T42 with 2100 3B wireless and WPA

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kim.t · #1 Post by **kim.t** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 1:11 am

At work I have a T42 with a 2100 3B wireless card.
I have a access point configured with WPA-PSK and TKIP encryption.
If I have an external keybord and screen connected to the T42 (the screen is closed) I can connect with 2 mbit/s. As soon as I open for the screen on the T42 - only 1 cm so that the screen turns on the connection is terminated and afterward I can only connect with 50 kbit/s and the connection gets terminated everey 2. minutes.
Anyone seen this problem before? 2 of my colleague has the same problem, and only when using WPA and when the screen is open. On WEP or open network there are no problems.

djpharoah · #2 Post by **djpharoah** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 9:23 am

Use WEP with older B cards - its just easier.

kim.t · #3 Post by **kim.t** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 9:30 am

djpharoah wrote:Use WEP with older B cards - its just easier.

I know but the I don't have access for configuration - neither the router or the access point. It's configured by the provider after specs. from my employer

Wiz · #4 Post by **Wiz** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 9:51 am

I would suggest to replace the 2100 with a newer Intel card or even better a IBM/Atheros card. The 2100 is the most unstable and worst wlan card i ever used. I had a T40 with a 2100 and got it replaced with a IBM a/b/g wlan card and all my problems were gone. My opinion is that the 2100 is useless.

kim.t · #5 Post by **kim.t** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 10:05 am

If the card is useless, more then 45 card (in my department) would have to be replaced. And as mentioned the card is working OK if external keyboard and screen is attached and the Thinkpas is closed !

ParzanM · #6 Post by **ParzanM** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 10:44 am

my t42 also came with the 2100 i had to get the 2200b/g. i see a big differnce in reliability.

Wiz · #7 Post by **Wiz** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 10:46 am

kim.t wrote:If the card is useless, more then 45 card (in my department) would have to be replaced. And as mentioned the card is working OK if external keyboard and screen is attached and the Thinkpas is closed !

Well it's not working for you and two of your colleagues unless you always keep the lid closed and connect a keyboard and external monitor, but then it's still just 2mbit. Don't take this the wrong way. I'm just telling you a lot of people had problems with that wlan card as you probably can find in several posts on this board as well. My experience with the 2100 is not very good and i would just recommend to get a new wlan card for those that have problems and not for those 45 were it's working fine. A new mini PCI wlan card is pretty cheap and would probably be cheaper then spending time trying to solve the problem. If you still want to use it the 2100 then hopefully someone else can give you some tips how to solve your problem. I'm sorry, but i never heard about this exact problem before and got no tips how to solve it.
Why i say it's useless is because it's very unstable and a lot of people had problems using the 2100...me included. A wlan card should be working better then all the issues i seen and heard about the 2100, but as i said that's my opinion and it's not like everyone have to agree.

kim.t · #8 Post by **kim.t** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 11:07 am

Thanks,
I will suggest that.
The reson why it is only running 2 mbit/s is that my DSL connection is a 2048/512

#9 Post by **bill bolton** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 4:10 pm

kim.t wrote:As soon as I open for the screen on the T42 - only 1 cm so that the screen turns on the connection is terminated and afterward I can only connect with 50 kbit/s and the connection gets terminated everey 2. minutes.

When you open the top of your T42 you are moving the "Centrino" antennas, which are in the top, and so changing their relationship to the WiFi access point antenna(s).

While its not possible to know precisiely what your problem is without a detailed anaylysis of the specific conditions you are dealing with, it seems to me that the orientation of the antennas in your T42 may well have something to do with it.

For a start, since only 3 out of 45 (T4x?) laptops have the problem, I'd be opening them up to make make sure that BOTH antenna connections are solidly made to the 2100 card!

Cheers,

Bill

kim.t · #10 Post by **kim.t** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 3:36 am

I will try that.
Only 3 people - so far - has been offered a wireless access point at home. And they have been pre-configured with WPA.
At work the acceess points we are using are only supporting WEP.
I only open the top approx 1 cm - enough to turn the screen on.

T42 with 2100 3B wireless and WPA

T42 with 2100 3B wireless and WPA

Re: T42 with 2100 3B wireless and WPA

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