Can't connect to wireless network on E1505 w/ Intel 3945

It detects our wireless network and connects for about a minute every once in a while, then stops. I don't think I'm out of range, since my brother's nearly year-old desktop can pick it up flawlessly two floors up. I tried downloading the PROset Wireless software from the Intel site, but to no avail. Any help would be very much appreciated, as I love my new system besides this little problem.

PS: I can access the internet if I hook an Ethernet cable up to my router, which is how I am typing this to begin with.

 

What router do you use? Sometimes doing a router firmware update fixes connection problems.

 

I have a Linksys, I'm not sure of the model # at the moment. But, every other connection in my house (my brother's desktop works, and WiFi on the Nintendo DS works fine) is okay, so I don't know if it's the router.

Also, when it displays the nearby connections, another one besides my router appears. I dunno where it's from, but I can't access it since it says it needs a password.

 

I have a t60 with the 3945 card in it with a netgear rangemax 834 router. I am getting the same issues -- Netgear is claiming I need to disable the 11e QoS on my laptop, but I can't figure out how to do this. Does anyone here have any thoughts on how I can make this happen? Maybe it may help you AhMYBrain? The link to the netgear site detailing the requirement is as follows:

http://kbserver.netgear.com/release_notes/d102855.asp

Look at known issue number 3.

 

I have the exact same problem. I am also running a Dell E1505 with the Intel 3945. It appears to be connecting to the linksys, then trying to connect to the default access point, so the linksys disconnects. then it tries to connect to the linksys again. It remains connected for 30secs-1minute before disconnecting. I have tried changing wireless channels... no other ones worked. besides 6 is the default for both my wireless card and the linksys, so for now i'll stick there. I just upgraded the firmware on the router today. That didn't solve anything. I have tried using the Intel/Pro software, and also windows to manage my wireless card, nothing is working . Ethernet works fine. I have perfect signal strength when it is connected, as my laptop is usually only 20 feet from the router, in the same room. I have the latest driver for my card (my computer arrived only 2 days ago), and I am running out of ideas. I just upgraded my pc from an older dell 1100 series, with a linksys pcmcia card that was always connected to the very same router flawlessly, so i know it's not a problem with the router (there is a desktop wirelessly connected also, with no problems, with a usb-linksys wireless adapter). I am 99% sure it is either a setting, or a problem with the driver of the Intel card. Please Help.
p.s. the router model is Linksys BEFW11S4 Wireless-B router. thanks.

 

pajega

Check the settings on the wireless card of the E1505 and be sure that it is setup as using "B" band. I'm not sure how Dell sets up their wireless configuration from the factory, but this would be a place where I would start.

Also check that the channel number you are using on your router is the same that is being used on the wireless card.

Hope this helps.

 

The problem with the Dell is not the wireless. I am currently dealing with the same issue on a Dell e1505 with the Intel 3945 internal wireless.

The issue is very odd. This Dell is brand new, out of the box. Everything works flawless on it, except the wireless, and it's been broken since the get go.

I first noticed odd things using the Intel pro/set wireless software. You would enable or disable the wireless using it, and it wouldn't take, or it would report it disabled when the system shows it enabled. Multiple inconsistencies.

So, after much fooling, i decided to do a rebuild. This with the Laptop out of the box for only 1 day.

So, I reinstalled windows XP Pro, from scratch (removed existing windows partition and reinstalled on a fresh NTFS partition). I then systematically re-installed all drivers, 1 by 1 with a reboot after each install, from the Dell website to make sure I had the most current.

I, at the last step, the installed the Dell 3945 drivers. The same issue still occured. So, I removed all the intel software, but left just the driver, and used the Windows Zero Config manager. The driver connects to a wireless network, but then go into 'disable' mode soon after start. The wireless simply 'disconnects' itself, and cannot be re-enabled without a reboot.

So I removed the dell Intell driver, and downloaded the latest from Intel, and installed without putting the pro-set software on at all. Same issue. I sat and let the PC run a bit, to see what it would do. It boots, and connects, and for the first minute, all works perfect. However, eventually, the hard display light for Wi_FI (just above the keyboard) goes off, indicating Wi-Fi disabled, without any key press or other interference. From that point, any access to IP traffic via either windows or command line no longer occurs. A /ipconfig indicates a problem with the adapater not being active. However, the system still shows it being connected in the systray. a Fn+F2 does not re-enable the adapter.

Changed settings in BIOS to disable the wi-fi hotkey. Does not fix the issue. Changed settings in BIOS and OS to change power management to max power, no management, to no effect.

End result, something is causing the 3945 Wi-Fi card to disable itself. Either it's crashing as a result of recieving IP traffic (or any bandwidth traffic), or there is some weird off item causing this crash.

I have another Dell running the 2915 card, and it works like a champion. This 3945, however, is a different animal entirely. Nothing that makes logical sense has fixed it, and I have tried everything.

