I had the same exact issue when I bought a new router that supported the 5 ghz band and my Dell 5010 did not recognize the channel but my 4 year old dell did. I knew immediately that the card was a lie. I called dell immediately and demanded that they send me out a card that had the capapilities that they said this  DW1501 card was supposed to do (the website listed in the previous post is the proof of the false advertisement). Needless to say they tried every excuse in the book, saying that my computer was not compatible with other wireless cards and tried to even say that it was my fault because I did not customize my computer with the right wireless card. Once I mentioned that it was actually THEIR fault by stating that this card was able to work on the 5ghz band and that they false advertised this card they then began to say that they will send me out a new computer but of course I had to pay extra which I refused to do.  I demanded to talk to the manager and after telling the manager that I demanded a new card or a computer with all of my system perks without paying extra or I was going to have to go outside of Dell to solve the problem of false advertisement, which no company wants to go through. I even told him I have the exact website and documentation where Dell says the DW1501 has 2.4 and 5 ghz functions. Suddenly the manager had a wireless card that was compatible with my Dell 5010 and he sent out a new Intel Centrion Ultimate N 6300 which is an amazing dual band wireless card with awesome functions and specks. So if anyone is out there with their still horrible, false advertised DW1505 card, call up dell and demand they send you out a new wireless card with the 5ghz capabilities promised by the DW1501 or else.....  They DO have a card to replace for you and it is THEIR responsibility to give you a new one! DO NOT give up and demand a new card that you should of had in the first place, PERIOD! I didn't and I got an  upgraded card for no cost except annoyance from Dell.

I believe I read in an older post that the DW1501 card is only capable of 72mbps, are you sure you are not already connected to the N network?  With my old DW1501 card it just automatically configured to the network. I am not sure if there is anyway to actually go in and change it to any type of specific network, it should just automatically find the right B, G, or N, network.  Have you tried getting help from Dell yet?

I am sure it is not connected to the N network, because when I check my router, to see who is hooked up and how, it shows that my 15R/N5010 is hooked up with G.  I haven't contacted Dell directly yet, that's next on my agenda.

Well what do you know persistence pays off. I decided I didn't want to wait for an email and I called in again. I know I'm a glutten for punishment. This time I got a technician that could help. It still took almost 45 minutes on the phone but I know finally have a Dispatch and Service Request number. They are sending out a tech with a DW1520 card that I'm sure will work. I have a 1510 in my work laptop and it works fine.

Thanks to everyone for posting their advise/experience on this forum.  It encouraged me to contact Dell Support to get my DW1501 replaced.

Here is how my case went:

1)      Called Dell Customer service and explained how DW1501 on my XPS does not do 5 ghz as expected and noted on dell documentation.

2) I got transferred to Technical Issues department which transferred me to XPS Technical Issues department which transferred me to Wireless Issues department… and that’s where my issue got resolved:

Me : I am upset that my laptop can not work with 5 Ghz band even when the Dell’s own documentation states that it should. I have the laptop for 2 months and I wanna know my options. 

Associate: Let me check the DW1501 documentation and get back to you. (in 5 mins she returned). Associate: I’ve checked our technical documentation and it clearly states that DW1501 only does 2.4 Ghz.  When people see “N” capabilities they assume it must be dual-band 5Ghz capable card.  We do not have any notice from Dell that incorrect information was provided to customers at the time of purchase.  If that happens Dell would contact all of the customers and inform them of the mistake and instruct us on how to resolve the issue. at this time i can not help you.

Me: No, i don't want to wait for Dell to decide if they want to contact customers for their mistake, I want to resolve this now.  if you can't help me then i would like to speak to your supervisor or somenone who can help me. When i purchased the computer nothing said that the card can no do 5ghz band or i would not have purchased it.  Why would a good/expensive laptop with N capabilities won't be able to detect 5Ghz band? And i think your copy of the documentation must be revised one, because the documents i saw on Dell Community Discussion Boards show clearly that the card was listed as dual band and capable of 5Ghz.

Associate: hold on for 5 mins. i will check the Community Discussion Boards about misinformation and discuss further with our advisor. (she returned in 5 mins). Associate: sir, our documents clearly state that DW1501 works only with 2.4Ghz band. BUT customer purchasing a higher end product expect quality parts inside so i have been authorised to send you a dual band 5ghz capable card to replace the one you have. But we are doing this favour once only on your account.  Please hold on 5 mins as i check which cards are compatible with your system. 

Me: some customers on teh Del Discussion board have been given Intel Centrino N6300 and i would be happy with that. 

Associate (returned in a few mins.): we will send you DW1520 which is dual band 2.4 and 5ghz card.  Since your compuer currently has Dell card, i'm only authorised to send Dell replacement card and not the intel one.  You'll receive the card in next couple of days. you'll also receive a return package to return the existing DW1501 to Dell. 

.. so now i'm waiting  to get teh replacement DW1520.   the Associate wasn't as rude as it sounds in my post.  It took about 1hr and 10 mins from dialing dell number to finally resolving the issue with their Wireless Issues department.

