XPS 15 (L521X) Owner's Lounge

What WiFi dongle are you talking about? I've been using a Verizon 4G USB modem since I bought the laptop about a month ago.

 

Thank you very much for putting it into the list! I'm happy now that I know that there will be an official confirmation/denial about this

Sent from HTC HD2 with Tapatalk

 

Ok, I received my XPS 15 a couple days ago and notice 3 dead pixels, all near each other in the center of the screen. Very annoying for a brand new laptop. I used several programs for unsticking pixels to no avail. So I call tech support and start getting the run around of "up to 6 dead pixels is within specs" !!! its brand new!! So after several minutes arguing with tech support, he finally offered to replace the LCD, ok great, but why do I have to fight so hard to get something fixed, and if "up to 6 dead pixels" is indeed the policy, then that needs to be looked at. I think I might have the WiFi problem also but I haven't tested it enough yet.

 

Update:

All USB adapter requests have been read. Most have been dispatched. The ones that have not been dispatched yet include those that needed some back-end process adjustments (warranty contract not showing, so it has to be manually added before a dispatch can go), or the ones submitted that did not include a service tag. We need a service tag, your name, ship-to address, email address and daytime contact number in order to dispatch parts.

Before sending a second PM, please check your original PM to ensure it has the information we need to dispatch. If you are not sure, just PM Lorna and ask for a status check if you don't receive it by the end of this week.

The PM requests for returns are being worked individually by Lorna and will each receive a response with the needed details.

 

Then you are one of the lucky ones that do not have problem with the WIFI.

 

Bill, thats nice to know. She still hasn't contacted me so I sent her another Pm.

Mine has the issue, but it isn't as pronouced as you guys make it be. I can't signal in part of my house anymore where I use too with my Macs and other devices.

But the MBP's aren't any better than this laptop as they had issues too.

 

They sent me the dongle ( Cisco/Linksys N).
1-No problem with bluetooth.
2-Preformance: not great. Poor stop-gap solution.
You have to disable the centerino for the dongle to work.

 

Hello all first post here. Been reading this thread and a few others on NBR for a while now and despite the issues I ordered one. Got it a little over a week ago and of course have the wifi issue. For the most part I absolutely love it but the wireless is disappointing. Luckily I had an old Linksys ethernet bridge that i now have under my desk but will obviously not accept this as a permanent fix. After talking to tech a few times (was mysteriously disconnected...) the conclusion the tech came to was that if I was 15 ft or more away I should not expect good wireless performance and it pretty much wasnt there problem. I then told him how ridiculous this was and he finally told me his XPS supervisor would call me within 24 hours so I guess I'll see how that goes but I can't say I am very optimistic. No matter how many times I tried to tell him it was a known issue and where to look (NBR) he continued to tell me that he found no such issue among his "resources". Besides that I was wondering if anyone else's got pretty warm and sometimes hot around the power button even when it is just sitting idle or during light browsing?

 

Hello, I just wanted to report that after many phone calls I was able to get a service tech to come out and replace my screen and wifi card ( replaced with Dell wireless 1901). Before the fix I was experiencing horrible wireless speeds, .5 down, and my screen had the grid effect. After the fix i now get perfect wifi connectivity, 10 down in the same location (what I should be getting) and the grid pattern has greatly been reduced. I hope you all have the same luck!

 

I had the same work performed on mine with no improvement. They are coming back to try another screen replacement though so we will see

 

New XPS 15 User. I7 processor , 16GB , 1TB /128GB mSATA Harddrive configuration. Somehow Dell Managed to ship it with DVD Drive instead of Standard Blu-Ray. I called Dell Customer Support, They said they have few system shipped with DVD-Drive. However for the configuration I picked, I didn't even had an option to choose one. I am not going to use lot of BR Disc, but Contacting Dell Support is more painful than NOT having a BR Drive.
I do have Wi-Fi Issue. Luckily no Grid issue so far. Called Tech Support for Wi-Fi, They updated the driver, restarted my box. The solution they have now is Re-installing Windows .

