SUCCESS! FYI - If you are looking for more wireless bars

I have a Sony Vaio VGN N130G with a Pro/Wireless driver.

I searched for a driver called Intel® PROSet/Wireless driver. This driver pulls down 2-3 bars of wireless signal while my Sony Vaio with Pro Wireless driver only pulled down 0-1 bars intermittently.

My findings.

I went to Intel
http://support.intel.com/support/wir.../CS-010623.htm

clicked on this link
Intel® PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection

selected XP Home
selected driver #3 which is PROset/Wireless instead of Pro/Wireless.


Voila!

I went from 0-1 bars strength intermittently to 2-3 bars strength.


Hope this helps someone.
Have a good one!

 

Your link gives a "page not found" error. I think this is because you are new here and don't yet have the ability to post links in a message.

Gary

 

Link was just incomplete

http://www.intel.com/support/wireless/wlan/sb/CS-010623.htm

 

That sounds good but I have a question

Is the signal strength bars shown in the windows wireless, or are you looking at the bars in the proset utility

I'm just thinking that I have had no problems with the standard drivers , and I configure my wireless conection with windows, and personaly hate the proset software

I will reinstall the proset software if it has the potential for a stronger signal,but if you are perhaps, compairing signal strength bars in 2 separate programs ,well that would perhaps not be accurate as the meters in each could be calibrated differently



Alex

 

Here ya go, sorry. Just piece it together.

http://support.intel.com/
support/wireless/wlan/
sb/CS-010623.htm

All I can tell you is there is a difference. The bars that show are more AND my signal is stronger.

I would constantly experience broken connecting and reconnecting with 0-1 bar.

NOW... with 2-3 bars... NO disconnecting.
So the bar readings are TRUE.

 

Thanks mobenzo

I guess I will rediscover the proset utility
I do occasionaly have a reduced signal


Alex

 

I doubt very much that the proset utility itself is what is making a difference here. Instead it is more likely the drivers accompanying the utility that is the factor. I could be wrong but I don't think the proset utility actually manipulates the radio in any way it is only responsible for making and maintaining the connections. On the same page as the full proset utility download is one for only the drivers. I wonder what results you might get with ONLY using the updated drivers.

Gary

 

Gary you could have a point here
I usually use windows update only to look for hardware driver updates
The OP might have out of date drivers?
The only way to tell for sure is unistall the proset only, and then test


Alex

 

one way to improve your wireless is to go to the settings in device manager and set it to g-only

 

Thanks for the input guys.

Well I went back and tried connecting the Dell without the Proset software and it was one bar less. All drivers were the most recent in both cases.

Same with the Sony.

So I wont debate the fact that I get more bars with Proset. Just wanted to pass it along.

Enjoy.

Drivers are up to date. Did a couple of fresh reinstalls lately and used most updated drivers.

Thanks.

 

One more question, can you obtain any numeric signal strength data rather than the graphic one? I ask this because often times the graphs are not of sufficient detail increments to really get good comparisons. Even if both apps have the same number of increments, one may round up the numeric data to the next display increment differently than the other the second app.
I am really curious what application is or even could be doing to the radio. I thought only the driver could do that, although I suppose the app could ask it to...

Gary

 

Gary


Do you know of a application in windows that would give that detailed value?
I have a stand-alone boot disk that has netstumbler, but I tried a version of that in windows and it did not work ,as it found 0 signals

Alex

 

Off hand no. I know they do exist. I have used NetStumbler, but it takes over to the point that I don't think we'd get valid comparison numbers. It would polute the sampling process. No, what you want is a passive monitor. Like I said they do exist. I beieve there are some vista gadgets that do that.

Oh wait I have one installed!!! http://addgadget.com/ has a Network Monitor gadget that shows a numeric signal strength.

Gary


Gary

 

Here is what I can do now that I have installed proset/wireless.

I wasnt able to stream TV shows and movies with the 0-1 bars. Now that I can see that I get 2 bars pretty consistently. The shows and movies do not break or buffer any more. Before they buffered and lost connection so much that you couldnt watch anything.

Any suggestions on what I can do EXACTLY to get the answer to your question?

Turn off proset and turn on WZC ?

Thanks