Dell Inspiron 15 7000 WiFi card upgrade

dannycivic02 · 17 Nov 2017 at 09:18

Hi wondering if some could point me in the right direction on a WiFi card upgrade for my laptop I’m not quite up to speed with all the letters and speeds associated with them I just know the one I have is slow and I have pretty quick internet.

The one I currently have is this

Model 3165 ngw

Many thanks

ChrisD. · 17 Nov 2017 at 09:29

Wifi slow on other devices or just the laptop?

dannycivic02 · 17 Nov 2017 at 10:16

ChrisD. said:
Wifi slow on other devices or just the laptop?

It’s just the laptop it’s not slow on Ethernet it’s 200mbs but WiFi is only max 50mbs on speed test I’m not expecting Ethernet speeds but would like to get more than I’m getting.

bremen1874 · 17 Nov 2017 at 10:29

What’s it connecting to?

Do you have other wireless devices that manage to connect at higher speeds?

There’s no point upgrading the card if it’s the router/access point at fault.

Orcvader · 17 Nov 2017 at 10:55

As above, do other wireless devices, preferably in the same spot as the laptop, get higher speeds?

A quick look seems to show you already have an Intel AC adapter, which should be pretty decent. What router is it and what speeds do you get if you was right next to it?

dannycivic02 · 17 Nov 2017 at 11:16

I have a virgin super hub 3 it’s connected to so it’s probably not worth upgrading from AC. I don’t really have any newer wireless devices that are better than my laptop. Perhaps there is something I can do in the router to give it more juice?

Orcvader · 17 Nov 2017 at 13:35

That really depends on the frequency the laptop is connected to. If you're far away and/or there's a thick wall between the laptop and router, it can significantly lower your speed if you're connected to the 5GHz band. Moving to 2.4GHz can help as it has better penetration power. This was also why I suggested testing the WiFi when the laptop is right next to the router, in case it's your environment causing the issue.

dannycivic02 · 17 Nov 2017 at 17:01

Orcvader said:
That really depends on the frequency the laptop is connected to. If you're far away and/or there's a thick wall between the laptop and router, it can significantly lower your speed if you're connected to the 5GHz band. Moving to 2.4GHz can help as it has better penetration power. This was also why I suggested testing the WiFi when the laptop is right next to the router, in case it's your environment causing the issue.

That's solved it thanks Orcvader next to the router I am getting the same as wired must be the walls. Right next question does anyone know which RSJs are best to use when knocking walls down lol!

Sparx · 17 Nov 2017 at 21:00

What mobile phone do you have? Can you speed test that in the place you was trying the laptop?

Curious as having a more powerful wifi card, could still obtain a stronger signal at a further distance, to achieve the speeds you're after.