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154305
Inspiron 15 (3521) wireless 'limited'...but only at certain places!
I've spent days trying to resolve this issue on this laptop. I purchased it as a Christmas gift for my son, only to find that it's got a problem with wifi connectivity. What's crazy though is that it connects perfectly to my home router, and will connect perfectly at two different coffee shops/bakeries I've used for testing yesterday. But at a local Starbucks and at my sons work location (which is also a public hotspot) it only shows a 'limited' connection, and you get no Internet access. I was also told that it could see and connect to his iPhone in 'hotspot' mode or whatever, but couldn't get to the Internet thru that either.
Basics: Inspiron 15 (3421), Windows 8 x64 clean install, and all current Dell drivers installed (from the Dell site.)
Fwiw, I have a long tech background with computers and laptops, so I have no problem getting into and checking or resetting things. As I said, it has all the latest Dell drivers for everything on it, including the most current (as of today) wireless 1704 driver. Also, I've read numerous forum posts by others with similar problems, so I've seen many of the things suggested to try to fix wifi connectivity issues (i.e. set it to maximum performance, don't let the system turn it off, etc.) I'm still checking various posts for others ideas, but it's frustrating to have it working here at home and have to run up to a Starbuck to see if it's fixed or still flaky.
Even so, it seems to me that the evidence that it connects perfectly to some hotspot routers and my AT&T wifi router at home makes it pretty clear the hardware is fine. It does see all the hotspot routers and lists their names and it can/does connect and get an IP (verified via 'ipconfig /all'). So I think the laptop/wlan hardware is functional, but there's something wrong with the drivers or some setting that is enabled or disabled, or set wrong, that just doesn't communicate properly with some of the generic hotspot routers or configurations...like the 'Google Starbucks' hotspot down the street.
I think by now Dell must have a very good idea what the problem is, even if they aren't widely publicizing it for whatever reason. But I'd like to know what could make this thing not connect to some very public hotspot routers, and be just fine connecting to others. It has to be something set in the laptop that's making it overly strict or specific, such that maybe older routers won't work.
Any help will be appreciated.
Thanks...
jttraverse
6 Posts
1
April 18th, 2015 23:00
I can certainly understand the frustration. It's clear to me, after a week of trying to figure this out that not everyone's connection problem was the same as mine, but I do think that what I found was something that should have been near the top of the list in troubleshooting steps. It was hands-down one thing that would stop all internet connectivity under some circumstances..but would work in others...and would never be obvious to most people--especially considering the info below:
Tonight I went back to a different Starbuck's to double-check that it was now working at all of them. At this Starbuck's---which I'd been to before---I still got the 'limited' connectivity. Lo and behold, the network IP4 setting still had the faulty 192.168.1.254 DNS entry, with the check box to "use the following DNS server address", though I know I'd deleted it since things were now working at the other Starbuck's. I removed it, but when I went back and reconnected it still wouldn't connect...and the DNS entry seemed to have reappeared. I tried connecting and reconnecting, but it wouldn't get past limited connectivity. Then it hit me...
What I suspect now might be a problem is that if you ever tried to connect to the router at a location, and either remembered it or choose to "connect automatically", it must be storing the settings for that particular network/wi-fi connection. It seems logical in hindsight, but it had not occurred to me that each wi-fi connection you connect to (Starbucks..the book store..etc.) may save whatever network attributes you had set in there at the start, and if they're wrong, you're, well, dazed and confused to put it mildly. I think that's why my faulty DNS entry was still in there for this location.
So, I finally completely deleted the connection for this Starbucks (i.e. choose 'forget this network' from the wi-fi list) and let it be re-detected cleanly. Now when I chose to connect...bingo! Got through to the Starbuck's T&C page and could finally authenticate and go on.
To restate my experience: I'd tried all the 'advanced' settings changes that so many Dell 'Rockstars' kept telling everyone to change--I changed power settings, strict H, 802.11b, 2300, MAIN, AUX, aggressive, broader compatibility, blah, blah..changed the back, the back again. I reinstalled drivers, borrowed drivers from old Win 7 batches, and even tried some odd Broadcom drivers. Not one of those things made any difference, but not one rockstar every suggested being sure you don't have a bad DNS server IP in there.
(Fwiw...I did finally settle on the WLAN 1708 driver, which worked and is running in there now, though I think the original 1704 driver probably was working all along.)
The steps:
1) Connect to the router showing 'Limited' connectivity...then..
2) Right-click the wi-fi icon in the Windows tray (next to the battery icon) and choose "Open Network and Sharing Center.
3) Double-click the name of wi-fi connection on the right (in blue, next to the little green wi-fi bars.)
4) Click 'Properties'..
4) Scroll down and double-click on "Internet Connection Version 4 (TCP/IPv4)
5) At the bottom, select ""Obtain DNS Server Address Automatically"....click "OK" and you're done.
