Latitude E6500 wireless connection issues

That's because Firefox has a cookie from a previous session that indicates that you want to use the Dell download manager.

Did you also remove the Dell Connection Manager?

Does this problem occur with more than one router. What is the lease duration of the IP address as given out by the router.

Yes, it means that you have to take / send the computer to Dell.

That's one option to help check the router. Another test would be to boot using a Linux Live CD and see if that can hold the wireless connection for several hours. If so, then suspicion falls onto windows + drivers / software instead of the hardware.

Also make sure that the antenna cable are firmly plugged into the wireless card.

John

 

Good idea... although beware homemade LAN cables.

Intermittant problems are always difficult to solve.

Here is an interesting read that may give you some debug ideas.

GK

 

Ok, cleared the cookies.

Yes, and the subsequent 2 hours of computing had no drops, but then that's not too unusual given the laptops flaking behavior. Maybe removing the connection manager along with the new driver might solve the problem but time will tell.

We only have the one router from verizon, Actiontec is the brand. I don't know the lease duration, not sure how to look it up. And the problem doesn't occur with the two other wireless laptops in the house, one of which is operating three feet away from where I use my laptop.

Ok, are the antenna cables the black and gray (white?) in the picture? Because the laptop connects to the wireless signal and holds it until the laptop is turned off with 54 hundred something speed and full bars, my assumption is that the antenna is working fine and the part of the card that captures the signal is working fine?

 

You should be able to track down the router manual (it may be on a CD that came with the router, otherwise on the manufacturer's website) which will give details of how to log on as the administrator and check / change the settings. Also check for an update to the router's firmware. The lease is how long the router gives out an IP address before it has the be renewed. I use about 20 hours.

Yes, those are the wires. I don't think that's the cause but we need to check everything because it's unusual for the Intel wireless cards to misbehave.

John

 

Well of course now I have to eat some crow. Not long after my last post both my wife's and my laptop disconnected from the internet at the same time (still had wireless connection, her laptop calls this 'local only')

This time instead of disconnecting and re-connecting on each laptop I reset the router and both laptops came back online right away, so I don't know what's going on.

I will try and find some more info on the router.

Thanks

 

Here's a Verizon FIOS wiring diagram. The trouble could be upstream from the router. I would inspect all connections and exposed cabling, look for status lights on equipment, check the battery backup unit... how old is the battery?... a poor or damaged power supply can cause marginal equipment faults.

Is the WLAN secured? Is the router admin secured?

Does a PC wired to the router lose the Internet? I would guess yes.

When did the problem begin?

I understand that the TV programming data comes over the WAN through the Actiontec router... probably over that side RG6 coax going to the set top boxes. So you're stuck with Verizon's router.

I would look for anything that might cause the router to lose its connection to the remote Verizon gateway server. Might need to call Verizon... they can see things at your end and may be able to ID the issue quickly. Tell 'em your wired and wireless clients/router/lan stay networked locally, but they all lose access to the Internet (confirm this first).

GK

 

If the router is more than 2 or 3 years old then it (or at least the wireless part) might be on the way out (check if it is still in warranty). I've had similar connectivity problems that I fixed with a new router. It may be that when you are not around the router can handle your wife's traffic, but can't handle the extra load when you also connect.

John

 

Thanks again for the help.

Still working on this, just haven't had time to check the router.

I have noticed that the times my machine will go 'local only' are almost always during the evening when both my wife and son are playing the online games. Sons desktop machine is wired and wife's laptop is wireless.

We have three wireless laptops, and three wired desktops. The desktops very rarely if ever drop to local only status as compared to how often my laptop does it.