User Guide

User Guide
Troubleshooting: Dell TrueMobile WLAN Card User's Guide

Back to Contents

Troubleshooting: Dell™ TrueMobile™ WLAN Card User's Guide


Cannot Connect to the Network
Performance and Connectivity Problems
Getting Help


Cannot Connect to the Network

If your Dell TrueMobile WLAN Card appears to be functioning properly but you cannot connect to the network, the problem may be that there is a mismatch between the network key information used to configure the network profile on the notebook and the network key information of the network you are trying to connect to. As explained in Completing the Setup, this information is case sensitive. Verify that the spelling and case of this information are correct and that the network key information settings are exactly the same on all computers on the network.

If you have verified that the spelling and case of this information are correct and that the network key information settings are exactly the same on all computers on the network, and you are still unable to connect to the network, see Performance and Connectivity Problems.

Performance and Connectivity Problems

Problem or Symptom Possible Solution
The computers seem to be communicating, but they do not appear in My Computer or in My Network Places.

Windows 2000 Environment

Windows XP Environment

Verify that File and Printer Sharing is enabled on all the computers on your network.

  1. Click Start, point to Settings, to Control Panel, to Network and Dial-up Connections, and then click Local Area Connection.
  2. Click Properties.
  3. Under Components checked are used by the connection, verify that the File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks check box is selected. If the check box is cleared, select it. If the check box is not present, click Install. Select Service, and then click Add. Select File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks, and then click OK. Close Local Area Connection Properties.
  4. Close Local Area Connection Status.
  5. Close Network and Dial-up Connections.

Verify that File and Printer Sharing is enabled on all the computers on your network.

  1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel (Classic View).
  2. In Control Panel, double-click Network Connections.
  3. Right-click Wireless Network Connection and click Properties.
  4. Click the General tab.
  5. Under This connection uses the following items, verify that the File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks check box is selected. If the check box is cleared, select it. If this item is not present, click Install. Select Service, and then click Add. Select File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks and click OK. Close Wireless Network Connection Properties.
  6. Close Network Connections.
Data transfer is sometimes very slow. Microwave ovens, some baby monitors, cordless game controllers, and some cordless phones operate at the same radio frequency as the Dell TrueMobile WLAN Cards. When these devices are in use, they interferes with the wireless network. Therefore, keep computers having the Dell TrueMobile WLAN Cards at least 20 feet away from your microwave oven and any other devices that operate at a frequency of 2.4 GHz.
Data transfer is always very slow. Some homes and most offices are steel-framed structures. The steel in such buildings may interfere with your network's radio signals, thus causing a slowdown in the data transmission rate. Try moving your computer to different locations in the building to see if performance improves.
Computers are not communicating with the network. If your network has an access point, check all cables and make sure the power LED on the front of the AP is green. Verify that all of the wireless network properties settings are correct (see Viewing the Settings of a Network Connection). Also, make sure that your computer is receiving a good signal from the access point. See Viewing the Link Status of Your Wireless Connection. Verify with the network administrator/AP installer that the TrueMobile WLAN Card in your notebook is compatible with the IEEE 802.11 WLAN standard under which the wireless network/AP is operating.
In Microsoft® Windows® 2000, I get the following error message: Network Cable unplugged. Also, there is a red X on the wireless network connection icon in the system tray.  This indicates that the radio is not enabled. To enable the radio, right-click the utility icon in the system tray and click Enable Radio. On newer Dell TrueMobile enabled notebooks, the radio can be enabled/disabled by pressing Fn + F2.
Network performance is really slow when the system is docked to a docking station that has an active Ethernet port. NOTE—For Windows 2000 environment only. This condition occurs if you dock your system into a docking station that has an active Ethernet port while your Dell TrueMobile WLAN Card is still active and connected to an access point. This happens because Windows 2000 must now handle two active network connections. You need to either disconnect the Ethernet cable from  your docking station, or disable the radio on your Dell TrueMobile WLAN Card.  To disable the radio, right-click the utility icon and click Disable Radio

NOTE—The radio is not automatically enabled when your computer next starts. To enable the radio, right-click the utility icon and click Enable Radio.

Getting Help

Technical support is available online from Dell at http://support.dell.com


Back to top

Back to Contents


Please read copyright and trademark information.

Laptops | Desktops | Business Laptops | Business Desktops | Workstations | Servers | Storage | Monitors
All rights reserved : About Dell | Site Terms | Terms and Conditions | Service Agreements | Unresolved Issues | Privacy | Site Map | Dell Recycling | Feedback

*IMPORTANT DELL DETAIL

TRADEMARKS: Celeron, Celeron Inside, Core Inside, Intel, Intel Logo, Intel Atom, Intel Atom Inside, Intel Core, Intel Inside, Intel Inside Logo, Intel Viiv, Intel vPro, Itanium, Itanium Inside, Pentium, Pentium Inside, Viiv Inside, vPro Inside, Xeon, and Xeon Inside are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. For more information about the Intel processor feature rating, please refer to www.intel.com/go/rating

RETURNS POLICY: Dell’s “Returns Policy” found at http://www.dell.co.in applies to all sales. Choose carefully, as order cancellation rights are limited and additional costs may apply.

MISTAKES: While all efforts are made to check pricing and other errors, inadvertent errors do occur from time to time and Dell reserves the right to decline orders arising from such errors.

# The Easy EMI offer is valid only on Direct purchases from Dell. Processing fees of Rs. 999 and service taxes applicable.

Inclusive of delivery charges. The price excludes VAT (5%) and local taxes which vary basis jurisdiction.

snWEB4