X200 Wireless Network Drops Connectivity

[nesnet]

Just received my X200 with a Intel Wireless WiFi Link 5300.

Since this morning, within a span of 8 hours, it has dropped the connection 7 times (required reconnection through Access Coonnections each time to reestablish network).

Prior to receiving the X200, I have been using a TPad X60 tablet in conjunction with a DLink DIR-655 router for over a year... from exactly the same location... and it has been rock solid. I can't remember ever being dropped, and it was on from 7 am to about 10 pm 7 days a week.

The machine is situated approx 25 feet from the router with no walls (nearly line of sight), and shows 100% on the Access Connections meter -- this same router links a X32 75 feet away in another part of the house -- that also stays connected.

I have the setting on "best network performance" and "highest transmit power", the machine doesn't hibernate and it is operating in the "g-only" mode.

It will drop in the middle of a session, as well as when it is idle. Is anyone else experiencing poor connectivity?

Another question. I can see some of the N settings in the Intel driver software via properties in the device manager, but can't force it into N-mode, it is not an available option (yes, the DIR-655 is N capable and set for "mixed n and g"). Additionally, Access Connections V 5.01 doesn't provide an N-setting in my choices... it is limited to A, B and G, or mixed mode. No N selectable.

Any suggestions or comments would be appreciated. Other than this issue, the machine is great and the screen is bright. If I could solve this connectivity problem it would be 100%.

Thanks in advance for your comments.

[Supermans]

If it doesn't show you an N mode, are you sure you got the Intel 5300?

[nesnet]

It is reporting a 5300 in the device manager screen.

[Supermans]

Someone in another forum posted a fix to this disconnecting problem. Let me know if this works for you... In the meantime, I am trying to get someone from Lenovo to check into this problem in the other forum and I pointed them to this forum so they can see this issue is happening to others.

http://forums.lenovo.com/lnv/board/mess ... ing&page=3

i have fixed the problem, at least for me.



I solved this using a combination of updating the wireless drivers, proset, and access connections. I am not sure where the problem originated, but for me this is not nearly as important as getting the problem fixed.



If one relies on Thinkpad programs, windows, or device manager to get the most updated drivers or programs then this problem wont be fixed for a while.



This is what I did:



1. go to intel http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Product ... uctID=2964 and get new driver. Open "device manager" and install new downloaded driver.



2. On the same intel page, download the new proset driver and install. Some would argue that this is not needed. Argue away and please let me know why it is not needed. It worked for me.



3. reboot



4. download and install new Thickpad Access Connections from lenovo.



5. Reboot.



After this I have never had a hanging or failing Access Connections. I have never lost a WiFi connection, and never had to reboot my X200.





I hope this helps!!



Jonathan

[nesnet]

Thanks for your suggestions. I had already initiated this procedure - my first stop was Intel for the latest drivers followed by updating Access Connections from 5.01 (shipped with the X200) to 5.02.

Additionally, I looked at the RF environoment near my router using NetStumbler (www.stumbler.net) - which functions like a free Spectrum Analyzer, to help evaluate the impact of neighboring WiFi systems. There are 6 nearby routers (all residential), none showing >12% of my output, so a strong signal on the same channel terminating my connection was ruled out (ed comment: 2 locked, 4 open using default SSID addresses, lazy users) - unless Access Connections is so sensitive that it responds to marginal RF noise/pulses by terminating the link.

I am using WPA2/AES for encryption.

I have exhausted the software and RF fixes, and believe it is likely a hardware problem with the adapter. I will request that they send me another 5300 card. I don't want to tie up the machine sending it in.

My thought was that if other X200 owners experienced the same problem, we could trace it to a specific issue (using the power of a group). My conclusion is that it is either an isolated problem... or very few people with X200s are reading this forum. Or no one is complaining, which is highly unlikely.

The dropped WiFi connections continue. At least I got N working at "130 Mbps". When the 5300 is working, it has decent range and throughput. In reality, I'm averaging about 57 Mbps at 100% signal strength, according to the router's log.

