T61p with Intel 4965AGN using 5GHz 802.11n

[CobraRGuy]

Hello,

First of all, thanks in advance for any and all responses. I have a T61p (XP Pro 32-bit) with the Intel 4965AGN card which was included when I purchased it directly from Lenovo. The card appears to be working well and has the latest driver. The problem I'm having is that I recently purchased a D-Link DIR-825 wireless router which supports simultaneous 2.4GHz and 5GHz radios. I also have two desktop systems in my house which have 802.11g PCI cards in them. My intention was to set up the router with 2.4GHz being G-only and the 5GHz being N-only. When I use the "Check available wireless networks" utility in XP I am not able to see the 5GHz N network at all. The router is very easy to configure and I have both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks enabled using WPA2 encryption with each network having a unique SSID so I can tell them apart. The 4956AGN configuration menu shows the N support enabled yet I only see the G network. The configuration menu seems to leave a lot to be desired when it comes to configuring this adapter card. I have seen posts on the Lenovo forum indicating people are using this card to access 5GHz N networks in their T61's. Here are my questions:

1) Is there some sort of software patch I need to enable 5GHz wireless N?
2) Has anyone else had problems getting access to 5GHz 802.11n networks with their T61 using the 4965AGN adapter card?
3) If so, how did you resolve it?
3) Is anyone else using the same DIR-825 router using 5GHz 802.11n successfully with their T61?
4) Are there utilities out there that can be installed to differentiate between 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks?
5) From what I've read the only way to tell is to try to measure the bandwidth. Is this correct?
6) Should I just give up on 5GHz and use only 2.4GHz supporting both G&N?

Thanks,

CobraRGuy

[EOMtp]

Welcome to the forum!
Most likely you have an "N"-disabled 4965AGN card. Not all Intel 4965AGN cards have the "N" capability -- some are "N"-disabled.

Lenovo parts are identified by a "FRU #". The following FRUs denote Intel 4965AGN cards with "N" disabled:
FRU #42T0873, 42T0875, 42T0877. 42T0879

If your card is any of those, then it does not have "N" capability and it cannot be enabled to have it. Go to the following site, enter your machine type (4 digits) and serial number, and check the "built list" for what FRU#s were included with your system:
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... -WARNTY#sw

Alternatively, remove the keyboard and bezel and look at the WLAN card.

If your WLAN card lacks "N" capability, then buy one with "N" enabled on eBay ($20). You need FRU #42T0865. See below:
http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_trkparms=6 ... p=15&_sc=1

[CobraRGuy]

EOMtp,

Thank you for the fast response. I just tried an experiment where I disabled the 5GHz radio on my router and set the 2.4GHz radio to "N only". I am able to see this network once I refreshed the available network list, connect to it and access the internet using this network. I am aware that there were some 4965AGN adapters shipped in Lenovo T61's, but apparently Lenovo made it pretty clear if someone was receiving one of these. I purchased my T61p just prior to Lenovo discontinuing this model. According to the Lenovo website when I perform a parts lookup after entering my unit type and serial number it shows the 42T0865 as what was shipped in my unit. Any other thoughts?

Thanks,

CobraRGuy

[CobraRGuy]

BTW, I am using the Intel 4965AGN driver version 13.1.1.1
This machine was just recently updated with the latest Windows XP updates.

CobraRGuy

[EOMtp]

Any other thoughts?

Yes -- make sure the wireless security on the router is set to WPA2-AES. I recall something about "N" operating optimally only with WPA2-AES, though that should not stop you for "seeing" the SSID.

[CobraRGuy]

Yes, the security is set to WPA2 AES and the 5GHz network is set to "Visible". Perhaps I should consider upgrading my adapter to the newer 5100AGN card? If I purchased a Lenovo card would my BIOS support it? I am checking with D-Link advanced support to make sure my 5GHz radio is even working.

Thanks,

CobraRGuy

[EOMtp]

You would need a modified BIOS to run a 5100 card in an T61p. Installing the modified BIOS has no ill effects whatsoever -- Zender's work is flawless! See the following thread:
http://www.thinkpads.com/forum/viewtopi ... 29&t=55837

[CobraRGuy]

Do you know what the FRU number is for the 5100AGN card?

