Hello dear forum community...

[sonavogel]

Vast majority of laptops you only have to take out the bottom plate in mine it’s only one screw at worst maybe 6-8 screws on some. Most Dell’s and most other laptops in general aren’t like the one in that video fortunately.

But he's working on an Inspiron 15R--that's what I have. Wouldn't I (or a techie) have to do what he's doing if we've got the same PC model?

At any rate, I think changing the wireless card is inspirational, and I will have that done!

 

[avtella]

Yeah on yours it’s a bit more tedious but I think you could do it by yourself, honestly I’m no different than you I learned by myself, I’m no expert, I think you will do fine with that video guide . There are different versions of the 15R so make sure that’s the right model, yours could be simpler like mine you never know.

 

[Klueless]

By the window, which is about five feet to the left of the desk where the MSI sits and about five yards to the left and downstairs of the Ubee, the test results were:

23 ping
96.68 d/l
10.98 u/l

At my desk, with the MSI sitting on it--a much more natural position to work in, I must admit, and about five feet closer to the Ubee (but still downstairs from it)--the test results:

23 ping
99.98 d/l
11.72 u/l

Wow! Thank you. I was poking for those numbers to see if that window might be a possible location for your range extender not realizing that's where your cellar (excuse me, "1st floor" : -) equipment already was! Guess it'd be pretty pointless to locate a range extender there (or anywhere : -)

Considering the description of your house I'd say you were doing pretty darn well already young lady! Adding that updated Wifi card to the Dell sounds like a winner.

Will the new/better router bring you to over 100 Mbps in the cellar? Maybe, but you're already pretty darn close to your Internet speed.

 

[FatherLandDescendant]

There is no way I will be able to do that myself

You could go and buy a USB WiFi adapter.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...sb_network_adaptor-_-9SIA25V2TV7921-_-Product

You could probably find one relativity cheap at walmart.

Vast majority of laptops you only have to take out the bottom plate

Now and days yes, but older Dells you had to breakdown the entire computer to do just about anything.

 

[Klueless]

I skimmed your posts and collected your prior benches. As you scan down from wired to wireless and across columns from good computer to vintage, good location to basement the story begins to reveal itself ...

Because we're using an Internet speed test for our testing the upper limit for our tests is the speed of our Internet service ... apparently 118 Mbps.

• Anything faster than our Internet will be "capped" at 118 Mbps.
• Anything slower than 118 is probably close to an actual measure (of speed).
• The ol' Dell's wire is probably only "Fast Ethernet" (which tops out at 100 Mbps) as it clocked in at only 78 Mbps.
• MSI hit 108 Mbps (8.5% < 118) @ 2.4 MHz. so that's probably a good measure of N/2.4 performance for this environment/router. It only dropped slightly (another 7% to 100) going to the cellar. I'd be happy with that.
• The old Dell is another story, it didn't run well anywhere. OP is investigating a new wireless adapter.
  • Dependent on the above similar could be considered for the aging HP?

That sound about right?

 

[avtella]

You can get a USB for convenience, but reason I said upgrade the internal one was, the Intel 7260ac is a widely used card by manufacturers with decent drivers and the laptop’s internal antennna placement is almost always better than these USB ones which can have a huge impact on performance/range.

 

[FatherLandDescendant]

You can get a USB for convenience, but reason I said upgrade the internal one was, the Intel 7260ac is a widely used card by manufacturers with decent drivers and the laptop’s internal antennna placement is almost always better than these USB ones which can have a huge impact on performance/range.

True, but the OP doesn't have the skill set to breakdown her old computer so it's a reasonable accommodation. Besides one could also get a male-2-female USB cable and position the USB receiver how they like. Regardless, a USB card is going to afford better performance most likely than what she is using now

 

[sonavogel]

@avtella, you are right that the card would be the "better" alternative, but @FatherLandDescendant has me pegged: I don't have the skill set (or the nervous system) to swap out the cards on my own.

BUT: I've just confirmed with the Staples techies that they can swap out the card for about $70. I have to get it for them, though--and I wanted to double-check that this is the card you were talking about, @avtella:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MV3N7UO/?tag=snbforums-20

There are at least three different Intel 7260ac cards for sale, and the distinctions among them eluded me. If that link is the card you meant, it's about $31--and yes, I guess I could get it for less elsewhere, but via Amazon it would get to me by Wednesday night. I'm going out of town the end of next week and could drop off the Inspiron and the Intel card a few days before and hope they don't destroy the machine the way I would.

