My e1505

well I finally got my 1st laptop 2 days ago. I guess im happy.

Well i got this wireless card Dell Wireless 1390 802.11g Mini Card. What i want to know is should i have gone with the Intel Card? The reason is because im at work right now and in the break room my computer can get NO signal what so ever. The guy in there yesterday was getting a low signal though. Before that this guy with a network card in his express card slot was also in there getting a signal... i didnt witnesss or get to talk to this guy though. After a small amount of research (because im at work on a 56k connection and cant stand this slow speed) on network cards, i read something that said with a different antenae this person could get signals far off. Anyone know how close i have to be to get a signal ? I dont want to but should i get a wireless card instead?

 

Congrats on your new purchase.

There could be several things wrong with your card. First make sure the card is in enable (should see a green light). If you can somehow get close enough to the router,see if you can connect when you are closer. You should get some type of signal when you are closer to the router.

There could be problems with your wireless software also. I'm not sure what software you are using, but I've had problems with MS client where it won't show my personal home network - eventhough I have it added as a profile. My suggestion with that is to try using Dell's software if they have any with that wireless card and see if you get better results when in the breakroom.

Also, update your wireless driver from support.dell.com when you have a chance to get connected to a highspeed.

SG

 

There's been some reports of Dell shipping bad 1390 MiniCards. Mine, for example, slows to a crawl when I hae WPA encryption enabled on my router.

Check out this thread on Dell's support forums.
http://forums.us.dell.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=insp_modem&message.id=18001

If anyone else with an E1505/E1705 experiences this issue, please let us know.

 

Lots of problems with that card

 

Yeah, tell me about it. I've talked to 3 Dell CSR reps and they're now blaming my router for my issues.

 

well my wireless card has worked as soon as i got it. PIckiing up the neighbors signal n such. It worked with my WEP and it works with WPA-SKA as well.

I was just thinking that maybe this mini card has a ****ty signal range when compared to the Intel intergrater or other brand cards. Are there booster antennaes for internal wireless cards?

 

I haven't heard of that. But it should already have one running up into your monitor. You can get stronger anteneas for your router though.

 

Just my 2 cents- the Intel 3945 was worth the extra $30. I get great range. My router is in the basment, and I get excellent signal stregnth on both the first and second floors of my house. A quick scan on NetStumbler reveals 4 to 5 other wireless networks in the area as well.

 

The problem could be caused by your environment. If you live in a neighbor that has wireless networks, and those routers are close to your house, you'll have interference with your connection.

You might try changing the channel on your router and seeing if you get better results.