[CobraRGuy]

I found it: 43Y6461

There is only one seller on eBay who wants $115 (new)
Pinnacle Micro has them for $62.55 (new)

CobraRGuy

[EOMtp]

Since you will need a modified BIOS whether or not the 5100 card is Lenovo-branded, it is pointless to pay 3x the price just to have a Lenovo FRU# on it. See below:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... _-33106040

[CobraRGuy]

EOMtp,

Yes, good point. I ended up returning the D-Link DIR-825 wireless router and bought the Linksys WRT400N instead. I now have the exact same result. My machine sees the 2.4GHz G network but not the 5GHz N network. Apparently the 5GHz radio/receiver does not work on my 4965AGN card (bummer). I am, of course, very disappointed in this 8^(. If there is anything I could do to try to get this working I would love to hear it. At this point I will probably just buy a new 4965AGN card to see if that fixes the problem unless there is some huge advantage to using the 5100AGN card. My machine is no longer under warranty so no sense in going to Lenovo for this.

Thanks again for all your help,

CobraRGuy

[CobraRGuy]

Problem solved!!! After reading a post on the Lenovo forums describing my exact problem I tried the same fix and it worked! The solution is to simply uninstall the driver and reboot the system. Upon rebooting Windows XP automatically re-installed the driver and, lo and behold, my 5GHz 802.11n network magically appeared! I am now connected to my 5GHz 802.11n wireless network writing this post. Thank you so much for your help and I hope anyone else with this same problem finds this post.

Best regards,

CobraRGuy

[crashnburn]

Problem solved!!! After reading a post on the Lenovo forums describing my exact problem I tried the same fix and it worked! The solution is to simply uninstall the driver and reboot the system. Upon rebooting Windows XP automatically re-installed the driver and, lo and behold, my 5GHz 802.11n network magically appeared! I am now connected to my 5GHz 802.11n wireless network writing this post. Thank you so much for your help and I hope anyone else with this same problem finds this post.

Best regards,

CobraRGuy

I am wondering how I can check if my card is N capable or not? For some reason the IBM Warrany / Service lookup page wont show up for me (Is it because I am right now in India?) Can someone check?

[CobraRGuy]

crashnburn,

Without being able to use the Lenovo parts lookup system I suspect you may need to actually look at the card to see the FRU number printed on the label. Please refer to EOMtp's post: Fri Mar 26, 2010 1:23 pm. I have never actually done this but according to EOMtp's post you would need to remove the keyboard and bezel. Like I said I have never done this and this particular thread may not be the best place to ask how to do that. I would advise looking elsewhere on this forum or the Lenovo forum.

Best of luck,

CobraRGuy

[crashnburn]

42T0864 42T0865 INTEL KEDRON 802.11 WLAN ADAPTER CARD FR YES

Bloody link worked fine today. This is the card I have. Thoughts?

Update: I guess I got the good one. Thanks Do I need to do something on this one to fix it?

[bill bolton]

2) Has anyone else had problems getting access to 5GHz 802.11n networks with their T61 using the 4965AGN adapter card?

I have 4965AGNs working fine for me in a T60 (with Zender BIOS), T61 and X61, all accessing a Linksys WRT 600N using 802.11n at 270Mbps raw link speed.

4) Are there utilities out there that can be installed to differentiate between 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks?

Take a look at "Netstumbler" http://stumbler.net/

Cheers,

Bill B.

[crashnburn]

What is Zender BIOS and what does it help / do?

[crazifyngers]

I have tried the above suggestions and i still cannot see my 5ghz 802.11N network.

I have a 4965agn with the N enabled. I can see and connect to N networks, at N speeds, if they are on the 2.4ghz spectrum. but i cannot even see networks in the 5ghz spectrum.

my setup:
t61 7665-cto
win7 pro 64bit

I have uninstalled the driver and rebooted without success. to see if it was a possible issue with my OS i created a boot disk with ubuntu 9.10 live and it also sees all networks in 2.4 but not in 5ghz spectrum.

any ideas why this would be happening? thanks.

[RealBlackStuff]

Is your router transmitting in the 5GHz range?

Zender's BIOS versions are identical to the Lenovo versions, with one major improvement:
the check on the 'whitelist' for Lenovo-approved wifi cards has been disabled. That's all.

[crazifyngers]

yes i have the cisco linksys e2000 it is dual band but not simultaneous dual band. i can see the signal in 2.4 but when i change to 5 my computer does not see it. others do however.

[crazifyngers]

It seems like i had a hardware issue. I had ordered two identical N cards. I verified that they were both the same part numbers but the one i put in originally did not see 5ghz networks. the second one did see the networks.

[uberT]

I've just ordered one of the N wireless cards...priced around $20 incl. shipping

[uberT]

Does someone have the Zender BIOS for a T61?

Thanks.

[crashnburn]

Is your router transmitting in the 5GHz range?

Zender's BIOS versions are identical to the Lenovo versions, with one major improvement:
the check on the 'whitelist' for Lenovo-approved wifi cards has been disabled. That's all.

Is that also the case for WWAN cards? Is there a White list for that too and does Zender BIOS free / unlock that too?