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    Dell 1390 playing up badly - what can I replace it with?

    Discussion in 'Networking and Wireless' started by RostokMcSpoons, Jan 17, 2009.

  1. RostokMcSpoons

    RostokMcSpoons Notebook Enthusiast

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    I don't know why, but suddenly my 1390 card in my Vostro 1500 is letting me down badly... to the point where my daughter is leaving this laptop alone and nabbing my desktop pc!

    The signal strength has been yo-yoing between low and excellent, but the problem is the speed is going from 54mbps down to 1, then backup to 20+ and then down again. But it's been spending most of the time between 1 and 5. It makes internet browsing a painful experience.

    I've proven that although my router, a Speedtouch 585 v7, isn't brilliant, it's not the problem: I've plugged in a cheapo TP-LINK TL-WN321G USB key, and although it shows a Low - Good signal strength, it's connecting solidly between 24 and 54mbps.

    I've searched the forum but I've not seen any recent threads with a list of alternative wifi cards: can anyone take a look at ebuyer (or similar) and recommend something? I don't like having the USB key sticking out, I'd like a decent internal card... that's not too pricey :)

    cheers!
     
    RostokMcSpoons, Jan 17, 2009
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  2. Shyster1

    Shyster1 Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Have you tried uninstalling and reinstalling (and if necessary, updating) the NIC drivers?

    Also, have you checked the event logs to see if anything relevant is getting logged?

    Finally, have you run a good malware scan recently?
     
    Shyster1, Jan 17, 2009
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  3. RostokMcSpoons

    RostokMcSpoons Notebook Enthusiast

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    Thanks for the reply :)
    Yes, I had checked the event logs, and tried disabling then re-enabling the card, but not re-installing the drivers. I've found an updated driver on the Dell website, dated this month, so I've installed that, and yay! my connection speed does seem to have increased!

    I'm running a virus / malware scan on my system now, so it's difficult to say if the current 11/18/24 speeds are going to improve or worsen - time will tell!

    I'm wondering if one of my neighbours is running something that's interfering with my connection... there are 7-10 routers showing up on near me, only 1 is on the same channel though - but perhaps I'll try changing that to something no-one else is using, just to be safe.

    edit: I just moved the laptop, and it dropped the connection - it still sucks :(
    Plugged in the TP-Link key, and I'm back on the net.

    So... back to the original question - which card can I buy that's better than the Dell 1390?
     
    RostokMcSpoons, Jan 18, 2009
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