Dell Service Is Terrible

I ordered a WWAN card and antenna for my Dell 7424. I bought the laptop in 2020. They sent me a screen and back cover for an unknown laptop. I just wanted to be able to connect to a cellular internet service for computing on the road. When I call Dell they tell me to deal with it online. I have sent the unwanted items back. Looking at the Better Business Bureau website it seems Dell has taken a severe downturn in its service department.
Anybody try using the Orbic hotspot from Verizon? I really wanted an internal solution ie WWAN card, but Dell is recalcitrant to provide a solution.

While I?ve never used a Verizon specific hotspot, I use my Verizon phone?s hotspot to work when out and about. I do CAD off of a remote server and have very rarely had any issues. My only issues have been due to lack of phone service and not the bandwidth itself. I have been very happy with how well my hotspot has worked for what I use it for. I have also used it for the day job, which requires the use of a vpn, and haven?t had issues with that computer either. My CAD work is a lot more taxing on bandwidth though. I looked into a dedicated hotspot, but me being a cheapskate, I didn?t want to pay for it when I don?t consistently use it. My phone works better for my application.


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I've got a Verizon MiFi for work, which is used in conjunction with VPN. A lot of my stuff is secure/thin client and I push and pull pretty large files for pictographic analysis, which consumes a fair amount of bandwidth, and gets tricky when you are in a neighborhood with one remaining tower serving all EMS and civilian traffic after a disaster. Verizon will throttle you in those circumstances, ostensibly to better serve everyone. But I know Cal Fire felt differently about Verizon's assessment of what better serves everyone when they got throttled the last time we were working with them. However, in non-disaster scenarios, I've never had a problem with bandwidth or through-put on my MiFi, and in the afternoon the dedicated connection is often better and more stable than my home cable connection, which goes to hell the moment all the kids in the neighborhood get out of school.

Also, Dell sucks. I say that while writing on a Dell XPS desktop I bought last year, which replaced my previous Dell XPS that lasted 12 years. The hardware is fine when it works. When you have a problem, Dell is a nightmare to work with when you are still within the warranty period, let alone when you are out of it. My current XPS does not play well with the discrete graphics card it came with. Will spontaneously black-screen crash at random intervals. Switch to integrated graphics and no issues whatsoever. Whatever the conflict may be, the Dell provided card swap didn't fix it, nor did the assorted registry edits, settings changes, diagnostics, and all the other mess they put me through before they agreed to send out a new one.

Most people will use their phones for a WiFi Hotspot, instead of paying extra to have their laptop equipped that way.

Oh, and Dell is Hell.

-John

I feel sorry for you guys that have to run Windows.

Sounds like my next laptop is going to be a Panasonic Toughbook. I really like this laptop, it is a refurbished that at one time belonged to the Navy. Came with a 3 year warranty and the keyboard was sticking. Service guy repaired it quickly. I noticed almost all the Dell Rugged Extreme laptops come without a WWAN card. I may have to go to a third party place to have this WWAN card installed. Slot for a SIM card is already there.

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Originally Posted by JohnnyEgo

I've got a Verizon MiFi for work, which is used in conjunction with VPN. A lot of my stuff is secure/thin client and I push and pull pretty large files for pictographic analysis, which consumes a fair amount of bandwidth, and gets tricky when you are in a neighborhood with one remaining tower serving all EMS and civilian traffic after a disaster. Verizon will throttle you in those circumstances, ostensibly to better serve everyone. But I know Cal Fire felt differently about Verizon's assessment of what better serves everyone when they got throttled the last time we were working with them. However, in non-disaster scenarios, I've never had a problem with bandwidth or through-put on my MiFi, and in the afternoon the dedicated connection is often better and more stable than my home cable connection, which goes to hell the moment all the kids in the neighborhood get out of school.

Also, Dell sucks. I say that while writing on a Dell XPS desktop I bought last year, which replaced my previous Dell XPS that lasted 12 years. The hardware is fine when it works. When you have a problem, Dell is a nightmare to work with when you are still within the warranty period, let alone when you are out of it. My current XPS does not play well with the discrete graphics card it came with. Will spontaneously black-screen crash at random intervals. Switch to integrated graphics and no issues whatsoever. Whatever the conflict may be, the Dell provided card swap didn't fix it, nor did the assorted registry edits, settings changes, diagnostics, and all the other mess they put me through before they agreed to send out a new one.

