Laptop frequently disconnecting from wireless network

[jamison05]

Hi, I have been experiencing some problems with my home network for the last few months, I have searched every forum I could find and none of the solutions to similar problems have seemed to help. I have a Wireless home network, with cable internet access, the Desktop that my router and modem are hardwired to works fine, my laptop on the other hand disconnects very VERY frequently. Usually what happens is I will boot the laptop and it connects to the network, no problem, I surf the net for about 2-10 minutes and then my internet speed starts dropping, until it eventually gets to 1 mbps then drops completely off of the network. If I go to repair connection it will USUALLY fix the problem for another 2-10 minutes and then it happens again. Sometimes when the repair connection option doesn't work I have to close the laptop so that it will go on standby, wait about 10 seconds, open it back up, then it works. I believe that it is a laptop problem, because I have purchased three completely different routers with the same outcome on all three. I am currently using a Linksys WRT54G router. Any help you could provide would be outstanding!!
Thanks!

Jay

If you need any more information just ask, I will try to get back on here as soon as I wake up tomorrow to see if I can figure this out, so I will check any specs or info you might need then. Thanks again!

[Pzykotik]

What's happening with your connection "strength" when your speed drops? What are you using to connect wirelessly (in build card or PCMCIA) Have you tried updating your drivers?

[jamison05]

My connection strength never goes below excellent, the laptop is most commonly used only one room away from the router, so I don't think it is a signal problem. I have updated the drivers of the router, but I haven't tried updating the built in network card. I will try that and see what happens.

[jamison05]

I tried to update the driver and it said that I have the most current match already installed. Any other ideas?

[jamison05]

Anyone?

[Pzykotik]

So your network connection doesn't drop... Your internet just disconnects? Do you get disconnected from shared drives and such on the network when this happens?

[zinjin]

If you bring up your search for nearest Wireless connections how many to you see in the window? For me I was having the same problem, checked to see how many there were and seen there quite a few wireless connections available. I changed the channel settings in the AP from default ch6 to another channel, problem solved for me.

Also download a program called netstumbler, and let it run and keep an eye on the signal and dB level of your wireless connection, its a pretty cool utility.

[jamison05]

There are no other networks in range, so I don't know if that's the problem or not.. The network connection does drop, not just the internet. I can't figure this thing out and I am not sure what to try next. I have an XBox 360 that connects through the wireless network also and I have no problems with it.

[[Spitfire]]

if your xbox360 connects, then its your laptops fault, anyways, try resetting the router manually, you should find a small button at the back, and set i up from the start, if it still doesn't work.
disable and uninstall the laptop wifi drivers, reinstall

btw is it an inbuilt card? if it is and the problem still exists, get a external card and try it out

[Crossfire]

Sounds like the router is weak.

Try connecting and letting it sit and see see if it disconnects.

[MountainLynx]

I had a very similar issue with some machines recently. The issue turned out to be the imaged software. Basically, they line up 200+ of these laptops and flash the HDD's through the network, but if there's a flaw in the image, or somewhere in the transfer process, ALL of the machines are affected. So I got a bunch from the same set (right down to near-sequential serial numbers!) that all had the exact same problem. A reinstall of Windows from the Recovery Partition fixed the issue.

[Howky]

Hello well wireless networks use different topology than wired ethernet. you say your XBox 360 works fine.It could be a compatibilty with your laptop and the router that is causing disconnections and drops in your network. I had a similar problem with a built in wireless network adapter on a laptop the router could detect it but would not assign an ip address. so i installed a usb wireless network adapter which used its own software to connect to the router/Access point via the laptop it worked perfectly even with diffrent encryption. You could try using a diffrent channel or try encryption,it also depends on your location in your house building signal strength can be affected greatly and cause disconnection and drops in performance. Another good tip is to assign manual ip addresses of your devices. DHCP can release your clients causing disconnections on your Wireless L.A.N hope this helps

So you say the your signal does not drop but you lose your WiFi connection on your laptop. Also you stated your 360 which connects via the WiFi has no problems what so ever. Ok I would start by uninstalling the WiFi NIC driver on your laptop and reinstall with the newest driver. If that does not help try re-seating the WiFi card in the mini-pci slot. The location of the mini-pci slot differ from laptop to laptop. Usually they have a access spot underneath the laptop. Some are located underneath the keyboard. If this still does not work you may have a defective WiFi card.

Final though make sure your laptop is not overheating as this could effect the card as well. I had a router that would disconnect do to overheating. I added a heatsink and fan to it and has been working fine for the last 2 years with no need to reboot it any more.

[wodaji]

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/30...gement-setting

My wife's laptop was doing similar things. Turning off the power savers helped. Good luck!

[grunger]

Raising the dead thread!

Maybe check the date - last post was 3+ years ago!