G73JW-A1 is making me furious with its wifi

Ok, I just bought a g73jw-a1. I start it and the first thing I see is a sea of crapware. So I begin to uninstall all of the games, and other stuff. And then I decide to connect to the web so I can start to download the things I need.

Thats when I first noticed my problem, the wifi is erratic. My wifi network wont appear available for connection for a long time. When it does find it, I sometimes get an unnable to connect when I click it. When a miracle happens and it does connect to it, it lasts a few minutes at best and then it disconnects.

I contacted asus for help and I got this emai l:

For your issue, my friend, please try to reenable the wireless radio from Control Panel / Windows Mobility Center.

If it is vain, I suggest you update ATKACPI driver and hotkey-related utilities for a try here:
ASUSTeK Computer Inc.-Support-

Then, please try to refer here:
Fn+F2 WLAN switch

If it no helps, please try to uninstall and update ASUS Wireless Switch (Wireless Console3) Utility here:
ASUSTeK Computer Inc.-Support-

Then, I suggest you uninstall and update AW-NE785 Wireless Lan Driver and Application for a try here:
ASUSTeK Computer Inc.-Support-

Also please try to uninstall and update ASUS Live Update Utility Version V2.5.9 here:
ASUSTeK Computer Inc.-Support-.zip&f_type=14&os=30

I tried all of that to no avail, so I figured hey, maibe I accidently got rid of an important program or something. So I did a recovery from the restore partition. still nothing, I tried all the suggestions I got emailed to me again and its still the same.

Please I need some help with this issue. The computer is great but without internet is useless to me.

 

The stock operating system should connect to your router without a problem. If your WiFi card is not broken, the issue is with your router/firmware. The stock answer goes like this...

1. If you know of a convenient place that has free WiFi like a McDonalds restaurant, Barnes and Noble, and so on go there and test whether you can connect.
2. If you can connect then the problem is with your router and you need to update the firmware for that model router to whatever is the latest.
3. If your router still doesn't work you will probably have to replace it with a current model. The last one I bought was an el cheapo Asus from NewEgg for about twenty bucks and it works fine.

If this is your first Windows 7 computer, I suspect it's not playing nicely with your router.

 

What kind of router or access point do you have, and what are your connection settings: encryption type, mixed mode settings, etc... what is your signal strength and how far away are you from the AP? Are there other wireless networks around, and are you on the same channel as any of them?

 

DO a check if any other Routers or WIFI signal are on teh same Channel as you are.

This will also me a factor for you. Try and see if any on is using Chaneel 1 or higher,if they are not, them change to that channel.

If they are pick a chaneel 2 steps away from any other channel. So if everyone in range uses 11 then Pick 9 or 8. DO not pick 10 or the same problem can happen.

I do not have any paper to back these statements.

Also make sure your WiFi antenna is in clear view of you machine if possible.

 

I would suggest just to go with Intel 6200, its cheap, less than $30, easy to change, 2 screws outside to take the back plastic, 2 screwes to get the atheros out, maybe 10mins tops to do the swap.

 

Hi guys, I tried the following:

Went to a starbucks to try it out. I had limited success. I got a limited connection. The place had a password and user name access point. And the window to use those didnt appear.

So I go a connection with a very slow internet connection to only the isp provider's page.

So i went back home, got a signal at full strenght but it promptly became erratic like always.

I tried the channel thing. Had another web with my same channel so I changed it to a clean slot. Still nothing.

Im actually considering at this point installing a clean windows 7 not the restore from asus so all the crapware is gone.

I attach a couple of print screens from my cable modem. Hope that is useful.

Thanks for all the help

 

OK. That's good data. However we have two possibilities. You have either seriously screwed up the drivers and software with a clean install or the atheros card is no good. I don't mean to insult you. It's just that I don't know you very well since you are new here and I'm not sure if you've done hundreds of clean installs or one. Doing a factory restore and testing would definitely nail it down to a bad card. A proper Intel 6200N wireless card costs about $25 and is much better than the stock one. However if you don't feel like paying more when the one you have should work I can totally understand that. If the card is bad, they will make you RMA the whole laptop to swap it out and it will take at least two weeks. Mine is out on RMA right now and they've had it since November 24th. I'm not sure when it's coming back.

