Wireless taking too long to recognize access point

[matt_garman]

Hello. I recently purchased a TP T43 15" (2668-89U). So far, I'm loving it!

One annoyance I've had, thus far, is with wireless connections. Basically, whenever I boot my TP, or open the case (to wake it from being suspended), it takes a long time to recognize the wireless network. Just now, it took 12 minutes before I could connect. This is the first time I've timed how long it takes, but it's usually well over five minutes.

My signal strength is always at or above 50%.

Is this normal? Seems to me, that if the wireless is available, it should connect in less than a minute (at least that's what I would prefer!).

This T43 has Windows XP Pro SP2, and IBM Access Connections version 3.71.

Any thoughts?

Thank you!
Matt

[NS]

I am using the windows wireless configuration to detect my wireless setting. Took around 2 minutes to get connected. Before using the windows to do this wireless thing entirely, i used access connection and took me 20 minutes to get connected. <--But my friends took less than 3 minutes to get connected.

This wireless thing really puzzled me for many years.

EDIT: Welcome to the Thinkpad Community. Hope you enjoyed your stay here !!

[pae77]

Using Access Connections 4.12 mine usually takes less than one minute to connect upon coming out of hibernation or standby. Usually a lot less!

[bill bolton]

it takes a long time to recognize the wireless network.

It will take even longer to get a useful response here unless you provide a lot more detail on your wireless devices and configuration, both on the access point and on your ThinkPad.

Cheers,

Bill

[alexzabr]

Same here.
This is something I reported some time ago regarding my 2668-6ZU.
I use AC 3.71 also, XP SP2, have been sugested to check several things so far (with both, AC and Windows Wireless configurations) - didn't help. Still gets over 5-7 minutes from Win start-up till getting wireless work (being able to try to establish connection).
Doesn't seem to depend on signal strength- at home I get usually 100% or nearly that, at the university - usually about 40-70% but in both cases there is about the same waiting period...
Having read many user compliants recently on new AC 4.12 version I refrain from updating the driver from my 3.71 which seems to work fine except that annoying start-up delay.
I'm just getting used to this delay....

Alex

[matt_garman]

it takes a long time to recognize the wireless network.

It will take even longer to get a useful response here unless you provide a lot more detail on your wireless devices and configuration, both on the access point and on your ThinkPad.

I was afraid you'd ask that! For the access point, I don't have any detail---someone in my neighborhood has an unsecured WAP, so I'm just using that (until I set up my own). I'm pretty sure it's a Linksys WAP, as the network name is "linksys".

As far as the TP goes, what info do you need? (Have patience---I'm not too savvy in Windows, so I'm not too sure what's relevant/what's not.) The wireless adapter is an Intel Pro/Wireless 2915ABG card. The driver is from Intel, version 9.0.1.21 (date: 2/11/2005).

Let me know if there's any other info I should provide!

Thanks again,
Matt

[NS]

Are you tring to tell us that the network is trying to acquire the IP for very long?

[davidspalding]

Anything like 5 - 10 minutes or longer is absurd. But not necessarily your system's fault, Matt.

Trying to connect to a neighbor's AP is dicey at best .... I have terrible connections to someone near me and the signal strength is better than 70%. "Strength" is only part of the equation. Many other things may be interfering with you rapidly connecting to your nearby AP.

Also ... 3.71 is old ... if you can't find one, I can provide the 3.82 package ... it's a bit less buggy. 4.x is faster, but also has many, many defects. I'm on 3.82 on my work laptop, happily.

Try performing your test at a local free wifi spot, like a cafe. I suspect you'll get MUCH better results.

[Aszu]

Try other channel, like highest or lowest. Any difference?

[Kyocera]

Get yourself a repeater. Or get your neighbor to position his WAP for maximum signal towards your house.

[davidspalding]

Try other channel, like highest or lowest. Any difference?

Hard to do when you're connecting to a router that isn't your own.

Having read many user compliants recently on new AC 4.12 version I refrain from updating the driver from my 3.71 which seems to work fine except that annoying start-up delay.
I'm just getting used to this delay....

