Laptop Repair led to intermittent/slow WiFi. Hardware or software to blame?

[Blewsman]

My laptop was recently sent off for repair for a damaged LCD screen. The repair center replaced the LCD screen, battery, MoBo, and WiFi card. Since then I have been getting intermittent download speeds - ranging from no connectivity up to 70% of download speeds I get on every other device on the network.

I have updated the BIOS and all drivers (including the latest WiFi&Bluetooth drivers from this site). I have also tried a reset of modem & router. I also uninstalled Smartbyte diagnostic tool (I read on other forums this has been known to cause problems).

I bit about the system:

Dell Inspiron 15-7579

Windows Home 10 - 64bit, version 1803, build 17134.471

Intel Dual Band Wireless AC-3165#2

Also attached is the SSU for the system.

Any ideas on what could be causing the issue? Hardware? Software?

The laptop is under service warranty with a major big-box retailer. But this would be the fourth time to send it in and it seems like each time it comes back with a new and interesting problem. If I can at least confirm it is, in-fact, defective hardware/repair then I feel a little better about sending it off again.

Thanks!

[Wanner_G_Intel]

Hello Bewsman, Thank you for joining this Intel Community. 1. To check if this is a driver issue, we recommend performing a clean install of the wireless driver provided by your system manufacturer first. Clean Installation of Wireless Drivers https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000022173/network-and-i-o/wireless-networking.html Now, the report says that your system model is Inspiron 13-7378: DELL Inspiron 13-7378 https://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/04/product-support/product/inspiron-13-7378-2-in-1-laptop/drivers DELL* Inspiron 15-7579 https://www.dell.com/support/home/us/en/04/product-support/product/inspiron-15-7579-2-in-1-laptop/drivers **Note: Please verify that your system model is correct. Wanner G. Intel Customer Support Technician Under Contract to Intel Corporation

[Blewsman]

Thanks Wanner.

Good catch regarding the system model. Prior to sending for repair, the system model was showing as Inspiron 15-7579. After the repair, the Service Tag was updated and the "reported" system model for the new service tag is Inspiron 13-7378. My guess is they used refurbished hardware during the repair. Do you think they may have dropped in incompatible hardware and that is causing some of the problem?

The drivers for the two links you shared seem to be the same...at least from the file name/date. I performed a clean install for the drivers downloaded from the current configuration (Inspiron 13) from Dell (using their tool to "detect current configuration").

Unfortunately it did not seem to resolve the issue. Should I try the one for Inspiron 15 as well? Other suggestions?

A hearty thanks,

David

[Wanner_G_Intel]

Hello Bewsman, Thank you for your response. To check if this is a driver/compatibility issue, we recommend you to install the latest wireless drivers from your system manufacturer's support website. Since the system model and other information are not that clear, are you able to contact your computer manufacturer so that you can get a confirmation about it? In this way, you can avoid potential installation incompatibilities. Now, as you were saying, the driver version for both system models seems to be the same. You may give it a try. If it is not successful, then you can try the latest generic version below by performing a clean install, too. For Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165 Intel® PROSet/Wireless Software and Drivers for Windows® 10 Version: 20.90.0 (Latest) Wanner G. Intel Customer Support Technician Under Contract to Intel Corporation

[Wanner_G_Intel]

Hello Bewsman, Were you able to check the steps provided to address the Wi-Fi drops? Wanner G. Intel Customer Support Technician Under Contract to Intel Corporation

[Wanner_G_Intel]

Hello Bewsman, If you have any further questions, we will be glad to help you. Wanner G. Intel Customer Support Technician Under Contract to Intel Corporation