Cant connect to specific wifi networks

Question

My Dell can't connect to any of the Wi-Fi networks at work  but has no issues with any others (my cell phone hot-spot, home network, or networks at coffee shops) even though the Wi-Fi network is full strength signal. When I hit connect, it spends a few seconds trying before minimizing the Wi-Fi list (in the bottom right corner). While it's minimized, the wireless adapter switches itself off momentarily. After it switches back on, the Wi-Fi list expands again and then says that it can't connect to the network. I've tried everything I can find online: the drivers are up to date, I've reset the network adapter, I've switched off the IP 6 protocol, etc. When I run troubleshoot it tells me that it can't connect to the router or access point. How can I resolve this?

otztal · Accepted Answer

My dell has Killer Wireless-n/a/ac 1535 Wireless Network Adapter. I use Google Wifi as router.

I set the followings in the Network Adapter settings, and it seems to work. Go to Killer Wireless adapter Properties. Then, go to the "Advanced" tab.

In "Dynamic MIMO Power Save", I chose "Enable"

In "Preferred Band", I chose "3 - Prefer 5Ghz Band"

In "Wireless Mode", I chose "07 - 11 a/n"

With these 3 settings, I can keep the network connection alive. I use to connect to same router for 1 minute and it will disconnect. It is working so far, and still working after I restarted my laptop. I hope this will continue to work.

Hope it will help you.

DELL-Jesse L · Answer

Emijune, Click the link below for possible resolutions. Fix: Windows 10 Can’t Connect To This Network

Emijune · Answer

I already have spoken with them and it is not due to any additional company imposed requirements to hook up to the network. Furthermore, this has happened on a few other Wi-Fi networks I've tried connecting to in the past at coffee shops, etc. Lastly, this exact issue has been posted to the Dell community forum several times so it is a recurrent issue on Dell computers, and it seems especially common on laptops with the Killer wireless card which are known to cause issues. Do you have any suggestions on how to fix this issue? I had already tried all of the methods in the link you sent prior to posting to Dell.

jphughan · Answer

If you suspect the Killer wireless card, you could test with another WiFi card, either a USB version or an internally installed card to replace the Killer unit.  Either is fine for testing purposes, but if you decide to switch permanently, the internal card will obviously be more convenient and all else being equal will also perform better since it will have access to longer antennas embedded in the display, whereas the USB option makes you choose between versions that are dongle-type devices that contain tiny antennas or versions that connect to a separate antenna array for better performance at the cost of portability.  Obviously swapping hardware shouldn't be necessary to get onto WiFi, but a top-end Intel WiFi internal card is about $35 and takes minutes to install, just in case you might prefer that option over continuing to deal with this problem.  I can't make a specific product recommendation though because you didn't mention which specific Dell laptop you have, which means I don't know what kind of slot your system uses.  There's also a chance that your WiFi chip is embedded onto the motherboard, in which case you can't upgrade, but that's very rare as of this writing.

ejn63 · Answer

If you have SmartByte installed, try getting rid of it -- it may solve the problem. https://www.dell.com/community/Inspiron/DELL-Inspiron-15-5570-WIFI-VERY-SLOW-Frustrating/td-p/5848156/page/2

Zizou291 · Answer

Did you ever fix this issue? I'm facing this since the last driver update, and not working anymore for certain networks. I have alrady tried reinstalling drivers, previous versions, different modes as suggested in this thread... But nothing seems to work.

otztal · Answer

You may want to check your modem to see what it is speed. I have this problem when I take my laptop to Asia or Europe and connect to the modem there. I have to change the settings to adjust to the modem.

If your symptom happens on some modems but not on others, it's likely related to problems with the settings.

XPS

Cant connect to specific wifi networks

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