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Dell Laptop WiFi Keeps Disconnecting (How to Fix)

Dell is well known for making prebuilt PCs, as well as laptops. They offer very good support but there are a range of steps to take when you have an issue before getting it repaired or replaced. This is what to do if the WiFi keeps disconnecting on your Dell laptop.

In general, download, install and run Dell Support Assist to identify and issue. After that, if the issue persists uninstall SmartByte. If it’s still working try running the Windows troubleshooter on your WiFi connection, and WiFi adapter and then do the steps below.

Black laptop on the desk

You can download Dell Support Assist for your computer here. SmartByte is a software that is commonly installed on Dell laptops. It is designed to improve internet speeds by prioritizing different types of content such as video.

However, it can cause issues and only offers a marginal improvement. Therefore, it’s perfectly fine to completely remove it by uninstalling it. To uninstall it go to the Add/Remove programs from the Control Panel.

Locate it from the list of installed programs, click on it, and then select uninstall. If your WiFi keeps disconnecting go refer to the list of reasons and fixes at the very top of this article. And do each step one by one.

Reasons Why Dell Laptop WiFi Keeps Disconnecting

Black laptop on the desk

There can either be a software issue, a hardware issue, or both that causes a laptop to keep disconnecting from WiFi. Here are the top 7 reasons a laptop keeps disconnecting from WiFi.

There is a glitch with the network adapter, your WiFi adapter is set to power off in the Windows power settings, your WiFi router has a glitch, the network settings have a glitch, your network drivers or Windows are out of date, and/or you have not updated your computer to the latest version of Windows.

Some of these issues have multiple solutions. Below, I have provided a brief outline of why these problems cause the WiFi on your laptop to keep disconnecting, and the troubleshooting steps for each step. Let’s dive in!

1. There is a glitch with the network adapter or drivers

As you may know, Windows is the core part of what makes a computer run, and it makes use of other pieces of software known as drivers. These can have a glitch in the computer code. The network adapter itself can also have a glitch.

Both of these can be fixed by running the built in Windows troubleshooter. It will run by itself and do a bunch of different fixes.

You should run the Windows troubleshooter on both the network connection and the network adapter. To do that refer to the instructions in the video below to access the Windows troubleshooter:

In the troubleshoot options it will provide a list of the components, and services in Windows which you can run the Windows troubleshooter on.

Run it on:

  • Your network connections (Internet Connections)
  • Network adapter

After that, see if the issue persists. If it does, do the next step.

2. WiFi adapter is set to turn off to save power

There are various options in the power settings in Windows. When your computer is not in use for a set amount of time, Windows can be set so it will turn off certain components such as the network adapter. If this is set your internet connection will drop after a certain amount of time.

It’s possible it’s enabled by default. It’s worth double checking the power settings and ensure it’s set to always on. And isn’t disabled after a certain amount of time. To do that check the power settings for your network adapter by:

  • Press and hold the Windows Key and the ‘X’ button on your keyboard
  • A menu will open on the left hand side of the screen, click on ‘Device Manager’
  • A list of all the devices on your computer will show up in a new window
  • One of the is ‘Network adapters’
  • Click the small arrow on the left hand side of it to open all of the network adapters on your computer
  • Right click on each one and click on ‘properties’
  • A new window will open with tabs at the top
  • At the top is an option that says ‘Power Management’.
  • Click the box that says ‘allow Windows to turn off this device to save power’
  • Hit apply at the bottom and then exit the window

Not all of the network adapters that are listed will have the Power Management option. If it doesn’t then skip that one, and move on to the next network adapter.

3. WiFi router has a firmware glitch

WiFi routers have software on them which is called firmware. From time to time a bug can occur with it, which will cause the signal to drop randomly. To fix this issue is very simple, just turn your WiFi router off for about 10 to 20 seconds, then turn it back on again.

As you may know, it takes a few minutes for your WiFi router to fully connect to the internet again. So, give it a few minutes and see if the WiFi keeps dropping. If it does, move on to the next step.

4. Glitch with the Windows operating system

This issue is related to the first step, where you ran the Windows troubleshooter. There can be a glitch with the Windows as a whole. This can be because a bug has occurred with a specific problem, or a software conflict caused by Windows being out of date.