I would follow Abula's advice and just get a proper wireless card and flick that five dollar one it comes with in the trash can, but that's just me. If you want to be really sure before spending the money do a factory restore and try the trip to the store one more time to make sure it's not just a driver thing. Sounds like a bad card to me though. I will say that I haven't seen anyone else with a bad card complaining here and I've been hanging in this forum since the laptop came out. That doesn't mean much, I'm just saying I haven't seen anyone with that issue until now.

 

50/50 shot on that. I've seen more than my fair share of wifi issues that turned out to be setting/interference issues.

For example, I had to replace the wifi card in my G73 with the 6200n after finding out my microwave drove the stock one nuts [interference]

I had a huge issue with the wifi on my wife's macbook awhile back as well. Turned out it didn't like standard WPA encryption, I had to switch to WPA2. . now it has no issues. Prior to the change, those issues were: failing to connect, intermittent connectivity, slow internet within close proximity to router.

The other question is, what kind of antivirus/antispyware is running? Are you running more than one antivirus? Have you tried disabling antivirus/firewall as a diagnostic method?

Honestly, I'd be looking at my router and settings before suspecting the wifi card itself. Yea, it's POSSIBLE that it's bad. . but I wouldn't think it's very likely.

 

I'd still swap it out for the Intel just due to the fact of doubling my transfer rate potential and getting 5GHz support. Plus it's not an expensive or difficult upgrade.

 

yes, but how many routers actually support that mode?
and besides, how many US ISPs actually give that much of a bandwidth anyway

 

From what you have said I would venture a guess that your Networking card is bad. Can't be sure with out test but it looks that way.
I would just order a new card as stated by Chastity and the others.
In the long run it will make life easier for you as you move about .
And putting it in is not hard , and if you can't I am sure there is someone around you that will help. Anyway this is what I would do.
And I have changed out two Cards already in users computers, it did not take long and all loaded up and ran with ease.

Most of the newer routers use 5GHz and you would be surprised at how many already out do support this.
I use the 5GHz band and I like it as you get good through put and it works well in areas where I live that have a whole lot of traffic on the bands.

 

I have 100mbit internet service, plus I like to stream movies from my server to my entertainment room TV, so yes I use the bandwidth.

 

No offense taken, on the contrary I appreciate a lot all the help you guys are giving me.

Well, the factory restore was pretty simple. Just a follow the steps and click ok thing. So I dont think thats the problem, thats one point for asus they didnt make it overly complicated.

About the card, im seriously considering getting that intel 6200 beauty everyone is talking about. Anyone has a youtube link or a list of steps to change it in a g73?. I will probably be laptopless for a while tou, I cant be conviced to look for one in christmas madness time.

Another thing, I was looking around in amazon for "Intel 6200" and found a bunch. Which one is the one that fits g73jw-a1?

I found:

• Intel 6200 IEEE 802.11n (draft) Wi-Fi Adapter - Mini PCI Express - 300Mbps by Intel
  
• New Intel Wifi Link 6200 622AN.HMWWB Half Height Minicard Vpro Enabled Wireless Network Adapter
  
• Intel "Puma Peak" Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6200 Wireless 1" Half-Mini PCI-e Half-Mini Card Adapter for Windows 7 & Vista. Includes "My WiFi" Circuitry by Intel
  
• New Intel Wifi Link 6200 622AN.HMWG Half Height Minicard Vpro Enabled 100c Wireless Network

Adapter

 

Whatever card you look at, it must be half height for the G73.

 

The 6200 is just a half size card, only one size, the same as your atheros inside the G73JW, i bought it from amazon 3rd party seller and been working fine. Just a warning there are fakes, specially in ebay, so just be careful in where you buy it, there is a intel authorized seller here, babyhemi, i find out later than when i bought it, but mine seems to be working fine.

 

This is the right card... I'm not recommending this seller. I'm just trying to show you a picture of the right one. I think I bought mine from ProVantage but they aren't the cheapest. Most everyone speaks highly of babyhemi.

http://www.provantage.com/intel-622an-hmwwb~7ITE90NJ.htm

Google Intel 6200N and you should pull up the right card.