camping. If not, I will report it to you, and probably switch over to an usb wifi adapter as a last resort. If everything seems working, I'll choose the best post as the answer (probably wednesday).

Thank you once again for your help Kirk.

Luuk

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Dell Inspiron 15 replace wifi adapter

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