I have heard rumors of an open source .dll associated with this driver getting into the mix, and having to change the default directory for the .dll to the intel directory and not the ../system32 directory to use the intel only flavor of the .dll. Going to give that a try, but then I'm out of luck as I've tried everything else.

So far, after a few weeks of trying to get this particular bad boy to work, I'd highly recommend upgrading (or even downgrading) your wi-fi in any dell you buy so as to NOT get the 3945 internal until they resolve this.

 

If you have another ap in range you need to tell the card to not conneted to it. To do this bring up you card properties > Wireless Networks, then select advanced. On the advanced screen UNCHECK "automatically connected to non perfered networks. Then make sure the check to AP (infrastructure) networks only is selected.

If you have a network near by it will jump back and forth to the strongest signal. The resaon for un checkeing auto connect. The networks in your wireless network will be the only ones that will auto connect to.

 

Have You tried disable the LAN cable connection? It seems to sometimes interveen or disrupt the wireless

Restart the laptop and retry

 

I have been looking on the net for answers and other are complaining of the same issue -- blinding flash of the obvious... In any case, is disabling 11eqos the same as unchecking the box next to the QOS ad hoc on the network adapter "advanced" tab? Or is there someplace else I need to go?

 

Don't know if you ever found a solution to your problem, but I had the same problem and figured out what was causing it. I have an Inspiron E1505 and for no reason (that I could figure out) I could no longer see any of the wireless networks. I did all of the same troubleshooting steps of checking the drivers and BIOS but nothing fixed it. Long Story Short....

Here is what I did to get it working again. In the lower right hand corner of the task bar, right next to the clock you should see an Icon that has a small square with three curved lines above it. This is the INTEL PROSET Wireless
management software. Right click it to see the menu of options.

IF it says "Radio Disabled" thats your problem. Select "Radio Enabled" to turn your wireless network option back on. You might also see a message when trying to connect to the network that you need press the Hotkey to turn the wireless on. Press the Function Key and F2 at the same time.

You should be all set now. Hope this helps someone because It was driving me batty!.

 

I am ready to order a Inspiron E1505 and with the Intel 3945 wireless card. Having read the latest post with what sounds like a fix of the problem, I am wondering if anyone who had posted previously has tried this fix and had it work. Need a quick response as today is last day of the sale on the notebook and I am wondering if I should downgrade to the Dell Wireless 1390 802.11g Mini Card (54Mbps) as I know I can not handle the problems and troubleshooting that others have tried. I would hate to upgrade to the Intel 3945 then have major headaches. Open to suggestions.

 

I had the same problem. The fix is easy:

Right Click My Computer > Properties > Hardware Tab > Click Device Manager

Go down to your wireless adapter and open properties. Then go to the power management tab and make sure 'Allow the computer to turn this device off to save power' is unchecked.

Then go to the advanced tab, and click Power Management in the listbox. Set it to highest, then hit ok, and you should be all set.

 

The two last "fixes" described will not fix Netgear WPNT834 router rebooting problem. They can address general wireless connectivity issues (especially if you have wireless radio off), but they have nothing to do with the card sending null QOS frames. I have Inspiron E1705 (aka 9400) and Netgear RangeMax 240 (WPNT834) and I am looking for the fix myself.

However, (TTown) please note that this is not Dell/Intel problem, I love my Inspiron 9400/1705. It's the router firmware problem.

I will report on my findings.

P.S. this router also seems to have an issue with some wired NICs that have autosense turned on. Marvel Yukon gigabit NIC integrated on the mobo of one of 6 systems on the network kept causing the router to "hang". Switching NIC to 100Mbps full duplex solved the problem. The router didn't have any problems with any of my 4 10/100 NICs.

 

My amateur two cents worth - i hate Intell - had a 2200 card that is completely worthless. having to do all the stuff described in this thread and in the infamous 2200 thread is ridiculous. I've had an E1505 for 4 months now with the plain Dell 1390 card (made by Broadcom I believe) and it's worked nearly flawless. I did encounter one troublesome problem - one night in the middle of typing a web adddress, my wireless crashed. It wasn't the card though or really even my Bellsouth Westel router. I think a neighbor somewhere set up shop on channel 6 so in a totally desperate attempt using my wired desktop computer, i changed my router to channel 1 and that worked. I still don't understand why I was knocked off apparently by a neighbor's linksys router, but changing channels worked.

ONly other problem i've had with the E1505 is after playing party poker, i would often get the BSOD and have to reboot. One night it got way worse - wouldn't boot at all in any way except safe mode. After frantically searching this site for possible answers in safe mode, i found a thread that said it might the video driver - i downloaded an update in safemode to my flash drive and and also installed the Intel graphic video driver in safe mode and everything has been fine ever since - that was about two weeks ago. I still don't understand it - in the past 4 months, i updated the video driver once a month so it had a somewhat updated driver, but apparently not the latest and greatest i guess.

Hope this helps - E1505 is absolutely AWESOME in every respect for me. I don't see how i ever ever lived iwth just a desktop. Our desktop now gathers dust pretty much.