did my wireless card just die?

[eharley]

I'm on the road and was counting on my wireless card (Intel 2200 B/G) for checking email, etc. Currently have a work-around for the hotel room, but I want to see if anyone has suggestions about what to check.

I've never had trouble with my wireless card before, but ever since arriving at the hotel it won't show any wireless network. I go to ThinkVantage Access Connections and click on the "Find" button in the toolbar. It asks me if I want to power the radio on, power it on, and then does its little search, but comes up with no networks found. However, when I take the hotel's little wireless B ethernet adapter thingy and plug it in, I get connected right away, so clearly there is a wireless B signal.

Device manager reports that my wireless card is working properly, and none of the ThinkVantage software seems to think it's having problems. Any thoughts about what else to check, or did my wireless card just die?

Running Win XP SP2, Access connections 4.11a.

[daeojkim]

I am wondering if your wireless setting is set to use only "g" and not mixed b/g

[eharley]

Thanks for the reply.

I thought of that and had tried to ensure that it was set to auto. Then later I even tried to make a new profile where I set it manually to b instead of auto, thinking that might help. I have to admit that I don't know how that option affects the network searching.

Anyway, after much messing around with all the settings I could find, rebooting, etc., I had not made any progress. After I connected through the hotel's ethernet wireless adapter and disconnected it from the computer, magically my wireless began working. I have no idea what changed. Something messed up with the settings somehow, possibly the 4.11a Access Connections software just being flaky?

Don't know, just hope it doesn't happen again.

[GomJabbar]

You may find these articles I read in PC Magazine interesting.

Columnist Bill Machrone wrote: Corruption at the Jersey Shore

Columnist Bill Machrone wrote: More Corruption, Hot Laptops

[davidspalding]

I've never had trouble with my wireless card before, but ever since arriving at the hotel it won't show any wireless network. I go to ThinkVantage Access Connections and click on the "Find" button in the toolbar. It asks me if I want to power the radio on, power it on, and then does its little search, but comes up with no networks found. However, when I take the hotel's little wireless B ethernet adapter thingy and plug it in, I get connected right away, so clearly there is a wireless B signal.

I have no idea what a little wireless B ethernet adapter thingy is, and so discount it as a source of information.

Yesterday I had a problem connecting to two nearby 802.11b networks at a cafe, both open. I even restarted the cafe's router (with permission), no luck. But I could connect to Duke University's which has a web-based registration mechanism. Spent 1/2 an hour looking at all of my settings, none of which changed. Came home, connected to my 802.11g just find, then connected to a neighbor's unprotected 802.11g just fine, too. (shrug)

I would take your laptop to some OTHER wifi hotspot and try. The hotel may be doing something for protection that is not clear right now.