Really weak Wi-Fi signal - XPS 13 9350

Hi,

Sorry for the issues you've had with that system.   The driver you've installed is Version 1.555.0.0, A02, correct?

Check out this article and see if it can help you out:

Resolving Connection Issues on Your Wi-Fi Network for Windows 10

Since the Dell 1820a can handle both 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz bandwidth have you tried connecting on the 5.0 band to see how the connection is with that?  The system might be getting too much interference at the 2.4 GHz range and may work better for you on the 5.0 band.  

Also, try turning off bluetooth as a test and see if that helps improve your connection speed and quality.  

You said it's having connection issues with all networks.  Could it be that the antenna leads have worked loose during shipping?   Here is a link to the XPS 13 9350 Service Manual showing how to check the antenna connection.  

Try the resolving connection issues link above and let me know if changing the connection to the 5.0 GHz works better, as well as whether turning off bluetooth helps.   And if you can check the antenna leads to make sure they're snug.   To better help me troubleshoot this problem please click on my Dell Todd username and send me a private message with the Dell Service Tag of the system.  Please keep discussions about troubleshoot and steps taken here in this thread so others, who might have the same problems, can see what is done to resolve the issue.

Todd

Hi,

I have exactly the same problem like cheetah64D. I also installed driver version 1.555.0.0 and it did not solve the issue. Additionally, I can say that pinging the network using cmd (ping 192.168.1.1 -t) reports reponseless pings (out of time limit), sometimes up to 5 or more consecutively and of course I have practically no internet connection at this time. Other wireless devices connected to the same wifi have no problem to keep connected at these time point.

Turning off Bluetooth does not alter anything. Changing the property of the netork adapter Minimum Power Consumption = Disabled does not change anything.

I have to access PCs in my company via VPN. This is practically impossible currently and if I had not kept my five year old Zenbook, I would be lost now. I would really appreciate if there was a solution because otherwise it is a really good laptop. But if not I (or more exact: the company) will have to return it. I have bookmarked this page and also the support page to look for updates regularly.

Thank you for your support in advance!

Hi waschhaus,

I'm sorry for the issues you've been having.   You said you've tried the current driver but have you tried deleting that driver, rebooting, and seeing if Win10 has a native driver that might work better?  Or does it just end up installing the same driver version?

Also, have you checked the card itself to make sure it's physically seated correctly in the system, and that the antenna leads are tightly connected?

I'm curious, and trying to find out if there is a solution.   I've asked a few contacts here internally and if i hear anything I'll let you know.   In the meantime, to make it easier for me to provide information can you click on my Dell Todd username and send me a PM with the service tag of your system?   Please keep discussions and troubleshooting steps here in the forums 

Todd

Hi Todd,

thank you for the rapid reply. At the moment and until weekend I am at a location that is so small that I cannot move far away (>5m) enough from the Wifi spot, so I cannot "satisfactory" reproduce the problem. But I can still see missing ping responses when I test from the most distant position (5m+1wall) in this flat. Next weekend I will try to follow your suggestion regarding deleting the Dell driver, but I am reluctant to open the notebook because in Germany this may lead to loss of guarantee.

waschhaus

Hi waschaus,

Are you in a situation where you can check for an update for the router's firmware?   Or are you accessing a public wifi?  It could be that the router needs an update to work with the protocols and chipsets used by the newer cards.

Todd

Hi, Sorry for the issues you've had with that system.   The driver you've installed is Version 1.555.0.0, A02, correct?

This is correct.

Since the Dell 1820a can handle both 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz bandwidth have you tried connecting on the 5.0 band to see how the connection is with that?   ....   You said it's having connection issues with all networks.  Could it be that the antenna leads have worked loose during shipping?   Here is a link to the XPS 13 9350 Service Manual showing how to check the antenna connection.   Todd

Looks like others have had similar issues. You could upgrade the Wifi Card.

thomashunter.name/.../upgrading-to-the-xps-13-9350

Thank you. I knew I can upgrade the WiFi card, but this is the biggest absurd, just right there - you're buying top-brand premium laptop - you don't expect to replace any part of it. After spending so much money on the laptop itself, you really shouldn't have any other 'upgrading' expenses...

Did you get the WiFi resolved? I have the same XPS model and am very frustrated experiencing the same issues you describe. I get better internet use out of my HP 2000, which is incredibly disappointing with the exorbitant amount of money I paid for this.

Hello,

I'm having the exact same problem as the one defined in this post with a veeery bad reception on the wifi while other laptops (even older ones) get no particular issues.

I got this XPS 13 windows 10 around end of december 2015. My network driver version is 1.555.0.0 (26/11/2015).

I will NOT open this laptop to check if the wires are properly connected.

Please advise. Is there any suitable solution for this now ?

Thanks.

When you have really bad WiFi, is there anything plugged in to your right hand USB port?

I'm not suggesting this as a solution I'm just curious as this massively affected my machines.

I have sent one back to Dell (i7/16gb/512gb variant) and the second one (same issues) is going back as soon as Dell get their act together. (9 weeks and counting for a replacement)

My advice is if you are within your first 30 days of ownership take it back to the shop and demand a refund. I think there is a serious power management issue with this machine which is starving the WiFi card of power.

I found plugging in to the right hand USB resulted in degraded or absent WiFi signal. I have a couple of USB memory sticks which block WiFi completely, and my Dell D3100 docking station slows it to a crawl.

To answer your question there is no solution for this.

I worked with Dell on this issue for months and tried 6 different routers, on 4 different ISPs, in 3 countries and 2 continents, all had the same issue so it's nothing to do with your router or ISP.

I also swapped out the Broadcom card for an Intel 8260 card which made a small improvement (the USB sticks slowed the network rather than cutting it completely) but it did not resolve the issue.

Dell replaced the WiFi card, motherboard, daughter board and finally I took the machine back to the shop for a full replacement but the issue remains.

Hello Andycas,

Yes, my mouse is plugged into the right usb port but unplugging it doesn't improve the reception.

My colleagues working on VOSTRO are receiving a 2/4 bars wifi signal while I don't even see the wifi network on my computer.

This is really troublesome since wifi connection has been put forward for this XPS13 as there is no native Ethernet port (not without the +75€ adapter bonus bill) ...

Is this laptop's wifi antena proportional to the machine size ? ...

I was having issues connecting my brand new XPS 13 9350 to my 5ghz wifi while doing initial setup.  It had the latest drivers from dell.  One thing that seemed to have helped, but requires more testing to confirm is changing the WMM adapter settings for the dell wireless card  from Auto to Enabled.