HOW TO DOWNLOAD WI-FI DRIVER FOR DELL LAPTOP AND ENABLE WI-FI?

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In this article, we will cover two main issues related to Wi-Fi on Dell laptops. This download and install the necessary drivers for the Wi-Fi adapter and enable the wireless network. Very often, after buying a new laptop, installing, or reinstalling Windows, Wi-Fi does not work on a Dell laptop. The laptop does not see wireless networks and, accordingly, there is no way to connect to the Internet. From my own experience, I can say that it is very difficult for users to determine the reason why a laptop is not wirelessly connected. First of all, I would advise you to try connecting your laptop to Wi-Fi, maybe you haven't figured it out completely, and everything works for you, you just need to connect to a specific network.

Most often there are two reasons:

Dell laptop does not have Wi-Fi driver installed. Windows does not always automatically install the correct drivers. And if the driver is not installed on the wireless adapter, then Wi-Fi will not work, since the system simply does not see the Wi-Fi adapter. This problem most often occurs in Windows 7 and Windows 8. Since Windows 10 usually automatically installs the correct drivers. However, they do not always work correctly, which is why Dell laptops have other Wi-Fi problems. The solution is to download the driver from the official Dell website and install it.
The second reason is that Wi-Fi is turned off. The correct drivers are installed, the wireless adapter is working fine, but it is disabled. Either in device manager or by switch, keyboard shortcut on laptop. The solution is to enable Wi-Fi on your Dell laptop.

Of course, it is not necessary to completely exclude the breakdown of the Wi-Fi module, the disconnection of the wireless module in the BIOS, incorrect connection of the antennas or the module itself (during the disassembly of the laptop), driver curves, system errors in Windows, etc. This also happens, but not so often.

I will demonstrate both solutions in more detail in this article. With screenshots and photos, so that you can independently restore the wireless network on your laptop. But first, you need to determine which problem is specific to your Dell laptop in order to go to a specific solution and fix everything. To do this, go to the device manager. Open "This Computer" (My Computer), right-click on an empty area and select "Properties". On the left, go to the "Device Manager". Or press the Win + R keyboard shortcut and execute the mmc devmgmt.msc command.

In the device manager, open the "Network adapters" tab and look for a wireless adapter there. You can identify it by the presence of such words in the name: "802.11", "Wi-Fi", "WLAN", "Wireless", "AC", "Dual Band". If there is such an adapter, then the drivers are installed. Not the fact that they are working, but installed. For example:

If there is a Wi-Fi module, then you need to try turn on wifi (second part of this article). Or reinstall the drivers, view the adapter properties, check the settings in Windows. If such no adapter (I wrote about this in detail here), then the first thing you need to do is download the correct driver from the Dell website and install it... Usually there is a tab "Other devices" in which there are unknown devices, or something like "Network controller". Most likely this is the Wi-Fi module, it is simply not installed, the system does not know how to work with it.

My instructions will work for all Dell notebook lines: Inspiron (3582, 3581, 1525, 5110, G5 15 5587, G3 17 3779, G3 15 3579), Dell G, Alienware, XPS, Precision, Latitude, Vostro.

Dell laptop Wi-Fi driver: how to download and install?

All we need to download the driver is to find out the model of your laptop. You can see it on the box, in documents, in a store (if you bought a laptop from an online store), or on the bottom of the laptop itself. For example, we have Dell Inspiron 3582.

