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:
Suggested causes and solutions: 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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
If you cannot connect to the wireless network, try the following:
Check Network Settings:
Check Security Settings:
Use the Troubleshooting Tools:
Check International Roaming (for communicating with access points only):
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.
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.
Copyright (c) 2003 Intel Corporation.
Users are dropped from the wireless network
Range decreases as data rate increases
Signal doesn't pass through a short or thin wall
Signal strength drops when a cell phone is used in the area
Range is shorter than it should be
Interference from fluorescent lights
When too much range is undesirable
Prevent access to wireless networks from outside the building
Problems with Network Connectivity
Additional Troubleshooting Tools