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    Wifi Catcher on Windows 7

    Discussion in 'Dell XPS and Studio XPS' started by Naveen_Reloaded, May 18, 2009.

  1. Naveen_Reloaded

    Naveen_Reloaded Notebook Consultant

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    hi ..

    i installed W7 on my m1530 and nearly all driver were installed.. at present no prob.. but my wifi catcher doesnt work


    i dont want bloat the new OS with DELL softwares.. i havent installed anything from thier CD`s so far on this OS ( w7 )

    is there way to make the wifi catcher button driver to work ?
     
    Naveen_Reloaded, May 18, 2009
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  2. BenUK

    BenUK Notebook Consultant

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    BenUK, May 18, 2009
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  3. Naveen_Reloaded

    Naveen_Reloaded Notebook Consultant

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    exactly , i ont want that quickset... is there a way to just instll the driver ?
     
    Naveen_Reloaded, May 18, 2009
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  4. BenUK

    BenUK Notebook Consultant

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    No. Wi-Fi catched isn't a driver - it's Quickset. It's the only way it works
     
    BenUK, May 18, 2009
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  5. Koer

    Koer Notebook Deity

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    yeah im afraid that is so, but i dont really need it, i hate dell software anyways :D
     
    Koer, May 18, 2009
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  6. terrapirata

    terrapirata Notebook Consultant

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    Yeah ... me too.
     
    terrapirata, May 18, 2009
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  7. Naveen_Reloaded

    Naveen_Reloaded Notebook Consultant

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    thnks guys...
     
    Naveen_Reloaded, Jun 10, 2009
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  8. Relativity17

    Relativity17 Notebook Evangelist

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    I'm curious - if it is Quickset, then how does the wifi catcher work when the computer is off?
     
    Relativity17, Jun 10, 2009
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  9. BenUK

    BenUK Notebook Consultant

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    It doesn't. It only works if the laptop is on or in 'Sleep'
     
    BenUK, Jun 10, 2009
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  10. zergslayer69

    zergslayer69 Liquid Hz

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    I guess this is a good time for me to ask, what drivers do you guys use to install bluetooth for win7 64bit? I tried a driver supplied somewhere on another thread and win7 keeps telling me to turn on my bluetooth when the switch on the right side is already on. It's also on in the bios, no reason why it should be off.
     
    zergslayer69, Jun 10, 2009
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  11. Relativity17

    Relativity17 Notebook Evangelist

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    I guess I must have a freak of a machine then, because it works to detect wireless networks when turned off.

    Blue (blinking) > Searching.
    Blue (solid) > Strong network signal greater than -70 dB.
    Orange > Weak network signal less than -70 dB.
    Off > No networks found.
     
    Relativity17, Jun 10, 2009
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  12. BenUK

    BenUK Notebook Consultant

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    Ok, I was just going off what it said in the Quickset program

    There also seems to be some confusion within the Dell documentation in how it works

    The main manual says: The Wi-Fi Catcher Network Locator is enabled and configured for use when your computer is shipped to you.

    Whereas the Quickset help says: Because the Wi-Fi Catcher scan feature is not configured for use when your computer is shipped to you, you must first use QuickSet to configure the switch to control Wi-Fi network connections
     
    BenUK, Jun 10, 2009
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  13. Relativity17

    Relativity17 Notebook Evangelist

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    From what I've been able to gather, the Wifi catcher is enabled via a BIOS setting, and can be configured via QuickSet. That is, the BIOS setting controls whether it works or not, and QuickSet lets you alter how it works.

    There are two distinct modes of operation, one for when the computer is off/hibernating/sleeping, and the other for when the OS is active AND QuickSet is installed. In the first mode, you push the button, and it lights up either blue or orange. This doesn't work when the OS is active. In the second mode, which is only available when QuickSet is installed and running, a window will fade in that has a list of access points and relative signal strengths for each.

    You shouldn't need QuickSet for the Wifi catcher to work. If it doesn't, check that the BIOS setting is enabled, and then push the button when the computer is asleep or off. If it doesn't light up at all, push harder, and keep it down longer. If that doesn't work, perhaps the unit is faulty and needs to be replaced.
     
    Relativity17, Jun 10, 2009
    #13