Dell Pro 14 Plus PB14255 Wireless Radio Control Prevents Wi‑Fi Reconnection After Docking Station Disconnection

When the Wireless Radio Control setting is enabled in the BIOS, the system automatically disables Wi-Fi (WLAN) upon connecting to a docking station that has a wired (RJ45) Ethernet port. After disconnecting the docking station, Wi-Fi does not automatically reenable. To restore Wi-Fi, you must either disable Wireless Radio Control in the BIOS or fully power off the system (with the AC adapter or dock disconnected) and wait before powering it back on.

Affected Systems:

• Dell Pro 14 Plus PB14255

When the docking station is disconnected, the system's internal controller does not correctly detect that the wired Ethernet cable has been removed. Because no change in connection status is detected, the system does not send a signal to reenable Wi-Fi, leaving the wireless radio in a disabled state.

Workaround:
Disable the Wireless Radio Control setting in the BIOS to prevent the system from automatically managing the wireless radio based on wired network connections:

1. Restart the computer.
2. Press F2 repeatedly during startup to enter the BIOS Setup menu.
3. Navigate to Connection > Wireless Radio Control.
4. Set Control WLAN radio to OFF.
5. Click Apply Changes, then exit the BIOS.
6. The system restarts. Wi-Fi should now remain available regardless of docking station connection status.

Long-Term Solution:
The engineering department is working on a fix to be released in a new BIOS version. The updated BIOS is posted to the computer's support page once it is made available. The new BIOS version is expected to be released on August 12, 2026 (subject to change.)

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