Interesting WiFi problem... (long)

[slodave]

My dad has Fujitsu laptop that is about 5 years old. No major problems. In the last year, he has had wifi connection problems in various hotels. Early simple diagnosis showed that it was either connected or not, no "limited connectivity" warnings. Long distance trouble shooting is not practical, but I tried. Oh, the issue happened to my mom as well, when she recently was in Germany with my dads borrowed laptop. My cousin (IT) in Germany even gave it a try without success.

We were all in Apsen and our condo has wireless and my dad and I both had our laptops. Most of the time, they were sitting next to each other. My laptop did not have a problem, but I was able to see that his was having issues. I played with it for a bit, but could not see a problem, other than thinking that the card may be bad...

We just ordered a new wifi and and I installed it last night. The laptop immediately saw the home wifi connection and connected. OK, it's the card.... Sooo, I take the laptop to their backyard and manually disconnect and try to connect. Nope, it sees the router, has 4 to 5 bars, but will not connect. I DL and install the drivers from Fujitsu's site and it connects. Back outside and same problem. The SW has an event viewer, so I watch what happens. When I am inside the house and within a certain radius from the router, the logs show a clean connection with handshake. If I walk right outside but leave the door open, it connects, but the handshakes do not happen. Step inside and it's all good.

#Event	Source	Time	Error Severity	Domain	User	Description
1	IWA	7/26/2009 18:48	Information	Adapter	Administrator	Profile Fail event from the adapter.
2	Task Tray	7/26/2009 18:48	Information	Adapter	Administrator	Link down event from the adapter.
3	IWA	7/26/2009 18:48	Information	Adapter	Administrator	Link down event from the adapter.
4	IWA	7/26/2009 18:48	Information	Profile	Administrator	Profile update/added event from the Profile database.
5	S24EvMon	7/26/2009 18:48	Information	TcpIp	SYSTEM	VoIP: Got link down - deleting flows .
6	Dot1XConfig	7/26/2009 18:48	Information	Security	Administrator	 Unauthenticated (Beech).
7	Dot1XConfig	7/26/2009 18:48	Information	Security	Administrator	 Link down (Beech).
8	Task Tray	7/26/2009 18:48	Information	Profile	Administrator	Profile orderupdate/update/added event from the profile manager.
9	Dot1XConfig	7/26/2009 18:48	Information	Security	Administrator	 Connecting (Beech).
10	Dot1XConfig	7/26/2009 18:48	Information	Security	Administrator	 Link up (Beech).
11	Dot1XConfig	7/26/2009 18:48	Information	Security	Administrator	 Unauthenticated (Beech).
12	Dot1XConfig	7/26/2009 18:48	Information	Security	Administrator	 Link down (Beech).
13	Task Tray	7/26/2009 18:48	Information	Adapter	Administrator	Link up event from the adapter.
14	IWA	7/26/2009 18:48	Information	Adapter	Administrator	Link up event from the adapter.
15	IWA	7/26/2009 18:48	Information	Profile	Administrator	Profile update/added event from the Profile database.
16	Dot1XConfig	7/26/2009 18:48	Information	Security	Administrator	 Connecting (Beech).
17	Dot1XConfig	7/26/2009 18:48	Information	Security	Administrator	 Link up (Beech).
18	Task Tray	7/26/2009 18:48	Information	Profile	Administrator	Profile orderupdate/update/added event from the profile manager.
19	Dot1XConfig	7/26/2009 18:48	Information	Security	Administrator	 Unauthenticated (Beech).
20	Dot1XConfig	7/26/2009 18:48	Information	Security	Administrator	 Started (Beech).
21	Dot1XConfig	7/26/2009 18:48	Information	Security	Administrator	 Unauthenticated (Beech).
22	Dot1XConfig	7/26/2009 18:48	Information	Security	Administrator	Not enabling CCX functionality because it is already enabled
23	Dot1XConfig	7/26/2009 18:48	Information	Security	Administrator	 Stopped (Beech).
24	Muroc Api	7/26/2009 18:48	Information	General	Administrator	Profile Beech for Beech being applied.
25	IWA	7/26/2009 18:47	Information	Adapter	Administrator	Profile Fail event from the adapter.
26	Task Tray	7/26/2009 18:47	Information	Adapter	Administrator	Link down event from the adapter.
27	IWA	7/26/2009 18:47	Information	Adapter	Administrator	Link down event from the adapter.
28	IWA	7/26/2009 18:47	Information	Profile	Administrator	Profile update/added event from the Profile database.
29	S24EvMon	7/26/2009 18:47	Information	TcpIp	SYSTEM	VoIP: Got link down - deleting flows .
30	Dot1XConfig	7/26/2009 18:47	Information	Security	Administrator	 Unauthenticated (Beech).
31	Dot1XConfig	7/26/2009 18:47	Information	Security	Administrator	 Link down (Beech).
32	Task Tray	7/26/2009 18:47	Information	Profile	Administrator	Profile orderupdate/update/added event from the profile manager.
33	Task Tray	7/26/2009 18:47	Information	Adapter	Administrator	DHCP success event from the adapter.
34	IWA	7/26/2009 18:47	Information	Adapter	Administrator	DHCP success event from the adapter.
35	Dot1XConfig	7/26/2009 18:47	Success	Security	Administrator	Received a valid IP address from DHCP server (Beech).
36	Dot1XConfig	7/26/2009 18:47	Success	Security	Administrator	 Authenticated (Beech).
37	Dot1XConfig	7/26/2009 18:47	Information	General	Administrator	Authentication Method WPA_PSK TKIP 802.1x enabled  Credential Mode:Saved credentials  Certificate Mode:PasswordStatic 
38	Dot1XConfig	7/26/2009 18:47	Information	Security	Administrator	Starting DHCP monitor thread (TCP/IP bound=1
39	Task Tray	7/26/2009 18:47	Information	Adapter	Administrator	Auth success event from the adapter.
40	Dot1XConfig	7/26/2009 18:47	Information	Security	Administrator	 Group key received (Beech).
41	Task Tray	7/26/2009 18:47	Information	Adapter	Administrator	Link up event from the adapter.
42	IWA	7/26/2009 18:47	Information	Adapter	Administrator	Link up event from the adapter.
43	IWA	7/26/2009 18:47	Information	Profile	Administrator	Profile update/added event from the Profile database.
44	Dot1XConfig	7/26/2009 18:47	Information	Security	Administrator	 Pairwise key received (Beech).
45	Dot1XConfig	7/26/2009 18:47	Information	Security	Administrator	 Authenticating (Beech).
46	Dot1XConfig	7/26/2009 18:47	Information	Security	Administrator	 Connecting (Beech).
47	Dot1XConfig	7/26/2009 18:47	Information	Security	Administrator	 Link up (Beech).
48	Task Tray	7/26/2009 18:47	Information	Profile	Administrator	Profile orderupdate/update/added event from the profile manager.
49	Dot1XConfig	7/26/2009 18:47	Information	Security	Administrator	 Unauthenticated (Beech).
50	Dot1XConfig	7/26/2009 18:47	Information	Security	Administrator	 Started (Beech).
51	Dot1XConfig	7/26/2009 18:47	Information	Security	Administrator	 Unauthenticated (Beech).
52	Dot1XConfig	7/26/2009 18:47	Information	Security	Administrator	 Started (Beech).
53	Dot1XConfig	7/26/2009 18:47	Information	Security	Administrator	Not enabling CCX functionality because it is already enabled
54	Muroc Api	7/26/2009 18:47	Information	General	Administrator	Profile Beech for Beech being applied.
55	EvtEngine	7/26/2009 18:47	Success	EvTrace	SYSTEM	Service queue reset done.

