XPS 8940, Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650i failure

Not sure why Dell would replaced the motherboard to fix Wi-Fi card.  Are you aware of the Wi-Fi module is replaceable?

@ScoobertSchuman  - When they replaced the motherboard, they probably didn't replace the add-in WiFi card.

Exactly what WiFi problems are you having? It won't connect at all, or loses the connection, especially when waking PC from sleep, or something else?

If it's just losing the connection, that could be a Windows Power plan settings issue which is easy to fix, so post the details of your problem.

You can also try this...

1. Power PC off and unplug power cord from rear of PC
2. Press/hold power button on PC for ~30 sec
3. Reconnect power cord to rear of PC
4. Boot up and test WiFi

If that doesn't help, open Device Manager and click View>Show hidden on the toolbar. Now look everywhere in Device Manager for any "Unknown" device(s). If you find any, right-click and Uninstall.

Then (without rebooting), click Action>Scan for hardware changes on Device Manager toolbar. Now see if WiFi is working.

I was not aware the integrated WiFi was easily replaceable, thanks.  No, Dell replaced the motherboard for issues with the integrated video.  So the replacement MB also had the WiFi fail after some months.

The WiFi on the replacement MB was working for several months after replacement.

The problem is that WiFi does not work at all.  I have to install a WiFi card in the Firewire slot in order to regain WiFi capability.

Device Manager sees the integrated controller; it merely continues to show that the device has failed, regardless of updating or rolling-back drivers, disabling/re-enabling the device, or re-starting. 

I have not tried your steps 1-4 above yet; I am away from the desktop.  I will try that however to your knowledge, will it correct the issue where Device Manager sees the device but reports that it stopped working?

@ScoobertSchuman  I still don't think you're clear on this issue.

The only "integrated controller" for connecting to the internet is the Killer Ethernet controller. It uses a hard-wired connection from rear of PC to your router.  If there's no cable connected from PC to the router, Device Manager might say the Killer Ethernet controller isn't working.

Killer Ethernet is not the same as the removable Killer 6 AX1650i WiFi and Bluetooth combo card, which plugs into the M.2 2230 slot on the motherboard.

When they swapped motherboards, they probably just removed the Killer WiFi card from the old motherboard and plugged it directly into the new motherboard. So if that WiFi card is defective, they just moved the problem from the old motherboard board to the new board.

Would be helpful if you post a picture of exactly what you're seeing in Device Manager, showing what you say isn't working.

BTW: Since Killer WiFi and Bluetooth are both on the same plug-in card, is Killer BT working on your PC?

What are you calling a Firewire slot? No such slot is listed in the specs for XPS 8940 motherboard.

NOTE: The Killer WiFi card may not work if you have two WiFi cards installed at same time because they can interfere with each other.

And one more thing. Click Start>Run>type in: services.msc and click OK. When services.msc opens, scroll down the list to find the Killer services. Double-click each one and set its Startup type to Disabled. Don't change anything else in services.msc. After all Killer services are disabled, reboot PC and test Killer WiFi again, without that "firewire" WiFi card installed.

Well, the integrated video is also built-in to the processor, not on the motherboard.  Dell tech probably replaced the board to fix whichever unknown issues to you.  But it did the job as you have used the system for some months now.

If the machine is still under warranty, open ticket again and they may replace the WiFi card for you.  If the machine is out of warranty and you plan to do the work yourself, for hardware, lets start with the WiFi card, as pictured in previous post.  Check both of the antenna leads for proper connection.  For software, check Device Manager for any drivers error.  Use Windows troubleshooting feature may resolve the issue as well. 

On a separate post, I think you were trying to say that you have added WiFi adapter on a PCIe slot, not Firewire.

@ScoobertSchuman 

Go to the Control Panel and look at the Network Connections:

I blocked out my SSID the Wifi is connected too. I do also have an Ethernet cable in the connector for it, hence the need to disable it.

You can also RMB on the Wi-Fi and get more details:

I has a lot of valuable info, and you can also Diagnose the card as well from there.

Of course, I assume the card IS enabled.

OK, not a "Firewire" slot; I installed the external WiFi card the PCIe x1 slot.  The errors I continually receive for the Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650i (WITHOUT the external WiFi card installed) are:  "Windows has stopped this device because it has reported problems (Code 43)" and, "This device cannot start. (Code 10)".

Code 43Code 10

Wondering if the card needs to be reseated on the motherboard?

If this is the 2nd motherboard, and the same Intel unit, it could be a seating problem?

@ScoobertSchuman  - Right-click and Uninstall the Killer WiFi card, including its software, in Device Manager.

Then click Action>Scan for hardware changes. See if that re-installs the Killer card and its drivers and it starts working again.

It's still possible the card has failed...

I had a similar problem with an Area-51. This is what resolved the problem for me. Download and run Killer Performance Suite 

Nope.  Here's what I get after trying that:

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@ScoobertSchuman wrote:

Nope.  Here's what I get after trying that:

 

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@ScoobertSchuman  - Not clear -to me- what you tried and got that result, uninstalling the WiFi as I suggested or by following the link that @ProfessorW00d posted.

Starting to think the WiFi card is dead and has to be removed/replaced.

Ron

I used your instructions to uninstall and those (posted) are the results from that.  I'm very confident the WiFi card is dead.  I'll just continue to use the add-in Wi-Fi card and stop worrying about Dell's device.

Thanks

While you could swap the Killer card to the PCIe adapter for testing, it seems like a good solution to leave it alone and use the add-on card instead.  Using the PCIe slot add-on Wi-Fi has these benefits:

• Already purchased, setup, and it's working.
• A Wi-Fi card with external antenna has better signals reception without chassis interference.
• You won't have to deal with Killer's performance problems as some users have had.