Ensure the option "use this connection for windows logon" isn't selected. It can cause the long delay, while AC tries to establish a connection with a specific profile during startup/logon.

[matt_garman]

Trying to connect to a neighbor's AP is dicey at best .... I have terrible connections to someone near me and the signal strength is better than 70%. "Strength" is only part of the equation. Many other things may be interfering with you rapidly connecting to your nearby AP.

Also ... 3.71 is old ... if you can't find one, I can provide the 3.82 package ... it's a bit less buggy. 4.x is faster, but also has many, many defects. I'm on 3.82 on my work laptop, happily.

Well, I got impatient, and upgraded some of the ThinkVantage software on my computer. I'm up to Access Connections Version 4.12, and I am now consistently connecting to the wireless AP in about a minute (or less).

But now, my system is extremely "laggy". Now it takes the system itself 5--10 minutes to become even usable! For the first 5--10 minutes (either after a boot or coming un-suspended), things in general are just dreadfully slow: menus take forever to update/respond, windows cannot be moved, mouse clicks in general take upwards of a minute to get a response.

Even after all that time, the system is still laggy. Right now, every few words I type has a noticeable delay. Scrolling down web pages using the scroll wheel on the external mouse is very jerky.

Still more unsettling is that the battery icon (next to the system tray) looks "blurred"---it's as though there's two battery icons, on on top of the other, but one is slightly skewed or offset.

For what it's worth, I upgraded ThinkVantage Access Connections to 4.12; ThinkPad Battery MaxiMiser and Power Management Features to 1.38; and ThinkPad Video Features[ATI Mobility-RADEON/FIREGL (PCI Express)] for Windows 2000/XP to 8.163.1.1.1.

Should I continue upgrading packages, or revert or ???

Thanks again!
Matt

[GomJabbar]

4.x is faster, but also has many, many defects. I'm on 3.82 on my work laptop, happily.

Many, many defects?

I am happily using 4.12 and have no problem with it. I have read where switching locations (with wired LAN) could be a problem. This may be an important defect, but it does not constitute many, many defects.

[sd5254942]

I had the same problem, takes 5 to 10min to connect to any wireless signal, I was using winxp with SP2. Last week, I decided to completely remove my winxp sp2 and install winxp without service pack and its working perfectly, I got my wireless connected within a minute and then I downloaded sp2 from microsoft website and add on top of my winxp without service pack and now my wireless is working perfectly without any problem with sp2.

sorry for my english. english is not my mother tongue.

[davidspalding]

I was inaccurate. I recall reading many, many complaints. May not represent many defects. It does work reasonably well on my T43, but I'm not switching Ethernet connections at all. Yes, 4.1x consistently reassigned Ethernet MAC addresses on me, and at that point, it stopped being a reliable location/profile switching tool. Fatal flaw in my situation.

But 3.82 is rock solid on my T41. YMMV.

OP: if you're system is slow, start running Task Manager (CTRL + SHIFT + ESC) and in the Processes tab, sort by the CPU column. See what's taking up so much CPU power. You may find you have an a/v or other utility which is the culprit. From time to time, McAfee a/v chomps down 40% of my cpu cycles.

[matt_garman]

OP: if you're system is slow, start running Task Manager (CTRL + SHIFT + ESC) and in the Processes tab, sort by the CPU column. See what's taking up so much CPU power. You may find you have an a/v or other utility which is the culprit. From time to time, McAfee a/v chomps down 40% of my cpu cycles.

That's what's really bugging me, is that the task manager shows little (if any) CPU usage (even when the system is at its slowest).

I've witnessed this phenomenon on my Windows 2000 PC at work from time to time: Windows Task Manager shows little to no CPU usage, but the system is practically unresponsive.

Thanks again for all the help, everyone!

Matt

[davidspalding]

The link is sufficient, no need to copy and paste the whole @&%^#* page into the thread.
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[edit]Whoops. I'm confused. I was replying deleted by mod,.... Now you see it, now you don't. Freaky.