 

May I ask what Internet Security program you are using? I have the wireless issue as well, however, when I switched from the Dell Mcafee trial to my Comcast (free) Norton Internet Security my disconnects diminished somewhat and my speed increased. It's not where it should be, I don't have the range, but the frustration index is greatly diminished.

 

So after reading your post abut the BD. I figured maybe I should test mine since I haven't used it yet . So I popped in the BD Avatar . All I can say is damn. The picture is incredible. It's almost better than my 37" Sharp LCD.

 

I am using MS Security Essentials

 

Here we go again: The Fan....
I had the problem with the XPS 15z. I have the XPS 15 now for a week with no fan noise at all until yesterday when I decided to update the drivers using the Dell Support Center automated update. There were 17 update, mind you the fact this s one week old machine. The update included Bios A06. As the updates completed, all hell broke loose! The fan was running like a microwave oven! I reinstalled A04 (thanks to the member who linked to it on this posting) and the noise decreased but the fan remains running all the time with unbearable noise from the booting of the system in stand-by situation with no applications running.
To the phone again to call tech support....
I am close to giving up and asking for return....
What is the name of the lady who is in charge of the returns on this site and what is her e-mail?
Thanks.

 

This is not a fix - it's a mere patch. You loose all that WiDi(Intel Wireless Display) functionality that original card was capable of and Bluetooth.
Please do not confuse all people already confused by Dell that not all systems are affected or some quick fix a'la screen, antenna or card swap will help the issue - this is not a fix!

 

So, I've tried searching around a bit and haven't found a satisfactory answer to this, probably a stupid question anyway. Where can I get an extra power adapter for my new xps, and will any of the third party (Igo, Targus, etc.) AC/DC models work? I thought I had read something about these laptops not charging properly with aftermarket adapters but can't seem to find that comment again and don't want to drop close to $100 on a charger for it not to work.

 

There's probably a 3rd party one out there, but I don't know. It's likely that the new xps 15 uses the same connector/brick as an older model but again, I don't know.

However, Dell lists these two power accessories for the machine ("only" 66 for the stock brick):

Power : Computer Components | Dell

 

I added the additional power adapter in the XPS order: 50€ (approx 60$).
The adapter is a DELL standard one (the one with the blue led on the jack). If you're interested I can give you the serial when I'll be back home.

 

At work, I'm just using the adapter that came with my previous laptop, a Dell Studio. Works fine.

Looks like that's this one (a 90 watt adapter): Dell 90-Watt 3 Prong Slim AC Adapter with 6.56 ft Power Cord for Select Dell Alienware / Inspiron / Studio / Vostro / XPS / Latitude / Precision Laptop Systems : Laptop Accessories | Dell

This one should also work I guess (a 130 watt adapter): Dell 130-Watt 3-Prong AC Adapter with 6.56 ft Power Cord for Select Dell Inspiron / Latitude / Studio / Vostro / XPS Laptops / Precision Mobile WorkStations : Laptop Accessories | Dell

 

You can buy one off ebay, thats where I got the replacement AC adapter for my laptop, it was $30 bucks and it works great. You just need to hunt around and make sure you are getting a genuine DELL branded adapter, not a unnamed 3rd party one that just says "replacement AC Adapter" on it.

 

Ok i have now noticed 2 more issues with the laptop. thats not including the wifi or the throttling problem, still cant play GTA4 on max graphics, without getting lag. Anyway, I have noticed that at the very bottom left of the screen the is almost constant discoloration going on whilest the laptop is being held or just being moved along the table. It almost like theres some sort of pressure bahind the screen that is very sensitive, not sure if anybody else has this issue or not. and then in addition to that i noticed that from aplying a bit of pressure just below the mousepad or just to the left of it, the speakers stop working. Maybe theres a loose connector or something. Im just wondering if anybody else has these issues?

 

The speakers connect beneath the touchpad (forward-edge-ish, near the keyboard, not the other side though), but I suppose if something had wiggled loose it could be an issue.

The connector is just one of those ribbon-cables-stuck-in-a-latch assemblies.

See pp48 of the owner's manual.

It would necessitate taking the bottom off and probably the battery out to re-seat the cable. Like a 5 minute job if you have the two screwdrivers that are necessary.

