Intel Wireless 3945abg issues

Hey all, I've got an Intel Wireless 3945abg card in my Vostro 1500. Seems it is being quite intermittent in the way it wants to connect and what it wants to connect to. Has anyone had issues with this card before?

I have an existing ad-hoc network that is working quite fine for two other computers (both pick it up at 54mbps, signal strength excellent) on the network that get the internet from this connection. However, on the Vostro most of the time it doesn't connect and the "host process" has had to shut down, the rest of the time I either have to go through some obscure process to get it going or continually reboot till it decides to work by just clicking connect to network but even then it might only connect locally...

I've reinstalled the drivers off the CD, I've downloaded the latest one off the Intel website and I've even reformatted the HDD and reinstalled Vista but there's been no change. I've disabled, enabled and even recreated the connection and still, no change. I've called Dell about it twice, the first time I got hung up on the minute I said 'ad-hoc' and the second time I spent a few hours with them on the phone yesterday going through all the possible things I could do to get it working - in the end the guy reckons it's a hardware problem and I'm having a technician come out sometime today to replace the card...

And for those that ask why am I using ad-hoc - I don't know, it's just the way it works. In infrastructure mode all of the computers keep scanning and scanning and never pick up. Adhoc, it works straight off the bat. I am assuming because I have a wireless bridge, not an actual wireless modem. The internet goes through my netgear broadband modem --> D Link wireless bridge which then transmits it to the other computers.

Anyways, please let me know if you've had issues too and what you have done to resolve them.

 

I'd check if you can connect to another wireless network before assuming it's a hardware problem with the 3945abg card. Usually a bridge is used to connect two different network segments together. You can't run in infrastructure mode because there's no wireless access point (the DLink bridge is not an AP) Your setup is unusual enough that it may be the cause of the issues and not the wireless card. You're probably better off getting a wireless router so that you can run in infrastructure mode.

 

The technician came to replace the card and it worked straight off the bat. On reboot though, went straight back to the other drama so perhaps it is a Vista issue...

Chemistry, I understand that running in ad-hoc is weird enough but what I can't understand is how the other two computers in my house connected perfectly and stay connected and this one wont. The main difference being that this lappy is running Vista (the others, XP) and it's using this card - others using a Netgear USB dongle and the other using an internal Netgear card and therefore having their own software for configuration.

 

I have the same card as your but i dunno if i have ad-hoc or whatever it is on or not, but I can never seem to connect to my D-Link wireless router unless I assign an Ip, but that may be because I have a WWAN conection, My D-Link is hooked up my my non-wireless Linyksis router.

 

I have a 3945ABG, running Vista, without any issues whatsoever. The card is relatively weak though [Linux doesn't pickup the WPA2 encrypted network though =/]. But I'm not connecting via Ad-Hoc; just plain ol' infrastructure. Connected to a D-Link MIMO router; DHCP.

How about updating the firmware on your bridge and/or router?

 

@allan - sounds like the same setup I have, with the same issues

@amol - all up to date on it AFAIK. FWIW my router is a Netgear NB5Plus4 and the bridge is a DWL G 810.

I tried using one of the other computers wireless dongles and I unfortunately couldn't install the software for it onto Vista. Even the Vista version from the Netgear website. I have kind of given up on it.

I called my Dell CSR to get a refund on the lappy. It's driven me to my wits end. I'll be getting a different spec from a different manufacturer, but I think it will be using the same card but Windows XP pro. Will be interesting to see if the issue is resolved. Waiting for a call back from the refund department so will see how that goes. Still keen to hear everyone's opinions on their 3945's though!

 

you need to listen to the advice of the above poster and test your setup on a completely different wifi network such as at a friend's or a free wifi access point.

until you know for sure that it's the computer and not your network, then calling all the technicians in the world won't help you.

 

Maybe if it's bugging you that much, you could just ask Dell to replace your 3945 with the draft N version. It's much stronger, IIRC.

 

Yes, the 3945 cards have had problems. The new 4965 cards are much better.

 

If you look at the setup in the diagram at the following link

http://www.nomorepay.com/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=62

the Dlink product is basically designed to give wireless capability to devices with wired ethernet capability. My understanding of your network setup is that you've replaced the wireless router in the diagram with the Dlink bridge and all the computers on the network have their own wireless network cards. Since you've done this, there's no access point in your network (ie a wireless router) and hence, that is why you need to run in ad-hoc mode. It may well be a Vista issue with ad-hoc networks but you're also not using the Dlink product as it was designed to do. Adding additional computers to the wireless network would have been simpler if you had a wireless router in your network where you are currently using your Dlink. Wireless routers are cheap enough these days that for the $30-$50 they cost, replacing the Dlink with a wireless router would most likely take care of your problems.

 

Ah chemistry, you are an absolute champion! Honestly you and that diagram have explained things sooo much better than anyone else has, I totally get what's happening now. I'll have a looksee over the weekend and see if I can come up with any cheap routers. Do you suggest an actual wireless broadband all in one modem or just replace the D-Link with a wireless router and have the two running?

 

The simplest solution would be to replace the Netgear and D-Link with a single wireless broadband router/modem. Then you only need to configure a single box. Otherwise, a wireless router can be made to work with the Netgear modem/router. You will just have to remember to disable the routing capabilities of either the Netgear modem or the wireless router in order to avoid conflicts between the two routers on your network.

 

Hey Chemistry, massive thanks to you. I managed to get a hold of a second hand wireless broadband modem from my local computer shop and it has worked a charm! Thank you!