losing wireless connectivity each time

[rh71]

I am not too sure about the coincidence of the time-frame of my XP SP3 upgrade, but starting last week my T42 laptop's wireless has been unable to find my router's wireless as easily.

I had it pretty restrictive (no broadcast & WSA security, etc.). So I started loosening the vice and did the broadcast and used only WEP 128bit. After messing with it for quite a while, it finally found it. Next day, it would lose it again and I had to open the thing up with no security in place and it was working again. Right now after a fresh boot, I can't even get it to find any wireless networks. The setting for "Use Windows to configure my wireless network settings" is sometimes unchecked (reset) for whatever reason. I even tried putting in a preferred network, and that gets reset to nothing, randomly.

I use my phone's wifi to test and it finds it effortlessly.

Did SP3 do something with networking/security/wireless? Is my wireless radio on the laptop dying?

 

[akhilles]

It could be interference. Especially in a densely populated area. My area didn't have wireless until a year or so ago. Now there are about 10 networks my pc picks up. Granted, I never ever used the bundled crap antennas. I picked up a few larger ones from ebay. My family pc is 2 rooms away from router and it gets 5 out of 5 bars in signal strength. It uses a directional antenna pointed at the router.

Try to use your laptop in the same room as the router for a few days to rule out interference. With WEP, the connection should be made in seconds. If you have no problems, then move your laptop a room away & further. Keep checking your signal strength in windows wireless, click the scan/refresh button.

If it's interference, your laptop may need a better antenna. A large metal object can act as an antenna. You can build one out of cardboard & aluminum. Or upgrade your router antennas to higher gain and move it to the center of the home.

 

[rh71]

The thing is it had been working everyday for at least 2 years. Sitting right next to the router it also had trouble. The signal strength in the living room (1 room away) is very strong, BUT only when acquired. This morning it once again lost the settings and I "viewed wireless networks" and it found none (not even neighbor's) even though I am broadcasting the name. I had to type in the preferred network, with WEP password, before it connected again... and of course the signal showed strong.

Something is causing it not to re-acquire it everytime it is shut off / hibernated. Previous settings are lost. Hell, it's not even finding a broadcasted SSID. It used to be instant acquisition soon after power-on (and that was when I had much stricter security - no broadcast, etc.).

Even my phone's wifi sees multiple networks from here. I tried a system restore to go back to SP2 but of course it fails to restore.

 

[spidey07]

Make sure any wireless utility for the card is completely removed and that the "windows zero config" service is set to start automatically. Installing or reinstalling a service pack redoes all the linking and binding of network cards. You could have a wireless utility running that is fighting with windows zero config.

 

[izzy92020]

Another thing to consider is the channel you are using...

usually channel 1 or 11 are the least used, try changing to one of those.

 

[akhilles]

spidey07, good catch. I hate dlink drivers installing their own connection utility & protocol to the network card. Have to manually unzip their driver and go to the OS folder to install only the driver. Windows zero config works for me every time. By default, it remembers the password and auto-negotiate the encryption. Yes, it can be set to auto connect even if the SSID isn't broadcast.