 

I do not have discoloration issue, just liquid moving inside of it called "pooling effect/defect", before was in the middle of the screen, the, the changed one, is above the start icon along the edge of the screen, when I shake it a bit it is more noticeable. Is normal if put pressure on it but under normal use should not happen. It is factory fault; the things behind the LCD are not properly arranged.
These LCDs are not made manually, I think are built under some pressure therefore these small imperfections.

 

I received my Netgear dongle from Lorna today. Yay I have WiFi!

 

Do we have a seperate thread for the USB Wi-FI request ? Or Do we need to PM Lorna ?

 

No separate thread, search back from a post or few ago from Dell_Bill-B who provide the spec's on the info you need to send to Lorna to make the request.

 

Dell sent me this part: FA90PE1-00

 

Hello everyone,

Our team is currently working on processing the XPS USB Adapter requests. Please check your email or spam folder for an automated notification regarding your order #. If you did not provide your email address, please forward that and I will send the order information as quickly as possible. Thank you all for your patience in this matter. Please feel free to contact me if you have any other questions or concerns. I will reply on a first in first out basis.

Thank you,
Dell-LornaM

 

I see the order on my account - it shows "In Production"

 

I have been following this thread for some time now, and I really want to get the l521x.

However after seeing the issues with the wifi, and now a screen issue, I don't know if I should wait or if I should just order anyway.

 

Bill said he will have news about the screen in a couple of days, and they're working on a wifi fix... If you don't need a laptop immediately you may want to wait a couple of weeks and see what happens

Sent from HTC HD2 with Tapatalk

 

Hi Schleif,

IP means the order is In Production. Orders usually ship within 24-48 hours. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks,
Dell-LornaM

 

It may actually be THE fix, but we won't know for sure just yet. If you look at what happened in his case, 2 variables possibly affecting the symptoms were changed in one shot. To know which one happened to have resolved, you'd have to swap one of the 2 parts back in. In this case, I'd be curious to know what happens if he puts the Intel card back in. Perhaps we can get Lorna to send him the Intel card back to try himself? I think it's easy to replace.

You need a screen swap, I'm guessing. The bolded part is most interesting. Anyone else able to replicate? I'll try on mine at home in a bit.

 

By being processed do you mean processing the requests to give out order numbers or processed such as being in production waiting to be shipped?

I just asked because I have not received an email so just want to make sure I'm not out of the loop.

 

If you haven't received the email yet, might want to check your original PM to Lorna to make sure you got all the requested info included.

I know they were dealing with like 3 that needed a little extra attention on our side because the warranty contracts had to be manually added to the service tag from the original order. If that's the case, I'm guessing you should see the email later today. Just a guess. Also, don't forget to check your spam folder.

 

Sounds like that could be me since I had the system swapped because of a screen alignment issue. Thanks for the updates!

 

pssst....

I'll just leave this here and wait for a new speculation thread to pop up this weekend...

https://plus.google.com/+Dell/posts/PqV6WcZJGoh

 

Mine showed in production this morning and when i left my house it was sitting at my front door

 

Yeah, swapping the wlan card is almost trivial (bottom off, battery disconnect, swap card, reconnect battery, bottom on). Would take little time.

Would make sense to me that a re-engineered lid assembly would be required to fix the wifi performance.

 

Would be nice to see L531x with fixed WiFi and better screen

 

Hi Elands,
" Re: XPS 15 (L521X) Owner's Lounge
Originally Posted by Dell-LornaM
Hello everyone,

Our team is currently working on processing the XPS USB Adapter requests. Please check your email or spam folder for an automated notification regarding your order #. If you did not provide your email address, please forward that and I will send the order information as quickly as possible. Thank you all for your patience in this matter. Please feel free to contact me if you have any other questions or concerns. I will reply on a first in first out basis.

Thank you,
Dell-LornaM

"By being processed do you mean processing the requests to give out order numbers or processed such as being in production waiting to be shipped?

I just asked because I have not received an email so just want to make sure I'm not out of the loop."

Hi Elands,

Sorry for any confusion. You should have received an automated email advising of the new order #. I sent an email with the order #.

Thanks for our patience.
Dell-LornaM

 

Thanks so much Lorna! Much appreciated.

