It is a small card retained by one screw, inserted into a slot and has the standard two antenna wires connected. I also attempted resetting the WiFi settings and drivers, via the windows utility, this also did nothing.įinally, I opened the back of the laptop (as I now understand the limits of assistance should warranty be in dispute) and located the WiFi controller.
#Anatel wifi module part number driver#
The next steps I took were to try various driver installations and updates from Intel, the maker of the WiFi chip. They directed me to Dell's website and this community as an aid. I kept it cool and told support that I would attempt self-repair. At that point, I was told that this is a software problem and that I would need to buy approximately $230 of additional warranty coverage for support to investigate. The technician then asked if I could plug in via Ethernet and I explained that this model is WiFi only. We ran the test two times and both times it came back that all system features were working correctly. I called Dell support and they guided me through the diagnostic procedures in the boot manager BIOS feature. When I looked up the wifi card in Device Manager the dialog box said the windows encountered an error and that the device could not be started. Toggling airplane mode nor using the wifi function key had any effect. The wifi icon on the task bar, in the lower right, was covered with a red X. One day I let the laptop sleep for 6 hours and when I turned it back on I received an error that I was not connected to the internet. (I would love Dell's feedback regarding this story) I bought my 7000 laptop 2 months ago and the wireless card stopped working this week. I wanted to share my experience so that it may help others.