Unable to connect to home wireless network
My boss has provided me with a Lenovo ThinkPad T61 (Windows Vista Business), with IBM Access Connections software to manage my wireless connections. I've connected through my home WiFi network successfully on countless occasions. But for a couple of weeks now, with nothing changed that I'm aware of, the machine fails to connect for hours, or even days at a time.
Sometimes the connection fails at the 'authenticating' stage, sometimes it progresses past that point and fails at 'acquiring an IP address'. In some cases (like now, just after I started typing this question) it actually succeeds, and I have connectivity for a while. But when I turn off the machine, connect at work, come back home and try again here, it very often displays the same problems all over again.
Home WiFi network is WPA-PSK with MAC address authentication (both the PSK and the MAC address are entered correctly). Not that it matters much, because when this problem occurs, I can open the network wide (no security at all) and the machine *still* fails to connect. Kicking the laptop off the DHCP client list, rebooting the router... nothing works! Up until the point where the laptop suddenly decides it's okay to connect again. (And all the while, my desktop is cheerfully connected.)
It drives me crazy to have my laptop unconnected for days at a time. Any advice?
Sometimes the connection fails at the 'authenticating' stage, sometimes it progresses past that point and fails at 'acquiring an IP address'. In some cases (like now, just after I started typing this question) it actually succeeds, and I have connectivity for a while. But when I turn off the machine, connect at work, come back home and try again here, it very often displays the same problems all over again.
Home WiFi network is WPA-PSK with MAC address authentication (both the PSK and the MAC address are entered correctly). Not that it matters much, because when this problem occurs, I can open the network wide (no security at all) and the machine *still* fails to connect. Kicking the laptop off the DHCP client list, rebooting the router... nothing works! Up until the point where the laptop suddenly decides it's okay to connect again. (And all the while, my desktop is cheerfully connected.)
It drives me crazy to have my laptop unconnected for days at a time. Any advice?
ASKER
Thanks for your answer, Tuxx. I wish it were that simple. But the support desk at my office already pointed me towards hibernation as the culprit, and I've disabled that wherever I could. The system has only two states now: on and off. And still the problem occurs.
I had the same problem trying to get a new wireless card to work. It would not connect at all, "authenticating" or "accuiring IP address", never got a connection. Have you moved the laptop around, put it next to the router, try different security?
ASKER
I've moved it all around my house, from the living to the study (where the router is) and tried it with and without MAC security and with and without WPA. No dice.
FlorisMK,
What is the make and model of wireless router (or device)? Do any other computers connect to it wirelessly still without a problem? Have you done a recent firmware update?
You might try changing the channel it uses. Also instead of having the router support a few standards you could set it to just support 802.11g or 802.11b (depending on what you laptop will support).
If you use Access Connections to detect other networks does it see any others in the area, especially with strong signals? What channel do they use?
Let me know if you have any questions or need more information.
b0lsc0tt
What is the make and model of wireless router (or device)? Do any other computers connect to it wirelessly still without a problem? Have you done a recent firmware update?
You might try changing the channel it uses. Also instead of having the router support a few standards you could set it to just support 802.11g or 802.11b (depending on what you laptop will support).
If you use Access Connections to detect other networks does it see any others in the area, especially with strong signals? What channel do they use?
Let me know if you have any questions or need more information.
b0lsc0tt
ASKER
Make and model: DigiConnect 11G. No firmware update is offered by DigiConnect.
Changing the channel or the protocol is not an available option, at least not from the management page, and the manual is less than helpful.
There are other networks with strong signals in range, but I can't tell which channel they use; I've uninstalled TAC this morning to see if Windows Vista does a better job by itself. No dice.
The laptop connects flawlessly by cable (after I added the adapter MAC to the MAC table).
My desktop always connects instantly and without problems (through wireless), though I must admit it has a habit of reporting 'Connected to wireless network' at intervals, suggesting that perhaps the connection is not as reliable as it should be. MSN Messenger's connection is sometimes dropped as well, also suggesting there may be a fundamental problem with the wireless. Could this simply be a faulty router?
Changing the channel or the protocol is not an available option, at least not from the management page, and the manual is less than helpful.
There are other networks with strong signals in range, but I can't tell which channel they use; I've uninstalled TAC this morning to see if Windows Vista does a better job by itself. No dice.
The laptop connects flawlessly by cable (after I added the adapter MAC to the MAC table).
My desktop always connects instantly and without problems (through wireless), though I must admit it has a habit of reporting 'Connected to wireless network' at intervals, suggesting that perhaps the connection is not as reliable as it should be. MSN Messenger's connection is sometimes dropped as well, also suggesting there may be a fundamental problem with the wireless. Could this simply be a faulty router?
If you are using the laptop's onboard wireless adapter, you might try installing a PCMCIA Card or a Wireless USB dongle - the adapter may be faulty. If the desktop wireless connection is contiguous, it does not sound like a router problem.
ASKER
It doesn't look quite contiguous though, the desktop connection. Yes, I can browse, chat and email without problems, but the connection intermittently reconnects (showing the 'Connecting' animation in the system tray) or reports 'You are now connected' after I've already been connected for hours. Could that mean that the desktop connection is also unreliable?
ASKER
New info: I've reinstalled Access Connections (as uninstalling didn't make a difference), switched to channel 8 on the router (no other networks found with that channel, Access Connections tells me), and switched from 'Best available' to 'Wireless LAN 802.11' in the connection settings. I've recreated the location profile a couple of times, because the first two times I did that, the connection suddenly worked. Not anymore though.
About trying a different wireless adapter for the laptop: I could do that, but I've no connection problems with the laptop anywhere else (like at the office, or on the unsecured network at the hotel where stayed recently). That suggests that the adapter is not the issue.
The connection attempt keeps failing at the 'Authenticating' stage, and the 'Help me fix this' info states that I should 'wait for authentication to complete'. But the authentication attempt takes over a minute and then gives up on its own.
Perhaps significant is that the signal strength displayed during the attempt, which is usually at 99%, sometimes drops back to 0% for a brief interval before returning to 99% (see screenshot).
ConnectionProblem.jpg
About trying a different wireless adapter for the laptop: I could do that, but I've no connection problems with the laptop anywhere else (like at the office, or on the unsecured network at the hotel where stayed recently). That suggests that the adapter is not the issue.
The connection attempt keeps failing at the 'Authenticating' stage, and the 'Help me fix this' info states that I should 'wait for authentication to complete'. But the authentication attempt takes over a minute and then gives up on its own.
Perhaps significant is that the signal strength displayed during the attempt, which is usually at 99%, sometimes drops back to 0% for a brief interval before returning to 99% (see screenshot).
ConnectionProblem.jpg
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
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:D :D :D
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/MIGR-67757.html
"Mini PCI Card removal and installation - ThinkPad T61 "
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/MIGR-67757.html
"Mini PCI Card removal and installation - ThinkPad T61 "
ASKER
alikaz3, I name you the winner. The desktop connection is getting worse at an alarming rate. I guess the DigiConnect router outlived its useful life. Ordering a new LinkSys.
I solved this problem by disabling IPV6 on the wireless card network stack. After that I managed to connect fine to the wireless router with WPA/TKIP security.
http://pcsupport.about.com/od/windowsvista/ht/vistasmpwrbtn.htm