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Brand new Inspiron 5576 w/wifi issues- replacement card?
Just picked up an Inspiron 5576 gaming laptop a week ago. Was pulling my hair out thinking I had a router problem as I was getting great speed over a wired Ethernet line but terrible slowdowns over wifi. I tried rolling back/updating drivers, tried resetting the router, changing channels, etc. Our other devices were running normally, just the new laptop couldn't get over 3-4 mb/s download while everything else was testing at 45+ on a 50/50 network.
Anyway, found a cheap USB wifi dongle to test. Now it works normally, so it makes me think the actual card in the laptop is either bad or really poor reception. The upload speeds are normal, so maybe it's an antenna issue? Either way, since wifi cards are cheap, I was just going to replace it rather than send it in for service.
I've never replaced a wifi card... what's the best replacement that will fit my specific model? I think the current card is Qualcomm QCA9377.
Also, while I had the back panel open, I noticed I have an extra bay for a HDD. Will any 2.5 inch laptop drive work with this computer? Mine came with a 250gb SSD, would like a 2nd 500 gb drive for photo storage.
Saltgrass
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December 18th, 2017 11:00
My working theory is the factory installed a driver which was flawed but does not get replaced using the normal update process for drivers.
I would suggest before you look for a new wireless card that you open Programs and Features and delete any Killer Wireless utilities listed there. Then go into Device Manager and uninstall the device and check the box to uninstall all drivers.
It may be best to do this off line so have the new driver ready to install and then go offline while completing this process.
I installed the 1535 on one of my systems just to test. I liked it so much I left it on that system. Hopefully, the procedure above will help.
MaryolCWP
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December 20th, 2017 07:00
I am in the same boat as Dan333. Same computer and slow Internet less than 1 mbps on a network that should be getting 15mbps. My Inspiron 13z is able to get 14 Mbps both wirelessly and through a direct router connection. Dell did some remote work on the computer and now I get bet. 5 and 8 Mbps.
When I told the supervisor that my 13z was getting a much faster Internet connection he told me that the 13 z has a dual wireless card and the 5576 has a single one because it is a gaming laptop and a single wireless card is more stable. I am not a gamer but work with a lot of graphics with large files. Can anyone tell me if it's possible and if I should change to a dual wireless card?
Also, I did what you suggested but I have no idea what are Killer wireless utilities. Can you give me some examples? I don't want to uninstall something that is important.
BTW, I am upgrading to broadband which will have 50 mbps. I have to pay for the construction myself and I don't know when they are planning to begin construction as the snow is already here. I am hoping this will help but Dan333 didn't seem to get faster speeds with his 50 mbps.
Thank you for any help,
Maryol