Solved DW1525 network card in Dell 8100XPS slow speed

[knagel]

Don't know where to start. I'm thinking I either need a new computer or at least a new card? I have a 2010 model 8100XPS Dell with the DW1525 network card and 2 antennas. I have been experiencing slow internet speeds lately and thought the cause might have been the internet provider (Mediacom). I have a Netgear R8000 nighthawk router and I have upgraded my internet through my provider to 100 Mbs download speed. Both my boys Apple laptops when a speedtest.net is run are achieving almost 90Mbs download speeds which is acceptable since the wired connection is only about 94 Mbs. BUT, my Dell is only in the mid 20'sMbs download and sometimes hits 30Mbs download speeds. I think I saw it once hit close to 50 but I might be mistaken.

What do I need to do to achieve a higher download speed? The upload speed is right in line where it should be based on the internet plan I am on. It is just the download speed I am having trouble with.

Any thoughts? Need a new card? New computer LOL? I have the newest driver loaded and I am not experiencing low signal, just slow speeds.

Thx

Kevin

 

[maxie]

Hi Kevin ... Welcome to Seven Forums ... I take it you only have problem with the Wireless Connection ? ...

Which Adapter does your Computer use ? ...

Is it the Broadcom BCM57780 LOM Atheros Wireless 1525 WLAN Mini Card or the Dell Wireless 365 ? ...


You have stated your Drivers are up to date ... Is that from the Dell Website ? ...

 

[knagel]

It is the Atheros DW1525 wireless card with the 2 antennas. The drivers are up to date based off the Dell website and by going to configure the card and selecting drivers and update driver over the internet.

I don't know what the wired results are on this computer as there is no way to hook it up wired unless I take an hour and move everything in to the room with my modem and router or I get a 30' Ethernet cable.

I hooked my ancient laptop that is running XP with a wired connection to the back of the router and was able to get like 94Mbps along with my boys Apple laptops wirelessly are able to connect in the high 80's to low 90's.

 

[maxie]

Have been reading lots of Posts on the Dell Website about your Card ...

Seems it is not the best ..... I doubt it is a Driver issue ..

The easiest option would be to get a new USB Adapter they are really cheap ...


How ever lets see if the Driver in the Link below makes any difference ...


Atheros Wireless 1525 WLAN Mini Card Desktops, v.8.0.0.239 Win7, A03 Driver Details | Dell US

 

[knagel]

That is the driver I have installed. I just checked.

Think it is the card?

Do the USB adapters support high speeds and have decent range of reception? I need about 25 to 30' line of sight.

Kevin

 

[maxie]

Yes they do Support high speed ... As for reception have no problems there either ...


I have the one Link below just to give you an example ...


As I do not know what part of the World you reside in ...


Buy TP-LINK Mini N300 USB Wireless Adaptor at Argos.co.uk - Your Online Shop for Wireless networking accessories.

 

[knagel]

I am from the Iowa, United States.

Think it is the card I have then?

I did notice the only laptop I have which is a dinosaur running XP that wired it is 94Mbps but wirelessly it is also way slow like my Dell. The laptop can only reach mid 20s. I can understand that though because it might have a wireless card that does not support higher speeds. I have not checked though because I never use it anymore.

 

[maxie]

Yes IMO I do think the Card is the problem ...


TP-LINK TL-WN823N Mini Wireless N Adapter IEEE 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Up to 300Mbps Wireless Data Rates WPA2 - Newegg.com

 

[knagel]

thx for the advise and help!

I appreciate it!

Kevin

 

[maxie]

Most welcome Kevin ...

 

[GokAy]

Maybe you would like to try it with booting into Linux Live MATE and see if speeds are alright there. No installation needed, just download, make bootable DVD/USB and boot with it.

Proceed to buying a new one if it fails to deliver fast speeds too.

 

[erpster4]

I'm sorry to bring this old thread back but I own a pair of Dell DW1525 wireless cards and I'm kinda surprised that nobody else suggested using a 10.0.x version driver for the DW1525 card, which actually does improve speeds a bit.

try this 10.0.0.355 A03 Win7 driver from Dell - Dell Wireless 1707/Qualcomm 9565 WiFi and Bluetooth Driver

the driver may be listed for Dell wireless 1707 & Qualcomm 9565 adapters but it also works with a Dell dw1525 card

I open this exe driver package in 7zip, browsed to the \drivers\production\Windows7-x64\WLAN-Driver\ folder, extracted the 3 driver files onto a temp folder then used Device Manager and specified the netathrx.inf file for the dw1525 card and it worked great for Win7 - I get about 80mbps - 90mbps download speed when connected to a 2.4ghz wifi network and close to 200mbps download speed when connected to a 5ghz wifi network

these dw1525 wifi pcie cards I have are awesome - can't find anything better than these