X201 (Intel N 6200) severe wifi issues

Hi guys,

Strange things are afoot with my X201's wifi. It was okay for a few months (I've had it since November) but it is now developing issues. With increasing frequency, the wifi will "cut out" entirely and require a restart of the computer to become functional again.

This means the card appears to be "on" in Windows, but detects no networks. I have tried cycling the hardware switch, I have tried "repairing" the connection in Windows, I have tried not allowing the X201 to power it down to save power.. I have tried lowering the roaming aggressiveness to lowest.

Any time I repair the connection (ie disable and re-enable the hardware in Windows), this happens:



Running latest drivers from Intel. I use Windows to configure the wireless connection. Any ideas?

 

Do you see the same issue in Unbuntu? If so, I wonder if your wireless router might be at fault. Do you see the same behavior when connected to different wireless networks?

I had a similar issue a few months back and it actually ended up being the power brick on my Netgear router.

 

Thanks for the reply.

I don't use Ubuntu very often but the problem has never exhibited itself there.

Definitely not the router - after dropping the connection, I lose the ability to find ANY wifi networks, not just mine. Not to mention, there's another 13-14 devices connected via wifi to the router without issues.

 

Check that you are using the latest software drivers from Lenovo.com>Support.

- wifi card driver
- access connections (if you use access connections)
- power manager driver
- power manager

You could check the firmware on the router too. But you seem sure it's not the router.

I've read of Some people go into power manager, change the power setting for the wireless card from low power to max power.

Other than that I got no idea.

 

Since this is the internet, I can't be sure if you're being facetious or not. I use Ubuntu a lot more frequently during semester for uni (for some reason, I get less distracted!) but I bought my X201 over the holidays so haven't had a chance to test it extensively yet.

Early indications are that it is stable on Ubuntu though. I've searched a lot online but the only threads I've found of people with similar issues are simply a result of having counterfeit wifi cards.

EDIT: In response to gmoneyphatstyle, unfortunately I've tried all those things thanks though.

 

I've been having a wireless problem with the same wireless card too. Randomly dropping the signal from my router, Linksys wrt54gs2

Tried so far:
1. Change wireless channel
2. Disable power management
3. Change RTS threshold
4. Change fragmentation threshold
5. Change drivers
6. Check to make sure antannae are connected and card is seated
7. Disable encryption
8. Reposition Router
9. Disable N frequency

And a number of other things. It won't keep a connection to the router wirelessly though other devices have no trouble with it while this computer is experiencing trouble. Even when I am the only one using it I will have to reboot the router to get a strong reliable signal and after an hour or maybe a day, but eventually, it happens all over again with this computer. I have read many threads about different routers having the same problem as mine with the same card. It just did the yellow exclamation point while I was typing this out then disconnected again. What could be wrong?

 

Mine's a little more severe than just dropped signals unfortunately.

The issue has gotten worse in the last 24h. Tonight alone, the card "died" about 6 or 7 times, eventually I gave up and did my work on the desktop. When it dies, it either disappears from the device manager altogether, or appears but does nothing (as in it detects no networks at all). If I reboot, it goes back to normal.

I have now tried the Lenovo drivers (really just the latest Intel ones) and the older Intel ones from their website. There seems to be only two driver versions for the 6200 N for 64bit Windows.

Does anyone have any ideas? Or am I going to have to send it back to Lenovo? Uni starts in a week.. I'm not keen on losing my laptop for a month, just before the period of time I expressly bought it for.

 

Have you tried reinstalling Intel drivers?

If so, have you tried purging Intel values in the registry manually before and reinstalling the drivers. Make sure you back up your registry before purging anything from the registry.

 

I've purged all the driver files from my Windows folder, then tried reinstalling.

I went through my system error log, here's the entries I get when the wireless goes down:

 

i have had an issue like this with my intel 5100 in the x200, i tried to install the OS couples of time, eventually i pinpointed to the intel wireless card hardware fault.

If all things fail, try an OS reinstall, or if you have friend with a similar class of thinkpads, then swap out the wireless card and see whether that works.

 

I thought Lenovo had specific branding, and only Lenovo branded wifi cards will work? Same thing with HP.

 

Hence "similar class of Thinkpads"

Lenovo whitelists their WiFi cards, so if you try to replace it with a generic one, it will not work. Luckily, it's quite easy to get a Lenovo-whitelisted card on eBay.

 

This issue has now reared its ugly head in Ubuntu as well. Guess it must be a hardware problem..

I've contacted Lenovo support and they're giving me a call back tomorrow. I start uni in a week so sending it back is pretty much not an option. They're not likely to just mail me a replacement part, are they?

Supposing I were to buy a new card, what would X201 users recommend, and where should I buy it from? Keeping in mind I only have the 2x2 antenna (webcam).

 

another 6200 card.

 

I would grab another Intel 6200 and make sure it is Lenovo branded. I don't think you got the 3rd cable so jumping to a 6300 would be kinda pointless.

 

Just an update folks. I ended up contacting Lenovo and explained to them my issue and the troubleshooting I had done. I told the support chap that I knew how to replace the card myself and asked if they could just ship me the new one - he said sure, and emailed me the service manual for the X201.

The very next day, a courier arrived and swapped my old 6200 card for a brand new one. It has been working every day since! Almost a week now and no problems, touch wood. Great service.

So yes, for anyone arriving here from Google or a forum search whose Intel Advanced-N 6200 card is exhibiting similar problems.. a replacement seems to be your best bet.

EDIT: And a thanks to all those here who helped me with troublshooting.

 

Well that's great to hear. I've had nothing but good luck with Intel wifi cards, but if I ever run into a similar issue, I'll remember this thread lol.