Intermittent connection when using WPA

I have a new IBM R51 Thinkpad running XP Pro SP2 and an internal Intel
2200BG WiFi adapter configured to use WPA, talking to an Actiontec
GT701 DSL router.

I'm not using XP's Wireless Zero config (service is turned off), nor
am I using the Windows firewall. I have the latest Intel drivers and
IBM utilities installed, and the current Qwest firmware installed in
the router.

On boot, the wireless connection works just fine, but after a few
minutes the connection will drop. Then a few seconds later the
connection will come back. It will drop and return spontaneously for
"a while" and then settle down and run fine for hours.

When this is happening, I'm only a few feet from the router and have a
solid green indication on the Intel status icon.

At first I thought it was my Sygate Security Agent firewall, but the
symptoms are the same if that service is shut down.

I don't see this problem when I'm using wireless at work using WEP.

Other than playing with the firewall, I haven't done much to track
down the problem. Before I start tearing things apart, does this sound
familiar to anybody? Anything in particular I might try first?

--
Bert Hyman | St. Paul, MN | (E-Mail Removed)

You could try setting the fragmentation and RTS/CTS thresholds a bit lower,
that has considerably stabilised my connection. I set both of mine to 2304
in the router and PCMIA laptop card.

http://www.wi-fiplanet.com/tutorials...le.php/1468331

hth

philip ashley

"Bert Hyman" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> I have a new IBM R51 Thinkpad running XP Pro SP2 and an internal Intel
> 2200BG WiFi adapter configured to use WPA, talking to an Actiontec
> GT701 DSL router.
>
> I'm not using XP's Wireless Zero config (service is turned off), nor
> am I using the Windows firewall. I have the latest Intel drivers and
> IBM utilities installed, and the current Qwest firmware installed in
> the router.
>
> On boot, the wireless connection works just fine, but after a few
> minutes the connection will drop. Then a few seconds later the
> connection will come back. It will drop and return spontaneously for
> "a while" and then settle down and run fine for hours.
>
> When this is happening, I'm only a few feet from the router and have a
> solid green indication on the Intel status icon.
>
> At first I thought it was my Sygate Security Agent firewall, but the
> symptoms are the same if that service is shut down.
>
> I don't see this problem when I'm using wireless at work using WEP.
>
> Other than playing with the firewall, I haven't done much to track
> down the problem. Before I start tearing things apart, does this sound
> familiar to anybody? Anything in particular I might try first?
>
> --
> Bert Hyman | St. Paul, MN | (E-Mail Removed)

In news:Yz36d.425$(E-Mail Removed) "philip ashley"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> You could try setting the fragmentation and RTS/CTS thresholds a bit
> lower, that has considerably stabilised my connection. I set both of
> mine to 2304 in the router and PCMIA laptop card.
>
> http://www.wi-fiplanet.com/tutorials...le.php/1468331

I'll have to study that tomorrow; thanks for the pointer.

Monitoring the interface with Ethereal, I see the router and the NIC
exchange frames every 60 seconds with a protocol "EAPOL", which appears to
be related to the TKIP key rotation (or whatever it is) for the WPA
encryption.

When the connection drops, I see the router sending its frame to me, but
the NIC doesn't send anything back.

Again, I'll have to look into this some more tomorrow morning.

>
> "Bert Hyman" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>> I have a new IBM R51 Thinkpad running XP Pro SP2 and an internal Intel
>> 2200BG WiFi adapter configured to use WPA, talking to an Actiontec
>> GT701 DSL router.
>>
>> I'm not using XP's Wireless Zero config (service is turned off), nor
>> am I using the Windows firewall. I have the latest Intel drivers and
>> IBM utilities installed, and the current Qwest firmware installed in
>> the router.
>>
>> On boot, the wireless connection works just fine, but after a few
>> minutes the connection will drop. Then a few seconds later the
>> connection will come back. It will drop and return spontaneously for
>> "a while" and then settle down and run fine for hours.
>>
>> When this is happening, I'm only a few feet from the router and have a
>> solid green indication on the Intel status icon.
>>
>> At first I thought it was my Sygate Security Agent firewall, but the
>> symptoms are the same if that service is shut down.
>>
>> I don't see this problem when I'm using wireless at work using WEP.
>>
>> Other than playing with the firewall, I haven't done much to track
>> down the problem. Before I start tearing things apart, does this sound
>> familiar to anybody? Anything in particular I might try first?


--
Bert Hyman St. Paul, MN (E-Mail Removed)

Can you see if you have IEEE 802.1x authentication enabled on your wireless
adapter? This needs to be shut off. Also, ensure you are running the
latest Intel wireless NIC drivers by going to there web site and verifying
your driver version with what they have as the latest. For further
assistance please contact IBM for customer service on your issue.

--
Jeff Baziuk
Microsoft Corporation

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties,
and confers no rights.

"Bert Hyman" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>I have a new IBM R51 Thinkpad running XP Pro SP2 and an internal Intel
> 2200BG WiFi adapter configured to use WPA, talking to an Actiontec
> GT701 DSL router.
>
> I'm not using XP's Wireless Zero config (service is turned off), nor
> am I using the Windows firewall. I have the latest Intel drivers and
> IBM utilities installed, and the current Qwest firmware installed in
> the router.
>
> On boot, the wireless connection works just fine, but after a few
> minutes the connection will drop. Then a few seconds later the
> connection will come back. It will drop and return spontaneously for
> "a while" and then settle down and run fine for hours.
>
> When this is happening, I'm only a few feet from the router and have a
> solid green indication on the Intel status icon.
>
> At first I thought it was my Sygate Security Agent firewall, but the
> symptoms are the same if that service is shut down.
>
> I don't see this problem when I'm using wireless at work using WEP.
>
> Other than playing with the firewall, I haven't done much to track
> down the problem. Before I start tearing things apart, does this sound
> familiar to anybody? Anything in particular I might try first?
>
> --
> Bert Hyman | St. Paul, MN | (E-Mail Removed)

In news:(E-Mail Removed) "Jeff Baziuk [MSFT]"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> Can you see if you have IEEE 802.1x authentication enabled on your
> wireless adapter?

The only place I see that selection is in the Windows "native"
configuration, which I'm not using. Nothing like that appears in the IBM
config utility.

> This needs to be shut off. Also, ensure you are running the
> latest Intel wireless NIC drivers by going to there web site and
> verifying your driver version with what they have as the latest.

Again, Intel sends me to IBM for their version of the drivers, which I
have.

> For further assistance please contact IBM for customer service on your
> issue.

Well, sure.

--
Bert Hyman St. Paul, MN (E-Mail Removed)