 

I am in MA as well, nice to know it can get here quickly. Maybe mine didn;t ship because i couldn;t check forums yesterday, because FIOS was down

 

any of you who are currently using a wifi adaptor could you specify the model you are using and post speeds you are getting also maybe what distances this solution works with, such as will it work all over the house etc, I am just wondering if I can get by with a nano adaptor or might need a larger one with better sensitivity when traveling etc

thanks!

 

So i am experiencing the same issues as many on here with the WIFI on the l521x.

Just for clarity on how bad it is for me, in a certain spot in my house, which has two routers strategically placed on a 100mb/s connection, i cannot get more then 1MB/s(at best) on my L521x as a comparison my L502x averages ~18MB/s and my iPhone on wireless averages ~ 22MB/s.

so i decided to report the issue, originally an engineer was sent out to replace my wireless card with a dell one. the cards were swapped and after some further testing it actually indicated possibly worse results(and in any case no better) so we put back the original card because of the feature set lost by the dell card. i got a call back from the engineer asking me what i'd like done about it, and i went ahead and requested a dongle as a temporary fix.

Dell sent me a DLink WDA-131, which i was willing to settle for since the machine has such good specs for the visual appeal, and size. This new dongle did improve speeds fractionally(i didn't expect much from a small dongle anyway), and i mean +15% at best, and the dongle was very subjective to positioning so in most cases it was on par with the built in wireless in terms of connectivity, and both were not suitable enough to gain a stable connection at my work offices, just for clarification i disabled the adapter that i was not testing to insure that there was not an interference issue..

so i went ahead and done further research(at this point i was ready to return the machine), until i saw BillAtDells twitter confirming the issue(the first person who has admitted that there is an issue because the dell engineers on the phone kept trying to run rings around me...).

Called dell back and they are going to try a full top half assembly replace(screen kit where the antenna are kept).

now what is worrying me at this stage is that i am getting close to overlapping my return period, so i raised this concern with the UK support and asked that they (if they were willing to) send me an email stating that i would be able to return my machine for a full refund if the issue is not fully addressed in x amount of time, now i am willing to bare with the issue for a month or so providing i have the option to return the machine should a fix never arise. two engineers said they would send me this email and didn't i called back again at this point i was getting slightly annoyed, and finally got a vague email confirming that i could return it, but the email didn't contain time frames so i'm still not happy with this...

here's having my fingers crossed that a screen kit replacement fixes the issue, but after reading around, forgive me if i am more then a bit sceptical.

Oh, P.S.
Please tell the sales reps(live chat) to stop stating that the issue is fixed when challenged, my friend was mislead by them on 3 different chats.

 

I just wanted to say that I too have the pixel grid problem, it was the first thing I noticed when I turned on the laptop for the first time. If I am sitting with my head within a foot of the screen, it is very visible to me, less so if I move a bit further away.

Comparing with other laptop and even desktop screens by putting my eye an inch away from them, I see that those other screens do not have anything that resembles the pixel grid from the l521x.

Reading this thread, I see some claiming that they don't see it at all and others claiming that replacing the screen fixes the problem. I wonder if the replacement is just a placebo, if claims that people don't see the grid is a case of most people not having perfect eyesight, or if this screen with visible pixels is just the screen that Dell chose for this laptop and I'm going to have to live with it.

The screen irritates me quite a bit but perhaps not enough to return it or schedule to have the screen replaced without a confirmation that a replacement really will fix the problem.

 

I just tested my wifi speed using LAN Speed Test to read / write a 100 mb file to my desktop which is connected wired to my router (Asus Wireless N):

Same room 1 ft away from router:
55 Mbps Read / 45 Mbps Write

Next Room Through A Wall with all closed doors 20 ft:
13 Mbps Read / 36 Mbps Write

Looks like I'll be needing that dongle as a temp measure.

 

I am a little out of the loop here. What is the status of the bad wifi? Are people getting wifi dongles as a temporary fix? If so where do we go about getting these?

 

you need to send a pm to Dell-LornaM. Tell her you need a ubs dongle and include service tag,email,name,shipping address and phone number. she will get you figured out.