Thinkpads Forum

I have a W520 running Win 7 Pro.
I have for some time been very irritated by a delay in wired LAN reconnection time after the system has been idle for a while. I don't know if the problem is in a Windows setting, in the Intel 82579LM gigabit LAN adapter setting or in the Netgear DG34v4 router or Netgear GS608 v2 gigabit switch. ...TCPIP 4 of course.

I start the system, everything comes up fine; I then leave the system for say an hour (on mains power); screen blanks; on my return I touch Fn; the system comes to life immediately but the wired LAN connection has dropped (or does so within a couple of seconds). There is then this irritatingly long delay, 35 - 50 seconds, before the LAN reconnects. (Of course in the meantime I can check my email on my trusty, always ready and wirelessly connected Samsung GIII phone, but I prefer to deal with mail via the PC!)

For comparison, I have another Thinkpad, an older T61, running Win 7 which stays connected to the wired LAN and always has done so. That would suggest an incorrect setting within my W520 rather than in the router or (dumb) switch. Does anyone have any ideas as to what might be causing this drop of the LAN connection?

You might try giving it a static IP if only using it in one location. Cap the range of the DHCP server of your router and give your W520 NIC a static IP in the range you just excluded form DHCP.

Some default values might be that the DHCP server starts at 192.168.1.100
In that case you make it start at 192.168.1.105 and give your W520 the IP 192.168.1.101 (example)
This way your W520 doesn't have to negotiate with the router for an IP.

Alternatively you might check the DHCP settings and increase lease time.

My W520 connects right away when inserting a LAN cable, and stops using the wireless. And the other way around just as well. However, 3rd party software is involved here (Secure W2 Enterprise Client). When it comes out of standby it connects within seconds.