Dell XPS 9550 vs Acer Aspire R15 on dual-band WiFi

I've kinda narrowed my laptop choice down to the Dell XPS 9550 or the Acer Aspire R15. They both boast dual-band WiFi. Will one or the other be better at utilizing WiFi? I'm thinking at public rest areas along the highways, in & near hotels or however else I may wish to access the 'net? I'm not sure how I'll access the 'net out there as I know little about it. Maybe by using my Verizon Wireless smartphone as a modem? Heck if I know. I could probably get by with the less expensive Acer, but if it bombs at utilizing WiFi & the Dell would not, then I may be better off splurging for the Dell.

 

If you end up using your phone as an access point for the notebook, it will be like 8 inches from the notebook so the range of the Wi-Fi will be completely irrelevant - the phone would play more important role than the computer.

If you were to use some sort of public or hotel hot-spots range would matter more.

I don't know about Dell but Acer have always been very careful when designing notebooks to have the best wireless reception. Years ago they were one of only few companies that would actually test it.

R15 has its antennas placed in the screen and because the chassis is metal it has what Acer calls " Acer Exo Amp Antenna" so it should do fine.

 

Aren't most notebook antennas behind the screen?


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@alexhawker They used to be but these days it's getting more complicated to fit them there. There is less space because those rims are getting narrower and LCD takes up almost all of the screen assembly and also if screen assembly is made out of metal antennas have very poor range there, so they end up being moved to the main unit. Even if main unit is made out of metal as well all they need is any plastic part behind which they can place antennas which can usually be done.

Acer Aspire Nitro (semi) gaming notebooks are a great example of how poor the reception is if you place antennas in the main unit, not in the screen.

 

Thanks for the info!


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At this pt I'd still like to get more ideas on the ability both for now & in the future for each of these two machines at utilizing Wi-Fi. The Aspire gets some good reviews, but I doubt it's in the league of the XPS. At this pt I'd go with whichever laptop would be better for now & in the future (my last laptop, a hp pavilion lasted 8 yrs) at utilizing Wi-Fi. And I don't know that answer. If I fail to get it I'll probably go with the Aspire if for no other reason than its lower cost.

Does anyone know if there is a good resource readily available for comparing Wi-Fi utilization between different brands/models of laptops? I've at least for now narrowed my next laptop choice down to two machines, the Acer Aspire R15 & the Dell XPS 9550. From what I've read they both get good reviews & I've found both to be ergonomically correct. My only real question now is which is better for now & will continue to be in the future (Iow more future-proof) at utilizing Wi-Fi out on the road. I've been told Acer attempts to build laptops that are highly competent at utilizing Wi-Fi but don't always hit the mark. I've also been told their Wi-Fi cards are not upgradeable for the R15. If this is actually true or not I have yet to verify. I read that users upgrade Wi-Fi cards on the XPS, however. If the R15 excels at wi-Fi I haven't a clue. ..same goes for the XPS 9550. As is I'd probably go with whichever machine is better at Wi-Fi utilization at hotels, rest areas along highways & anywhere else it's readily available, but short of buying both machines 0) & doing my own side-by-side testing I'm at a loss as to how to determine which is better than the other.

 

@Binables No offense but the problem with your question is that it doesn't mean anything - you ask about "comparing Wi-Fi utilization between different brands/models of laptops". What does that even mean?

What exactly do you want to compare? My guess is even you don't know that exactly which makes it impossible to answer your question.

The following will be boring but bear with me on this one:

Wi-Fi is just a radio - it's not that much more advanced than FM radio in your car, the difference is the frequency it operates on and the fact that Wi-Fi can also transmit, not just receive.

Considering the above - the same rules of physics apply to Wi-Fi as to any other radio meaning that the range is a function of antenna used (all notebooks use the same type of antenna, so it doesn't make much difference), signal strength/power (Wi-Fi signal power is limited by Wi-Fi specification so it doesn't matter either), antenna placement (unobstructed, higher of the ground is better - we've been over this before - this is why it's better when notebook antennas are placed in the screen assembly, not in the main unit).

And as far as physics go that's it.

Other differences are related to Wi-Fi cards alone - some have better reception, some worse (meaning basically ability to receive a weak signal - one might be able to keep a stable but slow connection in a place where another card will keep loosing the connection).
Testing that it hard to do as it requires controlled conditions (or at least constant conditions) - just because one person can achieve certain range with card A and a different on with card B, does not mean that you will be able to do the same.
That is because 2.4 GHz and 5GHz bands are open and all sort of devices use it - from cordless phones, through Bluetooth, remote controls, child monitors, cordless phones and so on. There are doesn't of Wi-Fi networks and devices around you at any gives time working on different channels and at different distances from yourself. There are too many variables.

Since no one can test that in a radio chamber fo you and even if they did there would be no guarantee that a card/notebook combo that did better in one set of test conditions would do equally well in another one and bearing in mind that "wi-fi utilization" is meaningless, the answer is nonexistent.

As far as I can see Acer uses Qualcomm Atheros QCA6174 802.11ac while Dell uses Broadcom BCM15700A2 802.11ac.
Neither is known to be a bad card - you'd be better off choosing between those notebooks on other basis that Wi-Fi, because this won't make a difference.

 

If the objective is to get maximum range then using a USB WiFi adapters with a high-gain antenna (a selection are here) might be better than relying on whatever is inside the notebook. Some of these comes with a stand on an extension cable so you can put the adapter in a position (eg near a door or window) where it picks up a better signal than you get at the place where the notebook is being used.

John

 

Great reply! Sorry for the confusion. Basically I was stuck on the notion that some laptops must be better at Wi-Fi than others & wanted to get a laptop that was better designed to do so. I figured someone, somewhere had tested this & I was simply failing @ locating the study. Consumer Reports & others test all kinds of other things so I figured why not this. But yeah, I can see how that would be hard to determine. I'll definitely read up on the USB Wi-Fi adapters & high-gain antennas. Now that sounds like something that might be what I'd need. Thank you for the tip on that.