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XPS 8700, slow WiFi?
Probably for those based in the UK, am having major problems with the speed of WiFi following a house move. Previous house has BT broadband Fibre, had the master socket and hub in the same room and connected the XPS 8700 running Windows 10 to the hub using an ethernet cable. Limit of speed was about 30Mbps and reliable. Moved house and due to layout, master socket in living room on floor, home office on another floor. Too far away to connect via cable. So used WiFi. the XPS 8700 had a Broadcom manufactured wireless card fitted. However the speed. Using my phone and ipad and a speedchecker the signal in the house is running at around 60Mbps from the fibre broadband. However the same speed checker indicates max speed on the XPS is around 15Mbps. Appears the signal is strong throughout the house, but the XPS 8700 for some reason cant read it that quickly so might be a hardware issue or setting. I am losing my mind here, any help would be much appreciated.
RoHe
10 Elder
10 Elder
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43.5K Posts
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June 11th, 2018 15:00
Are you comparing apples to apples? (Can I say "apple" here? :Wink: )
What 802.11 version of WiFi are these devices using and at what GHz bandwidth?
Without knowing your specific WiFi specs, I suspect the PC may be using 802.11 "n" on 2.4 GHz, while your phone and iPad may be using the newer and much faster 802.11 "ac" on 5 GHz.
If your PC is using "n" on 2.4 GHz, you can try changing the 2.4 GHz channel your router uses to one that's less crowded to see if that speeds things up. Check your router's setup guide to select a different channel and configure your PC for that new channel.
And you could update to an 802.11 ac WiFi card (or USB dongle) for the PC if you have an "n" card now and need faster speed.
EDIT: Caveat, I did assume your have a dual-band router...
DELL-Chris M
Community Manager
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54.2K Posts
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June 11th, 2018 17:00
The DW (Dell Wireless) 1704 uses the Broadcom BCM43142 solution which is Single band 2.4GHz. You will have to remove it and purchase/install one of the others below that offer Dual band.
FXP0D DW (Dell Wireless) 1703 WLAN/WiFi/BT/Single band 2.4GHz
R4GW0 DW (Dell Wireless) 1704 WLAN/WiFi/BT/Single band 2.4GHz
5K9GJ Intel Link 6235 WLAN/WiFi/BT/Dual band 2.4GHz+5.0GHz
3578W Intel Link 7260 WLAN/WiFi/BT/Dual band 2.4GHz+5.0GHz
NMTXR Intel Link 7260 WLAN/WiFi/BT/Dual band 2.4GHz+5.0GHz
8TF1D Intel Link 7260 Pro WLAN/WiFi/BT/Dual band 2.4GHz+5.0GHz
sspatel
2 Posts
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July 5th, 2018 11:00
With the stock XPS 8700 DW 1704 - can this be upgraded to the Intel 9560 Wireless card? Does half-height or regular height matter? And finally do I need the PCIE or M2 CNVIo type of connection? Thank you!
Demoralized
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September 20th, 2018 15:00
Hi RoHe, I have been where you are for 3 years now. Tech Support is supposed to check the specs of your equipment, but they didn't until yesterday, and when I spotted that the card was 2.4 GH, they tried to dodge. So, next time you call require them to show you the specs page for the card (I think you can get there through devices, but forcing them to can lead to an interesting conversation). Good luck. As Dell would say "We apologize for any inconvenience this caused you."
Demoralized
8 Posts
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September 20th, 2018 15:00
Ahh, I finally am able to say something. This is a confusing forum. But to you, I would say, I am a Dell customer that is currently dealing with Dell on slow internet speed. By currently I mean that for three years nobody at Tech Support looked at the speed of the internet card my 4 GH, 2 TB hard drive, XPS shipped with. After being told that it was 5 GH, yesterday a page came up during Tech Support that showed it was 2.4. When I spotted it and asked about it Tech Support tried to ignore me. So, check the speed of your card. I am currently going through the endless chain of platitude givers ("We are so sorry your computer didn't work for 3 years, but what's done is done.") Thus, my nick name, which stands for the impact of Dell Tech Support and its command chain and one of the many emotions it brings out in me. I hope that you actually have a 5GH card and that the issue can be resolved.
Tesla1856
8 Wizard
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17K Posts
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September 20th, 2018 17:00
I can't help with free WiFi cards (that only cost $25 here in the USA, BTW) but since you have a desktop, I suggest you use a real ethernet wire. I do and it's great.
5ghz might potentially have higher speeds, but since it has less range than 2.4ghz, I often use 2.4ghz instead on my laptop and iPads. Less range, equals less signal, equals slower "held connection speed", equals less data transferred.
RoHe
10 Elder
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September 20th, 2018 18:00
The speed of your WiFi card should be listed on Dell's Support site, if you put in your Service Tag and then follow the link to System Configuration to see what hardware your PC has. :Wink:
Ryan429
14 Posts
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January 15th, 2021 15:00
Hey is this still a relevant solution? Noticed my Dell laptop gets speeds well over 170mbps while my desktop which is from 2014 won't even break 100mbps while in the same general area. Is it because my desktop has that signal band wifi card? Would swapping it out with the later cards boost my speeds to match my laptop?
speedstep
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47K Posts
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January 15th, 2021 16:00
dual band devices require an 802.11AC router.
USB wifi is fast and cheap
https://www.amazon.com/EDUP-Bluetooth-Adapter-600Mbps-Wireless/dp/B086Y77FM5
the router can be hooked to the ethernet port for your existing router.
https://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-Nighthawk-Tri-band-Ethernet-Compatible/dp/B072LZZZXB
Those are fast but not cheap