Go to the official Dell website: https://www.dell.com/support/home/ru/ru/rubsdc?app=drivers
In the search bar, write (copy) the model of your laptop and click on the "Search" button.
If you come from the same Dell laptop to which you need to download a driver for Wi-Fi (for example, you connected the Internet via cable, or use your phone as a modem) and do not know the laptop model, then you can try to click on the "Detect PC" button.
The search results page will open. Go to "Drivers and Downloads".
To make it easier for us to find the driver we need, select the "Networks" category and also select the operating system installed on the laptop.
For newer models, only Windows 10 will likely be available. For older models, Windows 8 and Windows 7.
Like other laptop manufacturers, Dell can install Wi-Fi modules from different manufacturers in one model. Therefore, the site will have several Wi-Fi drivers for different manufacturers. As is the case with the Inspiron 3582. The site has drivers "Intel AX200 / AX201 / 9260/9560/9462 WiFi UWD Driver" and "Dell Wireless 1707 / Qualcomm 9565 WiFi and Bluetooth Driver". Manufacturers Intel and Qualcomm. If you do not know which Wi-Fi module is installed in your Dell laptop, you can try to find out with the HWVendorDetection utility (you can download it on the Internet at the request "HWVendorDetection"). You need to run the utility and see which manufacturer is listed opposite "WLAN". However, this utility does not work on all laptops. As a last resort, download both drivers and try to install them. A driver that doesn't fit will likely not want to be installed. Let's say we have a wireless module from Intel. We load the latest driver.
We save the file with the driver to the computer. Can be on the desktop. If you download the driver on another computer, then you need to copy it to a USB flash drive and transfer it to a Dell laptop, where you have already completed the installation.
If the file is in .exe format, then just run its installation. If in the .zip or .rar format, then open the archive (or extract files from it), find the Setup.exe file and run it.
Install the driver on a Dell laptop using the setup wizard.
After installation, Wi-Fi will most likely work immediately. But it is better to reboot the laptop.

If the driver is not installed (error "Device is disabled or not found", etc.), then make sure that you have downloaded the driver suitable for your laptop model. Try downloading and installing another driver from the list on the official website. Also, make sure that the driver you downloaded is correct for the Windows installed on your laptop.

What if there is no Windows 7 driver?

Good question, but difficult. Dell, like other manufacturers, recommends installing (or installing) the Windows 10 operating system on new laptops. Which is correct, in my opinion. For Windows 7, or even Windows 8 (8.1), the manufacturer simply does not develop drivers for new hardware, including for Wi-Fi modules. I still recommend installing Windows 10 and installing drivers from the laptop manufacturer's website.

Even if a driver is installed on Windows 7, then most likely Wi-Fi will work unstable, or it will not work at all. For example, you won't be able to turn on Wi-Fi. You can try to look for the driver on the website of the Wi-Fi module manufacturer, or by the equipment ID.

How do I enable Wi-Fi on a Dell laptop?

Wi-Fi on a laptop can be disabled both by hardware and software. The process for enabling wireless on Dell laptops can vary greatly depending on the model, year of manufacture, and the Windows operating system installed. The main thing is that the driver is installed. There was a Wi-Fi module in the device manager (usually a Dell Wireless ... 802.11 ... adapter). And it was without errors (an arrow (which means that it is disabled), or a yellow exclamation mark). All information on installing drivers is in the article above.

Windows 10

In Windows 10 (in principle, as in Windows 8 and 8.1), you usually do not need to manually enable anything after installing the driver, the laptop immediately sees the Wi-Fi network. Only the "Airplane" mode can be turned on. You just need to turn it off and turn on the Wi-Fi network.

There are no separate, mechanical switches on new laptops. And here is the key with the wireless network icon () on the laptop keyboard is. On newer models, it is usually found on the "PrtScr" or "Home" key.

If you cannot turn on Wi-Fi, then you can press this key. Only on it, or paired with the Fn key (Fn + PrtScr (or "Home")).

It is also advisable to check if the Wi-Fi module is enabled on the Dell laptop in the device manager. If there is an arrow-shaped icon next to it, then right-click on it and select "Enable device" (the name of the adapter itself may differ for you).

This is probably all about Wi-Fi on Dell laptops with Windows 10. Except I'll leave a few links to instructions that may be useful to you:

How to turn on Wi-Fi in Windows 10 when there is no Wi-Fi button and the error "Could not find wireless devices on this computer"
Wireless - Disabled in Windows 10. Wi-Fi won't turn on

If all else fails, download the driver according to the instructions above and start the installation.

Windows 7

Things are a little more complicated here, especially if Windows 7 is installed on a new Dell laptop, for which the manufacturer recommends Windows 10 and there is no driver on the manufacturer's website.

In the case of Windows 7, I recommend that you first try turning on Wi-Fi through Windows Mobility Center. It can be found and run through the Start menu, or by the keyboard shortcut Win + X.

In the center of mobility there will be a block with wireless settings. Click on the "Enable Wireless" button.

If there are no such settings there, or the button is inactive, then we try to turn on Wi-Fi using the keys on the Dell laptop keyboard. Depending on the model, these can be the following combinations:

Hold down the Fn key and press the second key. For example:

Older Dell Latitude and Precision laptops may have a separate switch (slider) on the laptop chassis. It is usually on the right or left side and looks something like this: