XPS 15 9560 - DA200 ethernet not working

Question

Hi, I have an XPS 15 and a DA200 adapter which I use from time to time for ethernet connection. It has always worked OK (last time I used was about six months ago) but today I have tried using ethernet port and it is not working. Other ports (USB, HDMI, ...) are working OK. When, in Windows 10, I go to device administrator, I see that Realtek USB FE Family Controller is not correctly recognized (it has like a yellow triangle icon with an exclamation mark). Any help on this would be much appreciated, thanks in advance!

Robert P (retired) · Answer

Hi jll999,

Thanks for posting. Apologies that your system is not performing as expected.

Have you been able to test another type of adapter? Is the ethernet cable working with other devices?

Have you been able to test the DA200 with another laptop?

USB Device Not Recognized

Support for Dell Adapter - USB-C to HDMI/VGA/Ethernet/USB 3.0 DA200

jll999 · Answer

Hi dell-robert p,

Thanks for your response. Regarding your questions:

I haven't tested another type of adapter, but this one has 4 ports and 3 of them are working, only the ethernet port does not work any more.

I have tested the ethernet cable with other devices and it is working properly.

I have tested the DA200 on another laptop (a Dell XPS 13) and it works perfectly.

Regarding the two links you sent me:

- I have tried all the options explained in the 'USB not recognized' video but none of them worked

- I have searched for drivers in the 'Support...' link but there are no drivers for Windows 10 (my OS), only for Windows 7 and Windows 8

Robert P (retired) · Answer

Perhaps a recent Microsoft update has caused this to happen?  If you aren't able to downgrade your version of Windows 10, perhaps waiting for a new driver to come out if one does, might be an option?

superbeluga · Answer

Hello,

I have a vostro 7590 with a DA 200 adapter and I have the exact same problem.

It already happened two times to me.

The first time, I did not find any solution and thought it may come of something that has broken... So I went back to factory state on the computer and after reinstalling everything, the adapter worked fine again.

Tonight, it broke again.

I was on linux a few minutes ago (it was working), restarted the laptop, chose windows and the adapter does not work not.

It already stopped working the first time it broke after the exact same process : be on linux then restart on windows(without stopping the computer, but using restart)

I'll try to find something but for the moment, only my poor wifi connection is working (on windows, network manager stays in state "unidentified network - no internet access")

MaGl · Answer

@superbeluga, I am having a quite similar problem with my new Latitude 7300, though the opposite when it comes to operating systems.

My DA200 seems to be working with Windows 10 (no driver needed), although I haven't tested it for several hours/days as probably needed.

However, I am mainly a Linux user. I couldn't get the Ethernet of the DA200 to work with Ubuntu 19.10. I tested my laptop in two different places (two completely different wired networks).

I also tried another Ethernet adapter (non-Dell, but internally interestingly also a Realtek 8153 GBe controller) at the TB/USB-C port which actually worked with Linux. The WiFi works as usual, it is internal, just to rule out other OS-related networking problems.

Consequently, either the current Linux driver (kernel 5, module r8152) or the DA200 HW/firmware are having troubles. I have already updated to the most recent Thunderbolt 3 firmware and have applied "urgent" firmware updates, Dell was recommending. I will however also try these hints: https://appuals.com/ethernet-not-working-when-connected-to-docking-station-dell/ They are only for windows but might have an effect.

MaGl · Answer

Answering myself: Alright, I found the problem for me: ONLY UNDER LINUX (in my case Ubuntu 19.10), I have to switch off Bluetooth and the Ethernet adapter (DA200) is working properly, even with USB and HDMI ports used.

A minor downside: Plugging in and out the adapter from the TB3 port requires (maybe always) a suspend/resume to refresh the HW (I suppose) and to re-establish the wired Ethernet connection. I didn't need to cold restart.

In summary, Windows 10 gets around that problem with that HW combination, but Linux requires a bit more care in how many wireless features one uses simultaneously.

XPS

XPS 15 9560 - DA200 ethernet not working

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