[Supermans]

Thanks for your suggestions. I had already initiated this procedure - my first stop was Intel for the latest drivers followed by updating Access Connections from 5.01 (shipped with the X200) to 5.02.

Additionally, I looked at the RF environoment near my router using NetStumbler (www.stumbler.net) - which functions like a free Spectrum Analyzer, to help evaluate the impact of neighboring WiFi systems. There are 6 nearby routers (all residential), none showing >12% of my output, so a strong signal on the same channel terminating my connection was ruled out (ed comment: 2 locked, 4 open using default SSID addresses, lazy users) - unless Access Connections is so sensitive that it responds to marginal RF noise/pulses by terminating the link.

I am using WPA2/AES for encryption.

I have exhausted the software and RF fixes, and believe it is likely a hardware problem with the adapter. I will request that they send me another 5300 card. I don't want to tie up the machine sending it in.

My thought was that if other X200 owners experienced the same problem, we could trace it to a specific issue (using the power of a group). My conclusion is that it is either an isolated problem... or very few people with X200s are reading this forum. Or no one is complaining, which is highly unlikely.

The dropped WiFi connections continue. At least I got N working at "130 Mbps". When the 5300 is working, it has decent range and throughput. In reality, I'm averaging about 57 Mbps at 100% signal strength, according to the router's log.

I think very few people who have X200's are in this forum or any other for that matter..

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=299707

http://forums.lenovo.com/lnv/board/mess ... &jump=true

Try these other two forums as they seem to have a lot more traffic than this one, but the whole Thinkpad line is bunched up in one area which makes it cumbersome to navigate compared to this one which has the X200 and X300 bunched in one...

[JaneL]

I think very few people who have X200's are in this forum or any other for that matter..

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=299707

http://forums.lenovo.com/lnv/board/mess ... &jump=true

Try these other two forums as they seem to have a lot more traffic than this one, but the whole Thinkpad line is bunched up in one area which makes it cumbersome to navigate compared to this one which has the X200 and X300 bunched in one...

That's pretty amusing considering you posted just the opposite earlier today in Lenovo's forum:

http://forum.lenovo.com/lnv/board/messa ... 3838#M3838

[Supermans]

That's pretty amusing considering you posted just the opposite earlier today in Lenovo's forum:

http://forum.lenovo.com/lnv/board/messa ... 3838#M3838

I believe I was in a hurry when typing this morning and didn't make the comment clear enough as I was not belittling one forum over the other intentionally. This was the first forum I found out about regarding the X200 and it did have a lot of traffic when I first joined. For the last two weeks, things slowed down a bit to one post about the X200 per day so that prompted me to look for other forums to join and I found 2 more. Lenovo's own and the review site one. The one issue I did find in all three by different people is this disconnecting issue which concerns me. All three forums have their positives and negatives at times and all forums are based ont he people who post and the frequency at which they post as well. I think I'm spending a lot of time since I am excited about finally recieving the X200 and since it is a HUGE investment for me, I want it to last a long time so any issues detected early like this one would be beneficial to getting it resolved.

I got the idea of posting the links to the other forums and in the other lenovo forum to get some more people on both sites that may not know exist whom are having the same issue. I actually complimented this forum for having the seperate sections for the X200 and X300 while the others do not. However I do find this section of the forum seems to be much slower for example in responses (in the X200/X300) area as of late. (I'm not talking about the forum in general, just this section). Perhaps people are too busy using their laptops. The other forums like the Lenovo forum is too convoluted and you have to dig deep to find a post about he X200 for example... The third forum notebook review has the most traffic in their Lenovo area, however it is bunched up and the talk has shifted to the newer T400..

This disconnecting issue may be a problem I'll be dealing with next week once I get mine since I also ordered the X200 with 5300 wifi-link. (hopefully next week).. In the other forum, somone asked if "others" had disconnecting issues after I was questioned by another poster to show proof that others were having the same issue in other forums to show the problem wasn't isolated.

The problem when it appears only seems to be relegated to Intel cards and not the Lenovo ones..