Reading from bottom to top..

Look at lines 46-36. It shows the 'handshake' and that an IP has been given. Lines 17 to the top show show that it connects to 'Beech', but never does the handshake and subsequently drops the link and tries again.

For the record, I was able to duplicate this inside the house as well. Instead of walking out the door from where I was standing, I walked to the other corner of the room and the same thing happened. I don't think walls are an issue, as I was able to walk into a different room that has a lot of wall space between the laptop and the router.

I'm stumped, my laptop does not have this problem, granted, it has a newer wifi card (both are Intel).

Any ideas?

[Gogar]

How/where is the antenna configured in his laptop?

What if you connect via ethernet? Everything ok?


My laptop's antenna is in the screen/lid of the computer, and I think the connection around the pivot point of the lid/screen is going bad. Can be great for 5 minutes or 3 hours or never even connect at all. Older computers with a dedicated wireless card/antenna work great.

Even if it shows good 'bars' on the connection meter it's possible the connection is spotty and going in/out faster than that indicator shows, you know?

[slodave]

The antennas are internal in the upper corners of the display. I thought it could be the card or possibly the antenna/wires, but compared to my laptop use, he barely uses his. A few times a year.

It connects fine via network cable.

It does not appear to be a signal strength issue. It has no problem trying to connect over and over. At a certain distance, it seems that the handshake does not go through.

Other than unplugging the router (at home) a couple of times, I did not try and move it from its current location.

Another note. Before switching out the card and uninstalling/reinstalling the SW, I had issues the other night sitting a few feet away from the router. I did not have the logging feature, but I suspect it was doing the same thing. Oh, since this has happened in a number of locations, I am ruling out his home wifi router as the problem.

[robs944]

slodave,
Have you tried setting the router with no security, disable WPA_PSK TKIP protocol?
I have run into some wireless cards that have connectivity issues due to WPA.
Also I assume he has XP on this laptop, what SP is it running? Their was a MS KB article 826942 that addressed issues with WPA encryption, I think their is a wireless update package available. It's also included in SP3.

Also have you tried using the MS wireless zero configuration utility for connectivity rather than the software?

Just some thoughts, keep us updated.

Rob

[slodave]

Rob,

I checked the laptop this evening and it is SP3. I read about the KB and even tried to DL and reinstall it, but it reported the the SP was newer than the update..

I reset the router (forgot the PW) and was able to connect from the backyard. I then tried to update the FW on the router with no luck. Since this issue seems to happen at various locations, I gave upon the upgrade. I did setup WPA again and tried to log in again. From what I can tell. The area around the table in the backyard is at the end of the router's range. The signal floats between very good and poor. Mostly in the good and poor range. When everything aligned just right, I would be able to connect. My iPhone was having issues as well.

I will take his laptop home with me in the next two days and se how things react on my wifi. He will be going to Santa Fe in a couple of weeks and he will see what happens. I even talked him into trying to find out where the actual AP's are in the hotel he will be staying at, so he can try and get close to one and see if things work.

He is retiring when Windows 7 comes out, so I have a feeling that this problem may never fully be solved - unless his new one does the same thing!

I am starting to think that it's partly do to the antenna in his laptop and at his house, the range of the wifi router. I can see how the laptop can find the router with a week signal, but have issues actually talking with the router.

Regarding MS zero config. The laptop was setup this way in the past. I switched over once in Aspen and when I reinstalled the SW last night.

Thanks!

[stealthn]

Suplicant problem with 802.1x...