You'll likely have been disconnected anyway, but best to just "Forget this Network" for this connection and let it be re-detected, and reconnect from scratch. Worked for me and I can now connect everywhere.
Best of luck..
JT
jttraverse
6 Posts
0
April 12th, 2015 19:00
A quick follow-up on my own post above:
The latest driver on the Dell site is number 6.30.223.215. If you download it it has a Dell signature and is dated 4/16/2014...But in Device Manager it shows to be provided by Broadcom, which isn't unexpected, but with a date of 12/13/2013? Why give the same driver different dates, which can cause a lot of confusion about which is the newer driver, or if there's a difference.
jttraverse
6 Posts
1
April 14th, 2015 17:00
I guess Dell doesn't bother responding to posts in this forum, and no one else has a definite solution either, so I'm posting follow-ups to my own original post to provide more information that I've found while trying to resolve the 'limited' connectivity issue with this Inspiron 15 (3521).
As of today, I don't think this is a driver issue. I've now tried several different drivers and gotten the same result. I started with the most recent Win 8 driver on the Dell site (Dell Wireless 1704 802.11b/g/n 6.30.223.215) and, after seeing something someone else tried, I've also tried the Win 7 driver (6.20.55.49), and then a pure Broadcom Win 7 driver I found online (BCM 6.30.223.228).
All of these work perfectly connecting to wi-fi at home, which is thru an AT&T 'Arris' wireless unit, typical U-verse setup. All of these also work perfectly at 3-4 local wi-fi hotspots around town, but they all fail to get to the Internet at two Starbucks locations, at a major entertainment venue, and at a small local shop. So, the hardware seems willing to 'radio' connect to any hotspot router, and in some cases things then continue to get the IP address connection and get to the Internet. In other cases, notably at a well-known national chain..nada.
One thing I've noted that might be significant, not sure, but it's begun to make me wonder, is that the times the connection does go through fully to the Internet, there seems to be some kind of web-page authentication required. Meaning, the hotspot connects you but you need to open a browser to click an 'accept' button in order to finally have Internet access. But of course, if it won't connect to the "Google Starbucks" routers or the other places it won't go through, I can't know if those places also direct you to a webpage before granting Internet access. I think Starbucks may, but I don't know.
As an example of how odd it is: A few hours ago I went to a location where I could park directly between a Starbucks and an AT&T store, both of which have public wi-fi access. The wi-fi connections on the laptop could see both, and I could connect completely to AT&T's router by connecting and opening their web page and accepting the terms, etc..then have full Internet. But even though I was actually closer to Starbucks and could connect to their router just fine, it showed "limited" on the laptop and never got any actual Internet connectivity.
I finally got out and sat at Starbucks and uninstalled and reinstalled the various drivers (and rebooted several times) and proved to my satisfaction that at Starbucks I could not connect to their wi-fi router, but--I could still see and connect to the AT&T router about 75' away. @#$%...aggravating.
With all this easily demonstrable, I have to conclude that Dell and Microsoft must be fully aware of this problem by now and are either ignoring it to avoid having to take any responsibility, or just ignoring it out of lack of caring. I don't think it's a hardware problem since I can always connect to the sites that will connect, and I doubt it's a strict driver problem since both Win7 and Win8 drivers have worked equally well in my testing--when it worked at all!!. That suggests an OS problem, or at least something in the OS is causing interference or keeping this WLAN adapter from communicating effectively with some very common and popular wi-fi routers/locations (Starbucks, for cryin' out loud!)
At this stage I think either Dell or Microsoft need to fix or replace these laptops and satisfy their obligation to customers who bought these in good faith. What's the standard for a class action to get relief? Anyone have any ideas?
JT
Philip_Yip
7 Technologist
7 Technologist
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16K Posts
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April 15th, 2015 04:00
You could try 6.30.223.245:
http://downloads.dell.com/FOLDER02703687M/1/Network_Driver_RCHFD_WN_6.30.223.245_A00.EXE
This is for the DW1708 card but might install with the DW1704 (both are Broadcom). If not you can try installation via the device manager:
http://dellwindowsreinstallationguide.com/driver-sets/dell-wireless-cards/#Broadcom
jttraverse
6 Posts
1
April 17th, 2015 16:00
Thanks...and I did install the 1708 driver, but even that didn't fix the problem However...I discovered one change that actually did INSTANTLY get me fixed sitting at Starbucks. I'm of the opinion that this single change may have been the entire problem.
I found this answer in a Microsoft forum, at this link:
http://support.zen.co.uk/kb/Knowledgebase/Broadband-Changing-IP-address-and-DNS-Server-Settings-on-Windows-8
The solution is/was that for some reason my IPv4 DNS setting was set to use the (typical) 192.168.1.254 address. Not sure why it was, but that is a common address to search for I suppose. Needless to say, when I set it back to 'automatic'...I instantly connected at the Starbuck's I'm in now and was able to open their T&C web page and authenticate.
