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Troubleshooting

Before calling Customer Support

The troubleshooting issues listed here have been reported to our Customer Support representatives. For issues not addressed here, contact Intel Customer Support.

When calling Customer Support, be prepared to answer the following questions:

  • How many remote units do you have talking to each access point?
  • What channels are you using, and how are they dispersed?
  • How much coverage overlap is there between access points?
  • How high above the floor are the access points mounted?
  • What revision of Intel(R) PRO Network Connection software or other LAN software are you running?
  • What other electronic equipment is operating in the same band?
  • What construction materials are used in wall and floors?

Users are dropped from the wireless network

Suggested causes and solutions:

  • Find out if a person or workgroup moved or if the building has been rearranged.
  • If two or more users are seated too close to each other, performance can suffer. Instruct your users to space themselves a small distance apart to keep receivers from being overloaded.
  • Delivery trucks with very large metal sides can affect performance by reflecting destructive signals back into a building. If you have an installation that includes a shipping dock, check to see if  problem coincides with the arrival of large trucks.
  • Personal “systems” can also interfere with your network. Wireless speakers, cordless earphones, some Bluetooth devices, and similar systems can be the source of an infrequent but hard to find the problem. Some systems do not conform to FCC regulations. Shut off suspect devices or remove them from the area.
  • If possible, remove and reinstall your new software. Conflicts with other resident software packages are always a possibility, and they are not always the fault of the newest addition. Sometimes just starting over fixes the problem.
  • Swap units around. Does your problem follow the changed units, or is it unique to a specific location? If it follows the product, the swapped unit could be damaged, or improperly configured. If the problem stays with the location, try to find out what is different about that particular room or area.

Range decreases as data rate increases

This is a normal condition. Range is inversely proportional to data rate: the faster the data, the shorter the range. This has to do with the modulation technology used. Very fast data rates require extremely complex signal waveforms, where even minor distortions can result in data errors. Slower data rates are much more tolerant, and consequently will get through even in the presence of some amount of noise, interference, distortion and echo.

Signal doesn't pass through a short or thin wall

Range is highly dependent on the physical environment. In a line-of-sight location, with elevated and calibrated antennas, range predictions are quite accurate. This is not true in a “typical” office building, where the walls may be simple drywall (which is almost transparent to microwaves), or could be plaster with metal lath (which is mostly microwave opaque). Most sites are somewhere between these two extremes, and consist of a mixture of surfaces. You can’t tell what is inside a wall by just looking at it, and we can’t tell you exactly what distance you will achieve. Consider published range information to be typical, average, common or usual. Do not expect it to be exact!

Signal strength drops when a cell phone is used in the area

Range also depends on the electronic environment. If other equipment that could cause interference is nearby, the range of your transceiver could vary widely, and could change suddenly when the other equipment activates. This is particularly true for 802.11b installations, which share their frequencies with microwave ovens, cordless phones, wireless hi-fi speakers, electronics toys and similar devices. Try to keep your system away from other transmitters, and from other sources of electrical noise, such as large motors, spot welders, and similar “electronically noisy” devices.

Range is shorter than it should be

Repeat some tests late in the evening, or on a weekend, when there may be less interference. However, some users leave their networks turned on “24/7” so this test is not foolproof. By all means, try more than one channel. Your range problem may just be a nearby user whose system uses your present test channel.

Interference from fluorescent lights

If you mount an access point close to fluorescent light fixtures, the lamp glow appears constant, but inside the lamp tube, ionization appears and disappears 120 times a second. This can modulate or “chop” an incoming signal and interfere with reception.

When too much range is undesirable

Too much range is not necessarily a good thing. At first it would appear that you would want as much range as possible, but with the increase in range comes an increase in interference potential, as your unit hears not only your other units but also manages to hear the systems of other companies up and down the street. If you have a large installation, you will also wind up with more than one access point using the same channel. If a remote unit hears two or more access points, this will slow the network network.

Prevent access to wireless networks from outside the building

Excess transmit range presents a special reverse problem. For example, putting an access point adjacent to a second floor bay window invites anyone with the right software on the street below to pick up and enjoy all network transmissions. We discuss some possible solutions to this problem further on.

Problems with Network Connectivity

If you cannot connect to the wireless network, try the following:

Check Network Settings:

  1. Click the Settings tab.
  2. Click Network Settings.
  3. Make sure that the operating mode is correct.
  4. Make sure that the Network Name (SSID) is correct.
  5. If the laptop is configured for Ad Hoc networking, make sure that the channel is correct.

Check Security Settings:

  1. Click the Settings tab.
  2. Click Network Settings.
  3. Click WEP Keys.
  4. Make sure that the settings for WEP encryption are correct.

Use the Troubleshooting Tools:

  1. Click the Diagnostics tab.
  2. Click the Tools button.

Check International Roaming (for communicating with access points only):

  1. Click the Settings tab.
  2. Click Network Settings.
  3. Click Advanced. The Advanced Adapter Settings dialog box is displayed.
  4. If International Roaming is checked and you are in the United States, uncheck it.
  5. If International Roaming is not checked and you are outside the United States, check it.

Additional Troubleshooting Tools

Ping allows you to ping any device that has an IP address and determine if you have network connection with that device. See Using the Ping Tool.

Using the Ping Tool

You can check your network connection by pinging other devices in the network. If your wireless adapter is not functioning properly, use the ping tool to determine what network connections are working.

  1. For the Host Address, enter the IP address or name of a computer on the network.
  2. For the Test Count, set the test count to the number of times you want to ping the computer.
  3. Click Start Test.

Using Reset Adapter

Stops and starts the firmware. Use this tool if your wireless adapter suddenly stops working.

Self Test

Makes sure that the driver and firmware are working together correctly. This tool does not test any hardware.

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