I know it's a bit much to read but i put all of what i remembered from my conversation as it might help someone prepare for their call to Dell.. :D    good luck.

Dell sent a tech to install my replacement dw1520 card. The dw1501 replacement is fairly complex and requires the keyboard and other components to be removed it is not a simple open a cover and change a part job. The tech actually damaged my keyboard and palmrest doing the job and had to return to replace them. Before you open your machine you should go and verify that you are not voiding your waranty and make them  do the right thing and have the tech come out and install the part to make your machine work as they advertised.

Dell told me they were sending me an Intel 6200 as a replacement.  I actually got an Intel Centrino Ultimate-N 6300 shipped to me.  They did not send a driver and Windows 7 did not find a driver after it was installed, so I had to download the driver from Intel's website on another computer and copy it over to my laptop.  I recommend downloading the driver to your computer prior to replacing your wireless card!

I have an Inspiron 15R (N5010) and I replaced my own wireless card because I was taking my computer apart to install a Bluetooth card anyway.  I too had issues with getting the keyboard off.  The keyboard is like a piece of thick aluminum foil on the back with two litte bars sticking out into the computer body (and the connection ribbon) with the key caps on the front side.  One of my bars would not separate from the computer body, so I had to pull the keyboard off of it, causing the metal keyboard backing to bend.  This yielded a very warped keyboard.  I was able to bend the keyboard back fairly straight though and reinstall it, so it's useable.  I never could get the bar out of the computer even pulling with pliers, so it was not reattached to my keyboard, but I can't tell the difference.

The replacement of the wireless card (and/or bluetooth module) requires taking out the battery, taking off the back cover, taking out the memory, taking out the optical drive, taking off the keyboard, taking off the wrist wrest (whole top of the computer.)  Most of this is straightforward following the service manual instructions.  Plan on a couple of hours, a clean work surface, working on a light colored sheet or dish towel to keep from scratching your case and having good light to find all those tiny black screws.  The hardest parts for me were getting the keyboard off, seating the antenna wires, and reattaching the little wire connections.

The good news is my computer works, and now it will connect to my router on the N band and my speed is faster.  Yay Dell, they did the right thing by me.

Dell did not offer to send a technician to replace my wireless card. Maybe because my warranty does not cover in-home service. 

It maybe difference with other laptop models, but the wireless card, memory, HDD etc are all exposed on my StudioXPS-16 as soon as the bottom cover is removed. there is no need to remove keyboard etc... so it's easily upgradable.

The Dell associate assured me that my laptop warranty wouldn't be voided by opening the bottom to replace the wireless card myself.   Again.. this may not apply to other laptops.

so i got my 1520 card in mail.. and i'm very disappointed :(   Dell sent me a refurbished 1520 to put into my new laptop and i'm required to send back the1501 !  this is how Dell is treating me after purchasing 3 desktops and 2 laptops from dell ?   

i'm thinking what to do. i'm probably gonna send their refurbished 1520 back to them.. i don't want to open up my new expensive XPS laptop to put in a used $10 card  !!!   

Tank,

 I had the same exact issue with my tech person! When they replaced my card he also damaged my palm rest by leaving gouge marks where he tried to lift the keyboard up. He even damaged a clip part of the palm rest because the corner near the power button would not click in place and was lifted. Of course he said he would have to call Dell to replace the palm rest. At that time, I did not realize all the other damage he had done. Once he left I fully inspected my Dell 15R and noticed that even bowed out a section where the black bottom cover meets the palm rest so that it is not smoothly touching the palm rest anymore. I called Dell and requested they send out the bottom piece for the computer as well as the palm rest. Dell asked for pictures and once they got the pictures a replacement part for both items was sent. Now I have a new Intel Ultimate 69300 card, palm rest, and bottom cover for my computer. I think I mentioned in my original post that people with the Dell 15R need to watch their technician when they replace the wireless card because they will damage the computer if not done patiently. I actually had my new tech use toothpicks instead of their medal tool and it worked just fine- not a single scratch. He was (here is a more kid friendly term for dell) MAD but I dont care, I paid for this computer and those techs need to respect your property!

( I can't believe I just had to repost this comment because Dell flagged my post because I used a word that rhymes with missed (replace the m with a p)... i am seriously debating ever doing business with Dell again..... p.s.    Dell, insert colorful language off!  (I hope that is more appropriate for you!)

I just re-checked the link posted on the second page of this thread.. and seems like Dell has updated it's DW1501 specs to remove 5 Ghz support.  So now we can't direct them to their link to prove our case :(   does anybody make a copy of the DW1501 specs sheet earlier for backup?

