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better dell 1350 wifi driver? - Page 2

post #21 of 47
11/17/04 at 9:57am
lowly_cook: Seems those "updated drivers" won't work with the Dell utility. :-(

somms: I actually *like* the Dell utility since it has the indicator bars. BUT, I still couldn't connect to my Netgear WGR614v4 after I installed the "updated" drivers. I might try it again, as I have another utility that will show signal strength - but I forget the name of it. It allows you to maintain the connection information to several different wireless networks. I'll get the name later today when I'm @ home w/ my laptop.
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post #22 of 47
11/17/04 at 10:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by HotStuff2
lowly_cook: Seems those "updated drivers" won't work with the Dell utility. :-(

somms: I actually *like* the Dell utility since it has the indicator bars. BUT, I still couldn't connect to my Netgear WGR614v4 after I installed the "updated" drivers. I might try it again, as I have another utility that will show signal strength - but I forget the name of it. It allows you to maintain the connection information to several different wireless networks. I'll get the name later today when I'm @ home w/ my laptop.
Yeah, whatever obsolete Broadcom driver Dell chooses to use is tied to that particular version Dell-branded Helper App which is not required for XP SP2 or later, i.e. Windows 2003.



BTW: I get the best results using this latest driver in conjunction with the Linksys WRT54GS I have. At any one time there are up to 5 computers networking away using this particular driver at home. Your mileage may vary.
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post #23 of 47
11/17/04 at 10:41am
I will try again this evening, and post my results and before/after screenshots.
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post #24 of 47
11/17/04 at 10:42am
I do get the internet with these drivers. I did get disconnected a couple of times this morning but reconnected soon after. Just no indicator bars. i wonder if i should uninstall these drivers and reinstall the dell ones. what do you think?

Wait a minute, if i unistall dell's wireless utility and broadcom, and reinstall the drivers from somm, will i get the indicators?
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post #25 of 47
11/17/04 at 8:31pm
Well, I removed the stock Dell drivers, installed the "updated" ones, and I was not able to connect at ALL. I tried everything, but just couldn't get an IP. BTW, the utility I was talking about ealier is Ciron WINC - but I couldn't connect with that, either. I had to end up doing a system restore again to take it back the way it was last night.

One thing I noticed is that on my Netgear WGR614 (v4), I have it set to WPA-PSK, but the Dell utility says I'm connected via WEP. Now I'll say in advance I don't know THAT much about wireless (enough to get around and set up things), but I thought that WPA-PSK is more secure, and uses a passphrase, as opposed to a "key" of 26 letters & numbers like WEP, right?
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post #26 of 47
11/17/04 at 11:04pm
i couldnt connect when i first installed the new drivers. but when i checked "use windows to configure my wireless settings" in the wireless network connection i was able to connect. just no indicator though.
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post #27 of 47
11/18/04 at 1:11am
HA HA, i installed the new drivers, and what happened?? On my 700m i have a little WiFi icon that lights up when the wifi radio is on. With the old driver it stays solid indicating that the wifi radio is on, however with the new driver it flickers according to network activity! that's soo crazy!
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post #28 of 47
11/18/04 at 1:22am
Quote:
Originally Posted by pyrophite
HA HA, i installed the new drivers, and what happened?? On my 700m i have a little WiFi icon that lights up when the wifi radio is on. With the old driver it stays solid indicating that the wifi radio is on, however with the new driver it flickers according to network activity! that's soo crazy!
Ain't new drivers cool?
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post #29 of 47
11/18/04 at 10:29am
Great that you guys got it set up! For all of us who are having problems, is there something I should uninstall (ie all of dells wireless and networking stuff) prior to loading the new drivers? Is there some other program i should install to get the indicators?
what is the best way to get these drivers running (with indicators like what pyrophite got)

A step by step would be nice. It would help a lot of people who may want to install these cool drivers.

Not sure if this has any impact but i am using a netgear wrg614 router with wpa.

Thanks for all your help guys(or ladies)!
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post #30 of 47
11/18/04 at 1:32pm
I did uninstall the Dell drivers first, then when I rebooted, it prompted me for the drivers so I manually pointed them at the extracted .CAB file. There is an option for the A/B/G (remember I'm using the TM1450) but no matter what, it got stuck in "renewing IP address". I tried switching my router to WEP, back to WPA-PSK, re-entering the key in Windows, etc., and I just could not pull an IP with either the WinXP wireless setup or with the Cirond WINC utility.
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post #31 of 47
11/18/04 at 6:50pm
arrrrgh. I didn't read the second page of this thread, and extracted the drivers to my 8600 with the 1350 card. It can't find a "backed up" set of drivers to roll back to, and I don't want to do a system restore if I can avoid it. What would be the best set of drivers to put back in to at least get the online connection working again?

