Little or no connectivity

but if it connects when very close to the router do you think its still the card or would it be something else? Is there something I could do in his office/home?

 

I just did that and still there is little to no connectivity in his office. Is there something else that I can do?

I suggest you call Dell Tech Support.  If it is a faulty wireless adapter, only Tech Support can provide a replacement.

 

Steve

Check to make sure the wireless network adapter is well-seated in the slot and that antenna wires are firmly connected to the wireless adapter.  Sometimes these things work loose during shipping.  See the following:

 

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/vos1500/en/sm/minicard.htm#wp1180289

 

Steve

The prob is not solved! I hit the button by accident...

I gotta go for the weekend...pickup Monday?

 

Jess

Check and make sure power management is disabled on the wireless card.  I've seen that drastically reduce the range it can connect at.  Device Manager, right-click the wireless card > properties > Advanced tab.

 

As Volcano11 mentioned, what the radio signal has to travel through/around plays a big part in how far you can connect.  Does the computer connect in his office if he has the door open? ;)

The condo could be a completely separate problem since we don't know whether or not things like whether or no wireless security is enabled on the router, whether or not MAC Address filtering is enabled on the router, or whether or not the router is broadcasting its SSID, etc.  If any of these are enabled and the router or wireless adapter has not been set up to conform, then that might explain why he can't connect at home.  There may be two separate issues here, and in order to avoid confusion, it is best to work only one at a time.

 

Steve

Wireless range is about 300 feet under ideal line of sight conditions.  If there are walls, floors, ceilings, windows, etc. between the router and the computer this distance is reduced.  By how much it is reduced depends on the physical properties of the walls, floors, ceilings, etc.  Without knowing any of these and without knowing the distance, I really can't answer the question.   Inside my house with wall board walls on wood studs, the range is well over 50 feet and I can connect outside if I am withing about 35 feet of the brick exterior walls.   

 

Steve

hmmm...well there is definately walls etc at the office that would hinder optimal connectivity. Is there some type of adapter that can be put in the office? At his house, on the other hand, there is not much blocking...it's a condo and not very big. His wife connects with no problem (Inspiron..). He has yet to use the internet on his computer at home.

good idea! ok...so definately the office is the most important issue:smileywink:. I am attempting the power management suggestion but am not sure how to disable it.

 

by the way thanks for all your help!

 

-j

 

i am there...but i don't see how to disable Power Management. I have the option to choose between lowest and highest...what is the best option?

I'm not sure which wireless card the system has, but I checked the settings on my system (D630 with a Dell Wireless 1490 card) and there is an option for "Minimum Power Consumption".  If that (or a similarly labeled entry for the Intel card) is enabled, it cuts power to the card to reduce battery use but also reduces range by roughly an equal amount.

 

Looking at the settings, you might also want to play with the "Antenna Diversity" settings (mine shows Auto, Aux and Main as the options).  I've seen changing that help as well.

 

Unfortunately, it is possible that Steve is correct and the card just needs to be replaced.  If that is the case you (or your boss) will need to contact tech support, explain what the problem is and the troubleshooting you've already done.

I actually found it! But it still seems that there is no connection in his office. Something has got to give...should I just check with Dell to see about replacing the card?

Hey Larry..

How can I adjust the setting for the card? I checked in device management but really did not se ewhat you were referring to...

 

Thanks!

 

-j