Might be a plan, eh?

 

[sonavogel]

Hiya, @Klueless!

• Anything faster than our Internet will be "capped" at 118 Mbps.

Do you mean Spectrum is throttling me at that speed because of the plan we have? Or could it be the kind of cable they used? I don't recall seeing a Spectrum Internet plan that started at/offered a higher speed.

(Won't waste your time on the story of how we got Spectrum up here, but only a handful of us have it thanks to my husband, the retired lawyer/litigator. He's now working on getting it to the other village residents that don't have broadband.)

• The old Dell is another story, it didn't run well anywhere. OP is investigating a new wireless adapter.
  • Dependent on the above similar could be considered for the aging HP?

Yes re the Inspiron, if avtella can confirm that the Amazon link I posted is the right card. Then I'll buy that and take the Inspiron to Staples along with the card. For around $70, they'll swap it out (and hopefully update drivers and test it out, etc.). I'm going out of town end of next week for four days or so and can leave it with them since I'm taking Fast Sam (the MSI) with me.

But as for the aging HP...I'd like to change the card, but I really, really don't want to have to remove all the wires (printer, speakers, etc.) and lug it over to Staples. And I am not going to stick my head into that thing. So that may be the place for FatherLandDescendant's suggestion about a USB receiver. (@FatherLandDescendant, would it work plugged into a desktop?)

That sound about right?
Yes! And thank you for summing it up--but I still want to check out (read about) the other options discussed to strengthen my wireless around the cabin (and especially downstairs; I haven't taken the MSI into the deeper reaches of my basement office to test it, but there's no real need to do that). And that includes a router (the Nighthawk or the Synology) in July.

The only thing is, if Spectrum won't offer me speeds faster than 100 Mpbs, except when they aren't looking and I get 118 Mpbs, then I'm defeated before I even start, no? How would I get, say, 300 Mpbs--even if a new router, AP, and laptop support it--if Spectrum isn't offering it to me?

 

[avtella]

Yeah that’s the card 7260ac mpcie. Unless they are grossly incompetent I doubt they could do any damage, computers are tougher than you give them credit for, in terms of manhandling, especially Dells.

Considering the newer gen 7265ac/8265ac/9260ac (which are not compatible with your unit unless using a mpcie to m.2 adapter) can be bought for $25 or less, that $31 is a bit costly for a 7260ac. Try Provantage, Newegg an even some alternate sellers on Amazon and lastly eBay for lower prices ~$20 or less.

 

[FatherLandDescendant]

(@FatherLandDescendant, would it work plugged into a desktop?)

Yes it would, BUT, putting a network card in a tower computer is MUCH EASIER than putting one in a laptop.

I only suggested a USB card for your laptop because of the difficulty in installing a new card in your particular laptop. I just bought myself a NetGear AC600 adapter for my laptop this morning at Walmart for $37.07 because I can not get my antenna wires to connect to the factory card for some reason. I got tired of fiddling with it when I tore it down to clean the dust out of it back before my semester began, first time that I've had that happen to me and I've disassembled quite a few laptops in my time. The factory card still works, at home it gets a great signal, but at work (the only place I use it, I use it to work on homework for school) the signal gets flaky depending on where on my desk I set it. So for about half the cost your going to pay to have your card installed (not including the cost of the card), I made accommodations for my weak signal issue created by my antenna wires being disconnected. I'll go back in at the end of the semester and get them hooked back up, knowing my luck they'll snap right into place, seems to be the way things go...

But putting a NIC (Network Interface Card) in a desktop is a breeze, MUCH more simple than changing the card in your laptop, much more simple. 2 side panel screws, 1 PCI slot blank screw, insert the card into a PCI slot (the one you removed the blank from in-front of) use the screw you took out of the blank to secure the card to the case, put the side panel back on, turn it on, you don't have to break it down by removing all the screws just 3 typically. Update the driver and away you go. And while your at it it gives you a chance to blow out all the dust that has accumulated inside the case over the years

 

[sonavogel]

Yes it would, BUT, putting a network card in a tower computer is MUCH EASIER than putting one in a laptop.

