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Troubleshooting: PRO/Wireless LAN Mini PCI Adapter User's Guide

Troubleshooting

LAN Utility Conflict Message

Message dialog "Another wireless LAN utility is communicating with the Intel(R) PRO/Wireless LAN adapter. To avoid conflicts, Intel(R) PROSet has temporarily disabled its Profile Management features" is displayed. Refer to Enabling Intel(R) PROSet to manage Your Wireless Connections for information.

Using a Profile with an incorrect WEP Encryption Key

When connected to an access point using a profile with an incorrect WEP key encryption, the task tray icon and the General page will both indicate good signal strength and that you are associated with the AP. However, when you attempt to send data to the AP using this profile, because of the incorrect WEP key encryption, authentication cannot be established to acquire an IP address from the AP to allow data transfer.

Refer to the following WEP encryption and authentication settings.

Open Authentication with an incorrect WEP 64 or 128-bit encryption key:

  • A profile with an incorrect WEP encryption key will allow the wireless adapter to associate with the access point.
  • No data transfer

Open Authentication with no WEP encryption:

  • Allows association to an access point
  • Data transfer is allowed

Shared Authentication:

  • Associated to an AP always allows data transfer.

Problems with installation

Windows does not detect the wireless adapter:

  1. Remove and re-install the adapter.
  2. Uninstall and reinstall the adapter's drivers.

Before calling Customer Support

Make a note of the following answers before calling customer support:

  • From the General tab, view the adapter's connection details. Check that it is associated with an access point, and the quality and strength of the signal.
  • From the General page, click the Details button and check what revision of software and hardware or other LAN software are you running?
  • How many remote units do you have talking to each access point?
  • What channels are you using, and how are they dispersed?
  • How much coverage overlap is there between access points?
  • How high above the floor are the access points mounted?
  • What other electronic equipment is operating in the same band?
  • What construction materials are used in wall and floors?

Users are dropped from the wireless network

Suggested causes and solutions:

  • Find out if a person or workgroup moved or if the building has been rearranged.
  • If two or more users are seated too close to each other, performance can suffer. Instruct your users to space themselves a small distance apart to keep receivers from being overloaded.
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  • Delivery trucks with very large metal sides can affect performance by reflecting destructive signals back into a building. If you have an installation that includes a shipping dock, check to see if  the problem coincides with the arrival of large trucks.
  • Personal “systems” can also interfere with your network. Wireless speakers, cordless earphones, some Bluetooth devices, and similar systems can be the source of an infrequent but hard to find the problem. Some systems do not conform to wireless regulations. Shut off suspect devices or remove them from the area.
  • If possible, remove and reinstall your new software. Conflicts with other resident software packages are always a possibility, and they are not always the fault of the newest addition. Sometimes just starting over fixes the problem. 
  • Swap units around. Does your problem follow the changed units, or is it unique to a specific location? If it follows the product, the swapped unit could be damaged, or improperly configured. If the problem stays with the location, try to find out what is different about that particular room or area.

Range decreases as data rate increases

This is a normal condition. Range is inversely proportional to data rate: the faster the data, the shorter the range. This has to do with the modulation technology used. Very fast data rates require extremely complex signal waveforms, where even minor distortions can result in data errors. Slower data rates are much more tolerant, and consequently will get through even in the presence of some amount of noise, interference, distortion and echo. 

Signal doesn't pass through a short or thin wall

Range is highly dependent on the physical environment. In a line-of-sight location, with elevated and calibrated antennas, range predictions are quite accurate. This is not true in a “typical” office building, where the walls may be simple drywall (which is almost transparent to microwaves), or could be plaster with metal underneath. Most sites are somewhere between these two extremes, and consist of a mixture of surfaces. You can’t tell what is inside a wall by just looking at it, and we can’t tell you exactly what distance you will achieve. Consider published range information to be typical, average, common or usual. Do not expect it to be exact.

Signal strength drops when a cell phone is used in the area

Range also depends on the electronic environment. If other equipment that could cause interference is nearby, the range of your transceiver could vary widely, and could change suddenly when the other equipment activates. This is particularly true for 802.11b installations, which share their frequencies with microwave ovens, cordless phones, wireless hi-fi speakers, electronics toys and similar devices. Try to keep your system away from other transmitters, and from other sources of electrical noise, such as large motors, spot welders, and similar “electronically noisy” devices.

Range is shorter than it should be

Repeat some tests late in the evening, or on a weekend, when there may be less interference. However, some users leave their networks turned all the time so this test is not foolproof. By all means, try more than one channel. Your range problem may just be a nearby user whose system uses your present test channel.

Interference from fluorescent lights

If you mount an access point close to fluorescent light fixtures, the lamp glow appears constant, but inside the lamp tube, ionization appears and disappears 120 times a second. This can modulate or “chop” an incoming signal and interfere with reception.

When too much range is undesirable

Too much range is not necessarily a good thing. At first it would appear that you would want as much range as possible, but with the increase in range comes an increase in interference potential, as your unit hears not only your other units but also manages to hear the systems of other companies up and down the street. If you have a large installation, you will also wind up with more than one access point using the same channel. If a remote unit hears two or more access points, this will slow the network 

Help Prevent access to wireless networks from outside the building

Excess transmit range presents a special reverse problem. For example, putting an access point adjacent to a second floor bay window invites anyone with the right software on the street below to pick up and enjoy all network transmissions. We discuss some possible solutions to this problem further on.

Problems with Network Connectivity

If you cannot connect to the wireless network, try the following:

Check Network Settings

  1. From the General page, check that the Network Name (SSID) and operating mode are correct. If the laptop is configured for ad hoc networking, make sure that the channel is correct.
  2. To correct these settings, click the Networks tab.
  3. Select the profile being used.
  4. Click the Edit button and make the changes.

Check Security Settings
  1. From the General page, check that the security settings are correct.
  2. To correct the security settings, click the Networks tab.
  3. Select the profile being used.
  4. Click the Edit button.
  5. Click the Security tab. Make sure that the settings for WEP encryption are correct.

Access Point Connection Problems

Check the preamble length setting in the Windows Device Manager “Advanced” tab.

If it is determined that a long preamble length is required to connect to an access point, try changing the preamble length setting to "Long Only,” this option always uses a long preamble length to connect to the access point. Refer to "Changing the Preamble Length Setting" for details.

Checking Adapter Statistics

Adapter Statistics

If the adapter is communicating with an access point (infrastructure mode) or other
computers in peer-to-peer mode, click the Statistics button in the Troubleshooting tab to display the current information about how well the adapter is transmitting and receiving information.

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