Below is DW1501 Specs in French.. Still says 1501 is 5Ghz compatible.  The english specs have been changed by Dell over the weekend and 5Ghz part removed.   This is copy-pased on Jan 9, 2011:

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Manuals Retour à la table des matières Caractéristiques de la carte Half-Mini Card de réseau local sans fil Wireless-N DW1501 : Guide utilisateur de la carte réseau local sans fil DW Dimensions   Dimensions Caractéristique Half-Mini Card PCI-SIG Half-Mini CEM ECN, 15 mars 2006 Conditions de température et d'humidité   Condition Description Température d'exploitation 0 à 75 °C Humidité de fonctionnement 95 % maximum (sans aucune condensation permise) Température d'entreposage –40 à +80 °C Humidité d'entreposage 95 % maximum (sans aucune condensation permise) Caractéristiques d'alimentation Les valeurs d'alimentation électrique ont été mesurées dans un intervalle d'une seconde. Les valeurs de transmission et de réception maximales ont été mesurées pendant le transfert d'un flux de données UDP continu au réglage de débit le plus élevé, 270 Mbit/s.   Caractéristiques Valeur (±5 %) Alimentation électrique, mode gestion de l'alimentation 34 mA (moyenne) Alimentation électrique, mode de réception 314 mA (moyenne) Alimentation électrique, mode d'émission 400 mA (moyenne) Alimentation 3,3 V Mise en réseau   Caractéristiques Description Compatibilité • Norme IEEE 802.11g relative aux réseaux locaux sans fil (OFDM) • Norme IEEE 802.11b relative aux réseaux locaux sans fil (DSSS) Système d'exploitation réseau Microsoft Windows Networking Système d'exploitation de l'hôte • Microsoft Windows Vista/Windows 7 Pilote miniport NDIS6 Protocole d'accès média CSMA/CA (évitement de collisions) avec confirmation (ACK) Débit (Mbps) • IEEE 802.11b : 1, 2, 5.5, 11 • IEEE 802.11g : 1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 54 • IEEE 802.11n, largeur de bande de 20 MHz : 130, 117, 104, 78, 52, 39, 26, 13 • IEEE 802.11n, largeur de bande de 40 MHz : 270, 243, 216, 162, 108, 81, 54, 27     REMARQUE : La carte réseau local sans fil DW utilise un mécanisme de sélection automatique du débit. Caractéristiques radio     REMARQUE : Reportez-vous à la section Conformité aux normes pour obtenir des informations relatives aux caractéristiques de performance et aux restrictions d'utilisation spécifiques à chaque pays.   Caractéristiques Description Bande de fréquence • IEEE 802.11b : 2,4 GHz (2400 - 2500 MHz) • IEEE 802.11g : 2,4 GHz (2400 - 2500 MHz) • IEEE 802.11n : 2.4 GHz et 5 GHz Technique de modulation IEEE 802.11b : étalement du spectre en séquence directe (DSSS) • CCK pour le taux d’émission élevé et moyen • DQPSK pour le taux d’émission standard • DQPSK pour le taux d’émission faible IEEE 802.11g : Multiplexage par répartition orthogonale de la fréquence (MROF) • 52 sous-porteurs avec BPSK, QPSK, 16-QAM ou 64-QAM • Taux de code de convolution de correction d'erreurs sans voie de retour : 1/2, 2/3, 3/4 IEEE 802.11n : Multiplexage par répartition orthogonale de la fréquence (MROF) Etalement IEEE 802.11b : S/O Taux d'erreur par bit (TEB) Supérieur à 10–5 Puissance nominale de sortie • IEEE 802.11b : 19 dBm • IEEE 802.11g : 15 dBm • IEEE 802.11n (2,4 GHz) : 17 dBm • IEEE 802.11n (5 GHz) : Retour au sommaire   Retour à la table des matières

Sad thing is I was looking for a machine before Christmas and I directly asked the sales support if they fixed the problem with the wireless card and they had no clue what I was talking about. They finally conected me with a tech that admitted the problem and their resolution was to tell me to order a Inspiron with an upgraded card. The machine was over one hundred dollars more than the identical machine with the DW1501 card pretty steep for a twenty dollar upgrade. To make a long story short we purchased an Asus laptop and are very satisfied.

I would like to thank everyone who has contributed their experiences to this topic. I had not been aware of these issues until after I received and began setting up my new Vostro 3500 last week with the (now infamous) DW1501-N. Like everyone else has reported, I can not connect to a (new) Linksys E3000 router at any speed faster than 72 Mbps, even when only a few feet away. My 3+ year-old laptop had no problem connecting at 300 Mbps under the same conditions.

As soon as I ran a Google search, this thread came up and it was very enlightening. FYI, if you go to the Windows 7 x64 downloads page for the vostro, you can still find the original specs for the DW1501 stating it supports 5 GHz.. I saved the page as a PDF if anyone needs it.

Thanks to the discussion here, I contacted Dell support via email explaining the problem and requesting the Intel 6300 as a replacement. I received a response within a few hours (on a Sunday) stating that while they could confirm my purchase, since my system was so new, the contract was not yet in the system, but as soon as it could be verified (within 2-3 days), they would be sending out the Intel card. I will follow up on this thread and let you know the results.

I'm an IT consultant by trade with my own business for the last 6+ years, and Dell has consistently been the most reliable product out there for my clients. I am in hopes that Dell will not let me down with this issue.

Nick