Wireless card seems slow on my XPS 14z

Roscoe

I have sent you a private message. Please reply back to the private message so that I can look into setting up a service.

TB

Terry B,

This system is rather confusing. Sending a - please shoot a reply - request in a noreply@ email isn't quite clear. So I'll try here first. My son has been traveling in Europe for a month with his Dell 14Z. He'll be returning this week. He's in Paris right now. If you can confirm that you'd like the communication to be through the community here, I'll have him come out and supply you with the requested information.

You'll have to understand that given everything we've searched up on the web about this problem, I'm not really convinced that changing the card and antenna set will fix the problem. You can find instances of that pretty much everywhere with little or no improvement. But we'll give it a try once. The previso is that if that doesn't fix the problem we expect full credit to trade to a Dell model that does work.

It's pretty sad when I can pull out my old Dell Latitude 600 running XP and track wireless at 20 mps (our sevice is 40 mps optical through a GPON / as with most wireless connects you get half when wireless) all over the house and he can't even get a connection. And when he does, he gets about 2 mps from six feet away.

I agree with the gentleman from Hungary in reference to changing a setting on the home router. We did that. Turns out it was okay to start with, but with the assistance of a Dell tech in chat we checked, confirmed, and it was okay. But the real point is that Dell is selling a piece of go-anywhere, connect-anywhere state-of-the-art technology that expects the user to walk into Starbucks in Denmark and ask them to change a setting on their router? Let's talk about the real world. From airports to coffee shops to bookstores to universites and, most importantly, people want to and need to connect to the available signal. Hot spots. I've been doing it for years, my son as well, just not so long. And to offer the latest and greatest at a premium price and get mediocre at best is not acceptable. If he can't sit down at my desk which is a hallway and three rooms away from our router and get the same connect speed I get (on my Dell Studio 17 that's now 3 years old and working like a champ) then the problem hasn't been fixed.

Going beyond that you have to consider that when I bring up my available signals I get about twenty. When he brings up his he might get three (counting our own). Quite simply, this is a design problem.

But if you confirm in a way that I can replay, he'll get the information to you this week and we'll try the change out. If the laptop isn't up to snuff we'll expect full credit on a change over to a Dell of equal or better specs that actually does work.

Thanks for your response.

Roscoe James

Hi all,

Just thought I'd provide an update. After having 3 technicians come to my office and replace several parts, Dell has agreed to refund my purchase and the 14z is being collected via courier today. I am evaluating other options as to what I can purchase.

My brother in law bought a 15z after my recommendation and he is now following the same process in hope of getting a refund.

I encourage everyone to do the same. Dell is obviously not interested in admitting that they have a bad design fault, so I urge everyone to go through the same process as me and get a refund for this product. If Dell refuse it, I would recommend you go to your local government's fair trading department and follow the process there.

Good luck and I hope everyone can either get a resolution, or use a product that actually works.

Hi!

I am worry again. Against the new settings, which give me the new confidence, the internet connection is not stabil, some cases it was better and usable, but I have to see, that it is usually not enough good. There is very good near the router (in 3-4 meters - 18 Mbps), but more then 5 meters is very poor (0,5-1 Mbps). I think is tragical.

Is there any possibilities to solve this problem or I have to change Dell to a good laptop?

PA

Drian,

The member in the

Intel® Centrino® Wireless-N 1030 connection problems

Stated...

this wifi issue exists for Windows 7 64bit, wireless-n 1030, and for routers that have wps enabled. It doesnt have to do energy settings or channel of communication. To solve this issue, you will have to disable wps on your router, each one has its own procedure to follow.

And Intel also has this on their website but cannot be sure if it helps or not.

Intel ~ Recommended settings for 802.11n connectivity

Rick

Which is interesting but doesn't really address the core issue.

If I buy a new car I don't expect to be able to drive it only in my driveway (which is specially configured for my new car), I expect to be able to drive it on any suitable road surface pretty much around the world.

When computers were tied to the desktop the solution Intel is offering might be 'good enough'. But things have changed. People, just like the hardware companies like Dell want us to buy, have gone global. And countries and hot spots around the world conform to a fairly narrow band of standards. Mostly becuase US design drives most wireless computer/hand-held, cell phone technology sold today.

There was no disclaimer on Dell's site that said - THIS COMPUTER REQUIRES YOU TO SIT WITHIN 8 FEET OF YOUR ROUTER AND YOU WILL ALSO HAVE TO WAIT FOR DELL XPS COMPLIANT HOT SPOTS TO MAGICALLY POP UP IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

So changing a setting on someone elses hardware so I can enjoy mine isn't much of a solution.