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I use a 8800L jetpack that I purchased reman (an upgrade) as we buy our own devices now, but work pays for the service. Though it's only 4G, the upload speed is at least 2-3x my home cable (500Mbps/12Mbps) and when I was stuck working out of state for 2 solid months, better in all respects than the AT&T DSL service where I was staying. I think I was seeing 75/25.

That said, I get nasty emails for excessive data usage from the telcom guys who like to cc: managers 2-3 levels up. I give them the what-for re; my work requirements, and the last time my direct report jumped their shit too about them cc: upper management without cc: him. The emails stopped.

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Originally Posted by arbol

Most people will use their phones for a WiFi Hotspot, instead of paying extra to have their laptop equipped that way.

Oh, and Dell is Hell.

-John

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I generally can't use my phone as a HS as I may be connected to a client VPN uploading/downloading from a work room and have to get up and go into their DC, etc. and I don't go 10 feet without my phone unless it's a restricted space.

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Originally Posted by brutal

That said, I get nasty emails for excessive data usage from the telcom guys who like to cc: managers 2-3 levels up. I give them the what-for re; my work requirements, and the last time my direct report jumped their shit too about them cc: upper management without cc: him. The emails stopped.

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Haha, I am that manager two levels up, and I get the nastygrams for my own usage, as well as all of my subordinates. Apparently Verizon charges some pretty steep rates when you bust their data caps on their corporate plans, as the notes I keep getting imply. I was burning through 80 gig a month when I was in the field, and the actual technicians would routinely bust 100. I gather it adds up quick! We still carry MiFis, but we have some new device that is now bolted in the technician's vans. Some Cisco product, the name escapes me, that can be set to use multiple providers and handle a crap load of simultaneous wifi connections like a hotspot on steroids. Of course, having the ability to switch rapidly between carriers makes no difference when there is still only one tower left.

I'm sick of dealing with computer shit I don't understand. I'm going to work for RTD driving a friggin' train.

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Originally Posted by JohnnyEgo

Haha, I am that manager two levels up, and I get the nastygrams for my own usage, as well as all of my subordinates. Apparently Verizon charges some pretty steep rates when you bust their data caps on their corporate plans, as the notes I keep getting imply. I was burning through 80 gig a month when I was in the field, and the actual technicians would routinely bust 100. I gather it adds up quick! We still carry MiFis, but we have some new device that is now bolted in the technician's vans. Some Cisco product, the name escapes me, that can be set to use multiple providers and handle a crap load of simultaneous wifi connections like a hotspot on steroids. Of course, having the ability to switch rapidly between carriers makes no difference when there is still only one tower left.

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They claimed 190GB one month. LOL. A few others that were 80 or 90GB. Tried to tell me typical is 5GB. ROFL. I upload one UDF image and it's over 4GB.

We have 15,000 employees. Not sure how many are on the company plan but there's not many of us running dedicated hotspots. Can't imagine there are individual caps on each of those tel#'s. It should all be a big pooled plan.

The data usage hassle is just one more bullet on the long list of bullets of why I'm probably going to tell this company to shove it at the end of the year, perhaps before if the crap keeps coming. Tiem to retire full time and go subcontract for some fill in income before I draw SS (at least 5 more years).

The last straw will be when they try to force me to use a corporate CC for (non air) expenses. I will not be compelled to apply for or accept their credit card, they can pound sand.

I got almost the exact line from our corporate telephony people; contract is based on typical use of 5GB per month, no pooled data, and something like $70/per gig over 5. My folks can generate 5 GB of data on a single drone flight. You'd think being part of Fortune 50 mega corp with real lawyers and contract specialists, we could have got a better deal.

BMB, why do you want the internal WWAN card inside the laptop versus just a simple/universal Mifi device or simpler yet, just use the hotspot function on a smartphone to provide wifi services for your laptop when you need it?

I just wanted it to be internal to the laptop and not have another item to lug around. I wanted simplicity. I'm on the cheapest smartphone system there is, Tracfone. I doubt in a local crisis I get priority over FirstNet users. I will probably end up with both systems for redundancy.