Lord this was maddening to try to understand why I could connect at half of the places and not others...but I'm betting it's been anywhere that used the .254 local IP to get to DNS would connect, while Google Starbucks must use something else.
JT
z1vqr
5 Posts
0
April 18th, 2015 11:00
JT,
Although your solution didn't work on any of my Dells, I appreciate the effort.
If only Dell and Microsoft were as diligent!
Did I miss something? Was there a "some assembly required" sticker on my new @!$#! computer?
This is not a way to build brand loyalty, is it?
I've bought a lot of Dells in the past, and mostly loved them. Now suddenly I'm wasting my time trying to connect to the internet? Since that's apparently okay with Dell, I may have to consider other makers much more seriously in the future. I will be buying a new desktop when Windows 10 finally arrives, but I guess my money will be going to one of Dell's competitors.
It's such a little thing (probably), but too important for me to overlook.
Adios, Dell.
z1vqr
5 Posts
0
May 2nd, 2015 11:00
These steps did eventually lead to several of my Dells being able to connect to the internet. It's possible (but I don't understand why) that I needed to restart two of them for the change to "register."
My newest Dell,an Insperion 15, 7000 series, would not connect even when I first took it out of the box. Neither this solution nor anything suggested by the "rock stars" has made any difference.
As with most people, I don't have unlimited time to try to resolve this issue.
Obviously I don't have the resources of Dell, Microsoft, etc. but since I can't activate Windows, the "complimentary" anti-virus that came with the new computer, or Office 365, I feel as if I'm stuck with a $1000 electronic picture frame.
I'll take responsibility for getting my system to function properly (or likely not), but being left to fend for myself will have a major impact on how I use computers from now on--as well as which computers I buy and use.
During the rest of my lifetime I'll probably buy ""only" a dozen or two new computers. Losing my purchases won't harm any of these big corporations. As a symptom of a larger problem, it seems as if they might want to take notice, though.
If they had one or more solutions that would be wonderful. Even if they only acknowledged that there is a problem, but could offer no help, I would still consider that far more satisfying than essentially being ignored. That not being willing to listen thing works both ways.
I really appreciate the help, JT, getting my other computers back on the net is awesome. Obviously I still feel as if I've gotten burned here, but thanks,
Bill
z1vqr
5 Posts
0
May 10th, 2015 15:00
I have now found a workable (though expensive) solution.
Here's what I did:
1.) Pressed the power button on my internet free Dell
2.) Watched as the monitor went quickly black
3.) Bought an Asus computer
4.) Connected quickly and easily to the internet
I may buy other brands in the future although I'm happy with the Asus, but it will be a very long time before I spend a penny on anything from Dell again.
Other brands have their problems too, I'm sure--including Asus. I can't imagine feeling any more abandoned than I've felt as a Dell customer, though.
Computers are both profitable and competitive, so Dell may not be able to coast on their reputation as long as they may think.
I find that I really enjoy showing people all of my computers--and then showing them the ones that can connect to that newfangled thing, the internet.
Even the Dells that I got to connect again now no longer do. I wish I knew what was up with that.
My user name on this page is a collection of nonsense characters, because when I tried to register using angry (but not obscene) descriptors I was told "that name is already in use." With Dell's customer service how could they not be!
My solution won't work for everyone, but unlike Dell I'm at least offering a solution. Dell needs to fire some people, and hire JT (above) and other people like him or her to treat their customers as they deserve to be treated.
I don't know if this is a Dell issue or one caused by Microsoft, but my new Asus and my soon to be replaced Surface both run Windows and work great, so I'm giving Bill Gates the benefit of the doubt.
If you can afford to do it I hope you will join me as a former Dell customer.
matthewchambers
1 Message
0
October 28th, 2015 10:00
I had a similar issue with a couple of these Inspirons. The wifi chip was 1707/1708 with the latest drivers. They are somewhat dated for 8.1, but Windows 10 on the Dell support site offers a higher version. We first replaced the wifi card, then reinstalled drivers.
Based on the user's reporting of the issue, it seemed likely that somehow DNS was not functional at the time of failure. This was causing the "limited" icon, and further issues. I wasn't able to get them to do an nslookup, or test it on the spot. The one factor that was surprising is that it would continue to work on "some" wifi networks. The one it worked for me on had directly assigned public DNS for OpenDNS.
My Fix: I disabled IPv6 in the driver stack, as I found several of these were Comcast users. My assumption was that these new gateways are giving out IPv6 DHCP, or something similar. That seems to have worked for me in both cases, where the user had broken home wifi.
On some ISPs I've found that they BLOCK outbound udp/53, if it's not to one of that provider's forwarders. Maybe to curb DNS hijacking. Anyways, if somehow the info is cached or causing problems maybe it was related. I did have the user run this script, but it didn't seem to help. Would be best to get a ipconfig dump in that case, try nslookup. Ping gateway etc. Basic layer 1-3 testing.