Replacement Wifi Card(s) for 2 Dell PC's


  1. Posts : 396
    Windows 10 Pro 64-Bit
       #1

    Replacement Wifi Card(s) for 2 Dell PC's


    The house my family lives in, was just outfitted with fiber optic internet and holy wow its just gorgeous, just one small wrinkle: the wifi

    its not really that much of a problem, but the fiber optic box has 2 wifi channels: standard and a 5G band; my wifi card is rated for both, but the one on my dads computer isnt, and for some reason, my brother can't connect (ill make a different topic on the other support sub-section)

    My father's computer is a Dell XPS 8500 (attachment shows hardware/OS), and the dell website isnt showing anything for replacement parts right now, so I can't use that as a method of figuring out which wifi card for his would be rated for the 5G band. Wasn't there some website that shows compatible parts for computers (either pre-made or otherwise, not pcpartpicker, something different), because my father wants me to find one for him and he isnt taking no for an answer (what I wish to call him would violate the ToS, but just imagine a donkey)
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Replacement Wifi Card(s) for 2 Dell PC's-dad-stats.jpg  
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 18,421
    Windows 11 Pro
       #2

    Wikipedia says the Dell XPS 8500 has a half mini pcie WiFi card. So the upgrade would be something like this:
    https://www.amazon.com/Intel-7260-HM...tronics&sr=1-9

    Replacement Wifi Card(s) for 2 Dell PC's-s-l1600.jpg
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 9,754
    Mac OS Catalina
       #3

    It is in the White card slot on the motherboard. The Intel 7260 can replace it but the built in antennas are still going to limit the distance and overall speed. Best to get a USB Wifi adapter with an external antenna that can be placed high enough or look into wired Ethernet.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 396
    Windows 10 Pro 64-Bit
    Thread Starter
       #4

    Now that's interesting, because I got that very same wifi card in mine; I thought since mine was an XPS 8700 and his was an XPS 8500, the hardware would be somewhat locked to different versions in the intel spectrum, glad all I need to do is buy it again

    and we will most likely go the ethernet route, only problem is my father does NOT want us to lead the ethernet cables through the hallway, even if we could use plastic/metal hooks to hold the cables in place, lead them up walls, along the ceiling, and eventually hook into our computers; we'll end up using the drill holes we had in the ceiling to route the coaxal cables through the attic to minimize cable tangling and use them for ethernet instead

    besides, this is what the speedtest of the same card you showed me is on the 5G wifi band
    Replacement Wifi Card(s) for 2 Dell PC's-speedtest1.png
    even if his computer is a bit older than mine, it'll perform just as good
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 18,421
    Windows 11 Pro
       #5

    Instead of doing Ethernet from the router, you could also just use a WiFi extender with bridging capability such as:
    https://www.amazon.com/Linksys-Gigab...8719837&sr=8-1

    I've got one of these in my wife's office and her desktop computer + printer connect to it with Ethernet cables. I am using it strictly as a bridge, because I have the repeater function turned off on it. You can get one a lot cheaper on Ebay then Amazon.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 16,713
    Windows 10 Home x64 Version 22H2 Build 19045.4170
       #6

    Perhaps the new wifi is 5.8GHz but the computers that see it can only work with 5.0GHz?
    Or, to put it another way,
    Perhaps the new wifi is 5GHz channel 100+ but the computers that cannot see it can only work with 5GHz Band 1 {channels 36-40-44-48}?

    I had this problem recently and had to buy a new wifi USB adapter that could cope with my new wifi network.

    You can investigate what each piece of equipment can see using NirSoft's WiFiInfoView.

    Denis
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 396
    Windows 10 Pro 64-Bit
    Thread Starter
       #7

    hmm.....maybe I might look into that, would be good to have a backup method of wifi capabilities incase my wifi/bluetooth card eats the poopoo

    any recommendations?
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 16,713
    Windows 10 Home x64 Version 22H2 Build 19045.4170
       #8

    I cannot recommend anything by name. Just look for the frequency capabilities in the specs of anything you consider.

    I replaced my USB WiFi adapter with HANPURE USB Wifi and it has been fine. I chose that one because -
    - it was rated 4* by other Amazon users
    - there were at least 10 Amazon user reviews [so I could rely on a decent body of opinion]
    - less than 10% of other Amazon user reviews rated it 2* or 1*
    - no user reviews identified worrying performance or reliability issues
    - it was supplied directly by Amazon so I knew there was somebody who I could hold to account for honouring the warranty [I would also have regarded 'Fulfilled by Amazon' as satisfactory]
    - it specifically referred to 5.8GHz in its specs
    - it was 600Mbps or better [I had hoped for 1200 Mbps but could not find one that met the other criteria]
    - I only considered 'half-sized' sticks. It could not stick out from the computer so much that I'd be worried about accidentally snapping it off because the computer that needed it was a tablet-with-integral-keyboard and it often lives inside rucksacks & coat pockets.
    - it was the lowest-priced candidate that fulfilled all my other criteria.

    I also tried to replace my WiFi "WISP" router without success. In the UK, no "WISP" routers are available that can connect to a 5.8GHz "Wireless ISP" service.

    Denis
      My Computer


 

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