Intel's suggested fix does give insight to where the real problem might be. Could it be a chip or chip set has been produced that doesn't have the proper driver or software support? Why Windows 7 64 (which is exactly what my son runs and needs for his classes at college)?

Thanks,

RJ

Hi RJ,

See my posts on the previous page. I would not waste your time with drivers or anything as this is clearly a design fault. Report the issue to Dell via phone, allow them to continually send out technicians to replace parts and then eventually after they clearly can't fix it, request a refund and buy something else.

I picked up a MacBook Air 13" on Friday after Dell refunded my 14z purchase. I'm not really a big Apple fan but I just love the size and design of the machine. I am dual booting with Windows 7 and OSX.

Hi,

first of all I have a high opinion of you, because you make an effort to solve other person's problems.

Second, I think the Dell made two big mistakes and the market will punish the firm for it. The first mistake was the construction fault. The buyers want to use the laptop everywhere, not at home. The laptop wifi had to make contact the router - without extra conditional - and not the router. Therefore the laptop settings have to adapt itself to routers, independetly the types of them. Mention must be made that other constructers able to it. I think is a basic knowledge in this industry.

The secound mistakes is the communication. They should have to appologize for the problem and in the second issue they should have to solve it and they should have to call back to change wifi technoligie in the first issue laptops unless they not able to solve it thereby refresh the software.

Against the problem with wifi I like this computer, nice, strong and it would be the  competitor of Apple. Naturaly the wifi problem made a big handicap. Unfortunatelly this laptop wouldn't be really competitor.

Tell the true I have no chance to change it other computers. I had a possibility, only one, to buy laptop in Canada. This is an important information, because the price is too different in America compare it  with the hungarian price. This laptop price is started at 450.000 HUF (about 2.000 US dollar) against the canadian 1.000 dollars. I am not able to change it the other one. If I sent it to Canada and I got refund, it will be not enough to change it in Hungary. The simliar Apple started about 2.500 dollars. This is the effect of the VAT (value added tax - 27%) and other duty.

I try to solve this problem and I order a mini wireless adapter for 5 dollars. I think it would be better in built in, but the Dell  not able to this.

I am staying flustrated and furious.... and I will write my correct opinion on all forums  where I looked for information this laptop so as to other person will be well-informed before they buy 14z. (computer is good, wifi have problem)

PA

Terry,

I have the 14z and I've been working with Dell for over 5 months now on this problem and it still isn't fixed. Dell has replaced my hard drive twice, once by sending a tech out and once by having me send the laptop back, and the wireless card twice: still isn't fixed. Tech support has succeeded in fixing it twice, but then most of the software stopped working. When they got the software working again the wireless card slows down to useless. They have reimaged my hard drive twice: still isn't fixed. I have spent dozens and dozens of hours on the phone with tech support and IT STILL ISN'T FIXED. What can I do about this? a laptop that won't connect wirelessly is USELESS!!

Millerr5

Thanks for the update RJ

I am happy to read that wireless performance on your son's notebook is better and that the service seems to have helped.

TB

I have been following this thread and it suddenly ends when one person has a connection part replaced restoring it back to "fair" service.  Is everyone suddenly satisfied with their WiFI?  Has Dell contacted all the complainers and offered the fix?  If so, why have they not made comment?

Ken

We have two XPS 14Z's and funny enough I received a phone call from Dell yesterday asking about their performance. When I mentioned the wireless concerns, he said he would have a specialist contact me. I'll post here once I hear more.

I did receive a call from Dell tech support and they directed me to the following site: downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx. He instructed me to download and install the 15.1.1 driver and software. It is the "S" version. I told him that I already had that version installed and he stated that the software was also required as it had been modified to ensure correct settings on the wireless card. He also said that I would need to remove or roll back the 15.1.1 driver that was already installed.

The installation was uneventful and my connection appears stable. Although it will take more evaluation to determine how well this set up is, one positve thing I noticed immediately is that I have full bars on my connection icon for the first time at approximately 40' from my router. Previously it was two to three bars.

I will continue updates over the next couple of days.

Hi,

I tried to refresh my wireless card, but it told me I use the latest version.

If you want to solve this problem follow me and buy these items:

ogemraywireless.en.made-in-china.com/.../Sell-Mini-150Mbps-WiFi-USB-Adapter-Ralink-Rt5370-Chipset.html

or

TL-WN722N

It helps, but the dell not!