These are the only three forums I have found that are actively talking about the X200 so far. If you know of any others, please let me know..

[wrhahn]

ThinkPad Intel WiFi 5300 Wireless Connection Drop Problem and Solution!!!

I have read about Intel WiFi Link 5300 wireless connection drop problems on many different forums, including ThinkPads and many on other computer systems. In the end, I was able to solve this problem using a simple approach documented below in the SOLUTION DESCRIPTION section.



************

PROBLEM DESCRIPTION:

- Wireless connectivity works but drops connection after a few minutes, sometimes as quickly as just a few minutes, other times taking as long as 30+ minutes.

- The ability to replicate the problem is consistent, in that it always stops working in a relatively short period of time. However, it is impossible to predict how long before the connection drops, although it usually happens in less than 30 minutes, sometimes even quicker.



I received a W700 2 weeks ago, loaded with Windows XP Professional and the Intel WiFi Link 5300, etc.



This connection drop problem happened to me while running Win XP SP2 as well as SP3.


Note: I've heard that SP3 vs. SP2 matters and I've read some forum entries that indicate rolling back to SP2 fixes the problem. However, I've seen other evidence/posts that indicate it doesn't make a difference. Regardless, I am running Win XP Professional SP3.

I tried updating to the latest Intel 5300 driver (12.1.2.1) alone and the problem did not go away.



I also tried updating multiple drivers via the Lenovo site.



The latest Intel WiFi Link 5300/5100 drivers available on the Intel website are newer than those found on the Lenovo support and download site.



In the end, a posting on several forums by jposner led me down the right path, which was to update my ThinkPad with three things: (1) Intel WiFi Link 5300 driver (2) Intel WiFi Link PROSet software (3) Latest ThinkVantage Access Connections



The specifics of these three parts of the solution are described below in the "SOLUTION DESCRIPTION" section.



************

SOLUTION DESCRIPTION:



1) Update Intel® PRO/Wireless and WiFi Link 5300/5100 Drivers-Only (12.1.2.1)



AND



2) Update Intel® PROSet/Wireless WiFi Connection Utility (12.1.2.0)

using one of the following links:

http://support.intel.com/support/wirele ... /index.htm
(Multiple downloads for different Operating Systems)

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/filter_ ... &submit=Go!
(XP Specific)

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/filter_ ... me=Windows
(XP 32/64 & Vista 32/64)


3) Update ThinkVantage Access Connections V5.0.2

Use Lenovo Downloads and Drivers for your model ThinkPad, via the following link:

http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... eLenovo.do


The combination of ALL three of these has fixed my wireless connection drop problem, which would happen anywhere from 3 minutes to 30+ minutes after an initial wireless connection. I have run for days now without a wireless connection drop, across 802.11a/b/g connections.





POTENTIALLY IMPORTANT ADDITIONAL DETAILS:



I also found it useful to configure the Intel WiFi 5300 Wireless Driver with the following details:

(This is based on reading many other posts across many internet Wireless 5300 & ThinkPad forums)

o Power Management "Highest" and Roaming Aggressiveness "Lowest"

Start > Settings > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Computer Management > Device Manager > Intel WiFi Link 5300 AGN Properties > Advanced Tab

o Power Management "Highest"

o Roaming Aggressiveness "Lowest"

o Power Saver mode off (don't let Thinkpad/Windows Power Management turn wireless off to save power)

Start > Settings > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Computer Management > Device Manager > Intel WiFi Link 5300 AGN Properties > Power Management Tab

o Un-Check "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power"

o ThinkVantage Access Connections > Manage > Edit Profile for your connection > "Wireless Settings" Tab

o 5. Advanced Configuration "Settings" button > "Power save mode:" > "Low (best network performance)"


Please feel free to comment here or email me with questions.

P.S. I am extremely happy and impressed with my ThinkPad W700 > It is FAAAAST, awesome display, great drive bays, and much much more...
This W700 system totally ROCKS!!! (especially now that my WiFi is rock solid:-)