I only suggested a USB card for your laptop because of the difficulty in installing a new card in your particular laptop. I just bought myself a NetGear AC600 adapter for my laptop this morning at Walmart for $37.07 because I can not get my antenna wires to connect to the factory card for some reason. I got tired of fiddling with it when I tore it down to clean the dust out of it back before my semester began, first time that I've had that happen to me and I've disassembled quite a few laptops in my time. The factory card still works, at home it gets a great signal, but at work (the only place I use it, I use it to work on homework for school) the signal gets flaky depending on where on my desk I set it. So for about half the cost your going to pay to have your card installed (not including the cost of the card), I made accommodations for my weak signal issue created by my antenna wires being disconnected. I'll go back in at the end of the semester and get them hooked back up, knowing my luck they'll snap right into place, seems to be the way things go...

But putting a NIC (Network Interface Card) in a desktop is a breeze, MUCH more simple than changing the card in your laptop, much more simple. 2 side panel screws, 1 PCI slot blank screw, insert the card into a PCI slot (the one you removed the blank from in-front of) use the screw you took out of the blank to secure the card to the case, put the side panel back on, turn it on, you don't have to break it down by removing all the screws just 3 typically. Update the driver and away you go. And while your at it it gives you a chance to blow out all the dust that has accumulated inside the case over the years

<sigh> Oh, @FatherLandDescendant, you do make it sound simple--and my desktop absolutely needs a dusting (inside and out). But experience is almost everything, and clearly you have that. I do not.

Some years ago, when we lived in NYC, my stepdaughter's desktop went wonky on her for some reason (I forget what happened), and she needed to get inside it to add RAM or change a card, or whatever. Anyway, of the four of us (two of them teenagers, yet!), they considered me to be the most experienced and asked me to go in there.

Well, I did. I went in, I took care of the issue, and I came out ten years older. I'm not sure I have that much time left to go into a desktop again.

At any rate, I bought the USB wireless, and when it arrives I'll try it on my desktop. If it helps, terrific; if not, I'll find out which of the newer cards the desktop can take inside and go in there one day and do it--and put the USB wireless on my husband's laptop.

And as for saving money, it's absolutely true that if you know how to do something yourself, it costs less. Hardly a day goes by when I don't wish I were a plumber.

 

[sonavogel]

Yeah that’s the card 7260ac mpcie. Unless they are grossly incompetent I doubt they could do any damage, computers are tougher than you give them credit for, in terms of manhandling, especially Dells.

Considering the newer gen 7265ac/8265ac/9260ac (which are not compatible with your unit unless using a mpcie to m.2 adapter) can be bought for $25 or less, that $31 is a bit costly for a 7260ac. Try Provantage, Newegg an even some alternate sellers on Amazon and lastly eBay for lower prices ~$20 or less.

It's the Prime--Amazon Prime. They tell you it saves money because you don't pay for shipping, then they slap a 20% markup on the merchandise and get you that way.

But in general I've found that an Amazon purchase arrives more quickly than one from any other merchant. And under normal circumstances, when I have the time and can wait in the event of a snafu, I try for the best price.

But I use the Inspiron a lot, and I rarely travel for more than a day. So this would be an ideal opportunity to get that card switched, which means expediency wins out.

When it comes time to buy the router (July), I'll shop around for a good price...as long as the vendor has a decent rep in the event I want to return it.

Thanks, @avtella.

 

[Klueless]

... could it be the kind of cable they used?

Yes, likely that kind of thing. Physical or design limits. (Or something convenient to bill by : -)

BTW I'm seeing the ads you're seeing; "speeds starting at ..." and with no mention of the next tier of service being offered.

Awesome! Your husband the town hero! Wish he lived closer. Brother-in-law (rural, just a few miles west of us) had to pay TWC $6,000 cash up front just for the privilege of becoming a customer. His share of the cost of pulling cable. (City; 1 mile cable = 100 customers, country; 1 mile cable = 1 customer : -)

The only thing is, if Spectrum won't offer me speeds faster than 100 Mpbs, except when they aren't looking and I get 118 Mpbs, then I'm defeated before I even start, no? How would I get, say, 300 Mpbs--even if a new router, AP, and laptop support it--if Spectrum isn't offering it to me?