To fix both of these, restart your laptop. Doing so makes Windows close all of the tasks, background processes, and programs on your computer. It then opens them again.

This fixes any programs, or services that have frozen in the background. After that run the Windows updater, and ensure your version of Windows, or other operating system such as ChromeOS, is on the latest version.

Windows and other operating system updates like ChromeOS also install any updates to the drivers for the components on your computer. Such as, the network adapter that controls your WiFi connection.

5. The network cache has a bug

There is what is called a network cache. It can have a bug, and cause a WiFi connection to cut in and out, or cause issues with the software on a computer. It needs to be cleared from time to time, especially if there is an issue with your internet connection.

The network connection can also have a bug that causes connection issues. Manually connecting and reconnecting it at the base level of your computer has been found by programmers to be very effective at fixing these issues. And is also recommended by Microsoft for this type of issue.

It’s very easy to do.

  • Go to the start menu and type in cmd
  • The command prompt will show near the top, right click on it and select ‘Run as Administrator’.
  • It will open a new window.
  • Type each of the commands below one by one
  • After typing in one of them, press the enter key on the keyboard, and let it run.
  • When it’s finished it will say on the screen.
  • After that, type in the next command and press enter on the keyboard until you have done all of them

The commands are:

netsh int ip reset

netsh winsock reset

ipconfig /release

ipconfig /renew

ipconfig /flushdns

They need to be typed exactly otherwise they won’t work. You will get an error if you try something different like using capital letters instead of lower case or missing a space.

6. Reset network in Windows settings

Sometimes the entire network connection can have a glitch and it needs to be reset to get it working again. This step is similar to the one above using the command prompt but works a little bit differently. It’s called a network connection reset. To do that:

  • Hold down the Windows key and press the ‘i’ key on your keyboard
  • Click on ‘Network & Internet’
  • At the bottom it will say ‘network reset’
  • Click on that and then click ‘reset now’

It should prompt you to restart your computer. Do that, and then see if your WiFi still drops, if it does move on the next step.

7. Download the latest driver for your WiFi modem

Windows updates commonly include drivers for all of the components on a computer but not always. If drivers are outdated they can crash more easily, which makes them stop working. There are drivers for your WiFi modem.

Virtually all laptop manufacturers provide the drivers, or the driver just for the network adapter on their official website. To fix this issue to see if it was what was causing it go to the official website of your laptop brand. For example, for a Lenovo laptop go to the Lenovo website.

There will be an option to download the drivers based on the model number of your laptop. The model number of your laptop is commonly written on the front, back, or on the underside of the battery. Download the driver for your laptop make and model.

Then go into the Device Manager and uninstall the driver for your network adapter. To do that:

Copyright protected content owner: ReadyToDIY.com and was initially posted on March 20, 2023.

  • Hold down the Windows button and the ‘X’ key on your keyboard
  • A menu will open, click on ‘Device Manager’.
  • A new window will open, from the list of devices locate ‘network adapters’
  • Click the small arrow to the left of it
  • All of the network adapters on your computer will then be displayed
  • Right click on each of them and click on uninstall
  • Windows will guide you through uninstalling it

The right click on each of the network adapters and select ‘properties’. In the new window that opens click the ‘driver’ tab at the top, and select install driver. Select install from a file on your computer.

Select the location where you downloaded the drivers for your computer to, and select. Then follow the on screen instructions to finish installing it.

If you run into any issues don’t worry. When you restart your computer Windows will reinstall the default Windows drivers for your network adapters.

Fixing Dell Laptop WiFi That Keeps Disconnecting

Black laptop on the desk

WiFi is the most common way to connect a laptop to the internet. Once a laptop is connected to a WiFi connection it will remain connected all the time, unless there’s an issue.

Overall, you should run the Windows troubleshooter on your WiFi connection, and on your WiFi adapter. After that, reset the network in Windows (multiple methods). If it’s still happening, ensure you have installed the latest Windows update, and the latest driver for your WiFi adapter.

Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on March 20, 2023.

It’s impossible to know ahead of time why it’s occurring, therefore, it’s a matter of trying each step until you identify why it was happening. Above, I have covered the top 7 reasons why a laptop keeps disconnecting from a WiFi connection.

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ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on March 20, 2023.

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