Wireless issues on Dell Latitude E7240 laptops

Ah yes, the Dell 1500 wireless card family.  If you get a limited connection then that means a few things but conclusively it means the device needs to get a different MAC address.  Most users can change it in the device manager.  It happens commonly with public wifi points and I know that wireless adapter does not have the network location input option in the device drivers.  Try this application if you cannot change the network location.  I am not sure if it works one hundred percent of the time too.  It was called MAC spoofing but do not care about it.  It really is not HACKING.  It is an option that is supposed to be in every laptop because of exposure to public routing.

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 Technitium MAC Address Changer
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Version: 6.0.5
Programmer: Shreyas Zare
System Requirments: Windows 2000/XP/Server 2003/Vista/Server 2008/7/Server 2008 R2/8/Server 2012
Release Date: 20 Oct 2013
Cost: FREEWARE

Technitium MAC Address Changer allows you to change Media Access Control (MAC) Address of your Network Interface Card (NIC) irrespective to your NIC manufacturer or its driver. It has a very simple user interface and provides ample information regarding each NIC in the machine. Every NIC has a MAC address hard coded in its circuit by the manufacturer. This hard coded MAC address is used by windows drivers to access Ethernet Network (LAN). This tool can set a new MAC address to your NIC, bypassing the original hard coded MAC address. Technitium MAC Address Changer is a must tool in every security professionals tool box.

There are some famous, commercial tools available in the market for US$19.99 to as much as US$2499!, but Technitium MAC Address Changer is available for FREE. We don't charge for just changing a registry value! Also knowing how this works doesn't require extensive research as some commercial tool providers claim! Read how it works (below) for more details.

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 FEATURES
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+= Internet Protocol v6 (IPv6) support added.

+= Works on Windows 7 and Windows 8 for both 32-bit and 64-bit.

+= Automatic Update feature added to update software to latest available version.

+= Update network card vendors list feature allows you to download latest vendor data (OUI) from IEEE.org.

+= Enhanced network configuration presets with IPv6 support allow you to quickly switch between network configurations.

+= Command line options with entire software functionality available. You can select a preset from specified preset file to apply directly.

+= Issues in previous version ironed out.

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 How Does It Work ?
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This software just writes a value into the windows registry. When the Network Adapter Device is enabled, windows searches for the registry value 'NetworkAddress' in the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E972-E325-11CE-BFC1- 08002bE10318}\[ID of NIC e.g. 0001]. If a value is present, windows will use it as MAC address, if not, windows will use the hard coded manufacturer provided MAC address. Some Network Adapter drivers have this facility built-in. It can be found in the Advance settings tab in the Network Adapter's Device properties in Windows Device Manager.

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 How To Change MAC Address
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1. Starting MAC address changer will list all available network adapters.

2. Select the adapter you want to change the MAC address. You will get the details of your selection below.

3. In the Information tab, find the Change MAC Address frame. Enter new MAC address in the field and click Change Now! button. You may even click Random MAC Address button to fill up a randomly selected MAC address from the vendor list available.

4. To restore the original MAC address of the network adapter, select the adapter, click Restore Original button in the Change MAC Address frame.

NOTE: This tool cannot change MAC address of Microsoft Network Bridge. Network Bridge will automatically use the original MAC address of the first NIC added into bridge with the first octet of MAC address set to 0x02.

Send your feedback to support@technitium.com

Shreyas Zare
Co-Founder, Technitium

..:: ::..
Visit us at www.technitium.com

If you get a limited connection then that means a few things but conclusively it means the device needs to get a different MAC address.  Most users can change it in the device manager.  It happens commonly with public wifi points and I know that wireless adapter does not have the network location input option in the device drivers.

I am not entirely convinced that the issue could be related to the MAC address. All network interface cards, whether they are wired or wireless, are "supposed" to be given unique addresses by the manufacturer. I know that it's certainly possible that a MAC address is reused, and I have heard it happen before due to lazy manufacturers, but this is not the case on my network.

Our network is private (no public Wifi). Also, I can see that we do not have any duplicate MAC addresses on the network via our systems management software.

That being said, why would changing a MAC address, of which is already unique, be beneficial in correcting the connections issues I've been facing? I mean, I could understand IF I had an issue with duplicate MAC's, but that's just not the case here.

Greetings Jyergo,

Thank you for posting your question on the Dell Community.

I didn’t find a solution on this just yet. However, I have a few questions that may help put us on the right path.

- Do this for me: Cold boot, log in, get the ‘limited or no connectivity’ error. While you see that status, click the wireless icon at the bottom of the task bar then manually disconnect from the wireless network then try to connect. Tell me the results.

- Does the same issue happen in safe mode with networking?

- Would you be able to try a standalone router of a different brand? Or maybe try to duplicate the issue at a coffee shop or home WIFI?

- Does the issue happen only on cold boot? Or does it happen on reboots as well?

- Is there a firmware update for your router?

Hello,

We  have the same issue. We called to the Dell pro support and they ask us to do some changes on the device manager (Wireless card) settings. We did that and still issue is ongoing.

Thanks,

D.

We've been having the same issue on our E7 series. The laptops show connected and aren't getting an IP address. Older Dell's have no issue connecting to our private wi-fi network. Even the D-series and E4300's E4310's, E5400's can connect without issues. Just the E-series 7240's and the 7440's have issues.

I'd love an explanation for how to correct this issue. Tried the wi-fi access points and resetting them to no avail. It's just particular series is not able to join our wi-fi network even though they say connected they never get a valid IP address.

I am having a similar issue.  All other devices connect except for one Chinese made micro computer.  I can see the MAC address connected to the SonicWall but it isn't getting an IP.  I have success connecting the device to a small AP that I use for testing.  The computer uses a Brodcom 802.11abgn Wireless device, I continue to test both the computer and the SonicWall.

Again, I can see the device connected and the MAC showing on the SonicWall, it's just not getting an IP.

UPDATE:  I believe I solved my issue, in the Advanced settings of the security tab I turned on FIPS and the device connected without issue.  I rebooted for good measure and everything is still working fine.

Wi-Fi Status > Wireless Properties > Security > Advanced Settings.

This was in Windows 8.1 BTW.