• Someday they'll have faster and you'll be ready
• Add a second service to your house and you'll have "double"
• Still work to do, you've still some areas of the house not keeping up with 100
• You'll have new tools to make sure hubby's videos are streamming jitter free while you consume every free bit there is in the fast lane ...
• Bandwidth to support in-home things like home security/cameras, in home streaming video library, your own file server with law library ...

 

[sonavogel]

Awesome! Your husband the town hero!

Well, the neighborhood hero, anyway. For now.

Brother-in-law (rural, just a few miles west of us) had to pay TWC $6,000 cash up front just for the privilege of becoming a customer. His share of the cost of pulling cable. (City; 1 mile cable = 100 customers, country; 1 mile cable = 1 customer.

Rotten; I sympathize with your brother-in-law. Verizon Wireless sure profited from us while it lasted. It's been decades without broadband for residents on top of this mountain who live just at the limits of a particular town line--and it's exactly what you wrote: TWC (before they became Spectrum) always replied that there weren't enough houses within the area we represented to make it worth their while to create the infrastructure. If we gave them $XX,XXX (I don't remember the number, but it was way more than $6,000 and ludicrous), they'd come.

Yeah, right.

That's when you need the kind of lawyer husband is: the squeaky wheel, never stops, finds all the legal precedents to back him up, and possesses an ability--I have no idea how--to reach execs at the top of the hierarchy (not to mention the subtle insert of phrases such as "emotional distress").

 

[Klueless]

Exactly what b-i-l faced. Turns out $6K was cheaper than another year with Verizon. And a whole lot less fights with the teenage kids.

 

[FatherLandDescendant]

It's the Prime--Amazon Prime. They tell you it saves money because you don't pay for shipping, then they slap a 20% markup on the merchandise and get you that way.

Actually I built an entire computer with all parts bought through Amazon and saved myself $100 - $150+- just on the parts compared to NewEgg and Tiger Direct. Considering the cost of the parts I bought shipping was not going to be an issue on any of the sites, but if you use Amazon enough Prime saves you money in the long run. And I have a student account which is like half the normal price, Amazon gets a lot of business from me, not only for my personal component needs, but I order things for other peoples devices/computers that I get tasked to fix too But their 2 day guaranteed shipping is BS, I've ordered things that said two day shipping and end up waiting a week for my stuff. It took 1 &1/2 weeks for all of my computer components to come in a few months ago when I build my personal desktop for home use.

 

[avtella]

I’ve found you have to be careful with Amazon, these days you can get much better deals else where depending on the item. Definitely convenient but can’t take prices for granted. My laptop for one was priced 30-40% more at the time of purchase on Amazon and was cheaper directly from Dell (bought there as they give discounts and you can actually bargain), Costco (Costco gives free 4 year warranty on TVs, Laptops, etc) and even Best Buy. Even things like CPU/Motherboard combos, my friend got a deal 1/2-2/3 at MicroCenter compared to the price on Amazon. Even Newegg, B&H etc sometimes have really good deals.

As for two day shipping they’re usually good about it unless bad weather which is rare. If you buy from Amazon based resellers then yeah don’t expect 2 day shipping from them unless it says fulfilled by Amazon.

 

[sonavogel]

Welp, the Netgear N600 USB adapter arrived yesterday--and just in time, too, because we're going through a major snowstorm (have been since 4:00 a.m.); nothing's going to get here on time now.

But I hooked up the N600 to my desktop (sorry, FatherLandDescendant!); that was something even I could manage.

I did a speedtest prior to installing it, and the d/l was 38.75 Mbps (it was close to that when I ran a test a few weeks ago).
After installation, download speed was 84.28 Mbps.

Nothing to stun me into silence--it hasn't gotten past yellow (2 bars' worth)--but much, much better than what it had been--if it stays that way. I may buy a longer extension cable to see if I can move it closer to the Ubee's location upstairs. But I'm not complaining!

Thank you for the suggestion!

 

[FatherLandDescendant]

(sorry, FatherLandDescendant!)

No need to apologize to me, I just give advice, offer suggestions, and leave the decision up to you.