Why is my ping higher when my charger is plugged into my Dell Precision M6800 laptop?

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3

I recently noticed that the reason my Wi-Fi was so terrible seems to be caused by plugging in my charger.

Here is a little video of it happening, trying to ping riot.de

Here is the ping when plugged in:

Here is the ping when plugged in

And here, when it isn't:

And here, when it isn't

What could be causing this issue ?

I tried updating my Wi-Fi drivers and resetting my power settings, to no avail. I am running Windows 10 and using a Dell Wireless 1550 802.11ac.

Here are the main power settings:

enter image description here

Just got similar result after testing it within the Windows sandbox (Which should put aside the problem behing cause by bloatware, right ?).

First plugged in, then not:

enter image description here

UPDATE

Tried a few other things:

  • Using a different network, (in this case, the school one), gave similar results
  • Pinging other website (youtube.com and reddit.com) gave similar results
  • Pinging someone else on the same network gave similar results
  • Using a new charger

Treycos

Posted 2019-09-19T15:15:23.603

Reputation: 222

Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.

– DavidPostill – 2019-09-20T17:50:02.653

Have you tried setting your power plan via group policy? And to rule it out, see if the problem persists when matching "on battery" settings to "plugged" ones, and vice versa? Windows 10's power plan doesn't play nice with user-modified plans, which is why I mention the group policy method to get it to not default back. – Arctiic – 2019-09-23T09:43:16.537

2Low-tech suggestion: Wrap the cable in tinfoil. – harrymc – 2019-09-23T12:26:57.753

2

I suspect that this is caused by EMF interference caused by damaged hardware, too. To confirm that it is not a software / configuration fault you could boot a Linux Live Distribution from USB, like Manjaro https://manjaro.org/download/official/xfce/ and see if this happens there, too. You could also try to use another plug socket, select another WiFi channel and compare 2.4 GHz to 5 GHz WiFi to further isolate the problem.

– dirdi – 2019-09-23T14:46:50.957

I will be trying tomorrow to boot with Linux to completely put aside the potential software source. If it does not work, I'll try an external wifi dongle. I also tested on both 2.4 and 5GHz wifi, and got similar results. – Treycos – 2019-09-23T15:56:20.897

Have you tried another charger/power-cable? – harrymc – 2019-09-26T08:11:50.467

@harrymc Yes, I tried a brand new one. similar results – Treycos – 2019-09-26T08:18:15.043

Have you checked the computer where you plug-in the cable for isolation problem, or earthing problem, that may cause the motherboard to be charged with static electricity? – harrymc – 2019-09-26T08:22:39.253

Try removing the battery, perhaps the charging circuitry is creating high EMF, you can also ground your laptop if that is the case. – DarkPh03n1X – 2019-09-26T12:28:54.073

@Treycos what were the results via Linux? Is it possible to connect through a (ethernet) cable? – Albin – 2019-09-26T17:25:31.443

I ended up not having the time to test Linux. Will try tomorrow. Ethernet works perfectly. Will also try removing the battery, and I have no idea about how to check for an isolation problem – Treycos – 2019-09-26T17:37:40.027

@Treycos Do you have a second Device/Laptop available? If you use it close to this one (not connected to the same power line), using the same WiFi (frequency, AP, etc.). Do you get different ping results when your first laptop is plugged in? – Albin – 2019-09-27T12:45:01.373

@Treycos what about long term testing (continues ping). Does it give you the same results? Doing the test without the battery (or with a full battery) would be interesting as well. – Albin – 2019-09-27T12:46:31.290

@Treycos anther good test would be to try to use a different (external) WiFi adapter connected via USB or Ethernet. I would also be interesting to move it away from the laptop to see if the cause is indeed a signal given off by a component involved in the charging process. – Albin – 2019-09-27T13:01:11.830

When you put in the charger or take it out, do you hear/see any electrical discharge? (Knowing that a low charge is unseen and unfelt). Try to connect an earthing wire to the case near the charger socket. – harrymc – 2019-09-27T18:27:33.663

Any different in the tracert results with it plugged in and not plugged in? Just curious. – Pimp Juice IT – 2019-09-27T20:43:54.993

I have an older model of that laptop. Have you looked at any of the BIOS settings? Is "ExpressCharge" enabled? or any of your wake interrupts? Does it show any relevant events in your BIOS log? – AenAllAin – 2019-09-27T18:13:28.753

@Treycos any news? – Albin – 2019-10-01T07:31:09.870

Answers

2

Since ethernet works fine, it is most likely some sort of interference with the wireless signal caused by the charger and/or the charging process. This can be the case if the charger (or the laptop components involved in the charging process) gives out signal interfering with the WiFi signal and or the antenna of your Wifi module within your laptop.

The second scenario is an actual interference of the antenna not introduced by an "outside" frequency (that goes through the air) but through interference that reaches the antenna through the laptop's circuits.

The third scenario, possible though unlikely is that Wifi signal is fine but the controller itself does not work properly when the Laptop charges.

Either way there is need of further testign to determine the acutall cause of for the source of the delay.

Albin

Posted 2019-09-19T15:15:23.603

Reputation: 3 983

I agree with the first paragraph (interference probably caused by charger or laptop charging components). But the second paragraph is unclear - I think you mean receiving some kind of outside RF signal thru the charger/charging cable, but as he's tried it at different locations that is less likely. Regarding the 3rd paragraph, to test for that problem, try using a USB wifi dongle and see if it also has the problem. – Velo Traveler – 2019-09-28T23:12:50.520

@VeloTraveler with the second paragraph I'm trying explain that the interfering signal can also be a signal transmitted through the wire within the laptop (which originated from one of the laptops component). – Albin – 2019-09-29T09:45:20.000

Asked: 2019-09-19T15:15:23.603

Viewed: 387 times

Active: 2019-09-27T20:05:26.617