thanks
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post #32 of 47
11/19/04 at 3:22am
FWIW, I just downloaded the latest drivers from Dell's support site. They appear to improve signal quality a bit, and all of the various helper apps still work with them. I compared the timestamps with the drivers in the CAB file given earlier in this thread. They differ by only one day! (6/24/2004 vs 6/25/2004) So, I suspect that the "official" Dell drivers are the way to go.
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post #33 of 47
11/19/04 at 4:03am
Oh for those of you having problems, mine did the same thing where there were problems with it not working, but i had to actually turn the radio back on via the Fn + F2 key, then it worked. Also by default when the new driver is installed it disables windows from controlling the wireless connection, so you have to reenable it in the network connection propterties. Good luck!
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post #34 of 47
11/19/04 at 11:20am
Quote:
Originally Posted by dellbert
FWIW, I just downloaded the latest drivers from Dell's support site. They appear to improve signal quality a bit, and all of the various helper apps still work with them. I compared the timestamps with the drivers in the CAB file given earlier in this thread. They differ by only one day! (6/24/2004 vs 6/25/2004) So, I suspect that the "official" Dell drivers are the way to go.
Yeah, those are the ones I'm using (I happen to like the Dell utility) - but why is the version # so different? OK, I know that's a rhetorical question since none of us can answer it for certain...
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post #35 of 47
11/19/04 at 2:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by HotStuff2
Yeah, those are the ones I'm using (I happen to like the Dell utility) - but why is the version # so different? OK, I know that's a rhetorical question since none of us can answer it for certain...
It’s just an older version of the Broadcom driver, the date is irrelevant. If the older version works for you and you are happy with the performance, stick with it.
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post #36 of 47
11/19/04 at 3:43pm
thats true if you are happy with the dell drivers, dont mess with them. It seems like the drivers (from somms) works for me. I am going to try it for a few days to see if the range seems better. no indicators though but if the range is better who cares. I did experience dropped service this morning but not sure if it was due to the new drivers.
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post #37 of 47
11/19/04 at 4:45pm
This may or may not be true, so take it with a grain of salt.

As someone who has built, worked with, and upgraded far too many computers - both branded an unbranded a general observation is that some branded systems and combinations of unbranded components can result in.....how best to say....unexpected outcomes.

There is a certain level of QC that occurs at large branders (e.g. Dell, IBM, Gateway) to ensure that software (apps, drivers, etc...) works appropriately on their systems. Of course, that level is up to speculation....but I have experienced on not too few occasions situations where drivers released specifically by the machine vendors were tweaked/tested to ensure full compatibility with their equipment, whereas the "newest&greatest" apps/drivers released by the specific hardware manufacturers (e.g. video card, WIFI, sound card) would barf the system or induce system fluctuations/incompatibilities.

The old addage, "If it ain't broke, don't *fix* it." is particularly applicable.

Please just keep this in mind when trying to test/use the "latest-n-greatest", kapish?
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post #38 of 47
11/19/04 at 4:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ran1
This may or may not be true, so take it with a grain of salt.

As someone who has built, worked with, and upgraded far too many computers - both branded an unbranded a general observation is that some branded systems and combinations of unbranded components can result in.....how best to say....unexpected outcomes.

There is a certain level of QC that occurs at large branders (e.g. Dell, IBM, Gateway) to ensure that software (apps, drivers, etc...) works appropriately on their systems. Of course, that level is up to speculation....but I have experienced on not too few occasions situations where drivers released specifically by the machine vendors were tweaked/tested to ensure full compatibility with their equipment, whereas the "newest&greatest" apps/drivers released by the specific hardware manufacturers (e.g. video card, WIFI, sound card) would barf the system or induce system fluctuations/incompatibilities.

The old addage, "If it ain't broke, don't *fix* it." is particularly applicable.

Please just keep this in mind when trying to test/use the "latest-n-greatest", kapish?
Likewise, I'm not one who has to been spoon-fed by Dell when it comes to hardware drivers. Not only is their Truemobile driver an older version but Dell's latest SigmaTel driver and video driver listed for my system are both obsolete versions as well. Bottom line is that you can't always rely on Dell to serve up the most current version hardware driver for you system.
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post #39 of 47
11/19/04 at 5:22pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by somms
Likewise, I'm not one who has to been spoon-fed by Dell when it comes to hardware drivers. Not only is their Truemobile driver an older version but Dell's latest SigmaTel driver and video driver listed for my system are both obsolete versions as well. Bottom line is that you can't always rely on Dell to serve up the most current version hardware driver for you system.
True, but keep in mind that the "older/obsolete" drivers may still do pretty much everything you need and maintain a higher level of system compatibility than the newer ones.

I for one use several drivers straight from Dell, and several others from the manufacturers - you just have to be careful.
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post #40 of 47
11/20/04 at 1:50pm
thanks guys! i get perfect reception in my whole apartment! my bro is coming for Thanksgiving with his Acer tablet and i will see what got better reception.
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