Wireless Hiccups

[ZaZ]

I have the Intel 3945 WiFi card in my R60. It seems like the last few weeks every once in a while the wireless will stop working for some reason unknown to me. If I close my browser and wait a few minutes, it comes back normal again. I have had the R60 since March and have only noticed this issue the past few weeks. When I had it apart to replace the LCD, I saw that the antennas were frayed in a few spots. I threw some electrical tape on them and didn't think much about it as it was working well, but I wonder if that's the issue or if my WiFi card is going. My machine is under warranty. Would Lenovo send me a new card or would they require me to send it in for service? I think the card is considered user replaceable, though I could be wrong. Anyone care to take a stab at this one? Maybe I'll take it to work to see how it performs there, where I'm certain it will perform wonderfully. Thanks for any help.

[Harryc]

WIreless cards in that machine are a Tier 2 CRU -

Tier 2 CRU
Up to 4 screws or fasteners have to be removed.
Some technical experience required.
IBM Support Center assistance may be used.
Problem determination can be done by customer, either on site or with IBM Support Center assistance.

Also, there was a recent release of Access Connections that was reported to reset original settings upon installation. Is there a chance that you've upgraded AC recently? One of the most common reasons for intermittent Wifi drop outs is an AC setting (high performance) or a Device Manager setting (disable power savings). Also there is an AC setting for aggressive network discovery that can be toggled.

[ZaZ]

Thanks for the reply. So I take it since it's tier two I would need to send it in? Since I replaced the screen, I'm more than capable of doing the WiFi card, though I think it's in my interests not to mention it.

I don't use much of the ThinkVantage tools. Power Manger, UltraNav and Drive Protection are about it. I like to make the recovery discs and then do a clean install. I'll check the power settings on the card, but I've not changed anything on the same install for months. Thanks again.

[Harryc]

No, a CRU is customer replaceable. The Tier is just a measure of the difficulty of the repair.

[ZaZ]

Thanks. Will get on the horn with them.