My Wit's End with Wireless (Gateway M1300 Tablet PC and Linksys WRT54G)

Cross-posted to Tablet PC and Wireless Networking newsgroups:

Folks,

I am about to go crazy. I can not obtain a persistent wireless connection
between my Gateway (Motion Computing) M1300 Tablet PC and a Linksys WRT54G
wireless router.

The Tablet PC has SP2 installed. The WRT54G has the latest firmware.

The Tablet PC will boot up and find my local wireless AP and connect
properly. Then after some period of time, the connection will drop and the
taskbar icon turns to the red x (not connected) status. At that point, SP2
looks for a wireless network to connect with. The available networks box
will show mine, along with a couple of neighbors. Generally, I can select
mine and it will reconnect. Sometimes it will reconnect to mine
automatically (first works, then drops it, then reconnects to it).

This is so aggravating.

The WRT54G is brand new. Bought it to replace older model BEF11SW4 which I
thought may have been causing the dropouts. It had been working flawlessly
for over a year until some point (prior to installing SP2) it started to get
the drops. Replaced the router, upgraded to SP2, and continue to experience
an unreliable wireless network connection.

I've installed wireless drivers from Motion's site (the 7.x drivers and the
4.x Sebring drivers) and they both behave the same - inconsistently. Just
went back to Gateways site and installed their wireless drivers. Driver is
now listed as:

w70n51.sys v1.2.2.8 1/13/2004
W20NCPA.dll v4.1.04 2002
w70n5msg.dll v1.0.0.0 2002

I'll have to wait and see if this driver works any better.

In the interim, are there any router settings or something else I should be
looking it? This is driving me crazy! I do have 2.4GHz cordless phones, but
these never interfered previously. I have tried several different channels
on the WAP, all behave the same way.

Andy advice would be appreciated. Having an unreliable wireless connection
makes the Tablet PC almost useless.

Thanks,
David

Are you running WPA encryption on the router? If not, go into Network
Connections, right-click the icon representing your wireless LAN connection
and select Properties.

Go to the Wireless Networks tab, then highlight your LAN's name in the
Preferred networks box at the bottom and tap the Properties button at the
lower-right.

Go to the Authentication tab and remove the check mark from Enable IEEE
802.1x authentication for this network.

OK your way out.
--
Chris H.
Microsoft Windows MVP/Tablet PC
Tablet Creations - http://nicecreations.us/
Associate Expert
Expert Zone - www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone


"David Lipetz" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Cross-posted to Tablet PC and Wireless Networking newsgroups:
>
> Folks,
>
> I am about to go crazy. I can not obtain a persistent wireless connection
> between my Gateway (Motion Computing) M1300 Tablet PC and a Linksys WRT54G
> wireless router.
>
> The Tablet PC has SP2 installed. The WRT54G has the latest firmware.
>
> The Tablet PC will boot up and find my local wireless AP and connect
> properly. Then after some period of time, the connection will drop and the
> taskbar icon turns to the red x (not connected) status. At that point, SP2
> looks for a wireless network to connect with. The available networks box
> will show mine, along with a couple of neighbors. Generally, I can select
> mine and it will reconnect. Sometimes it will reconnect to mine
> automatically (first works, then drops it, then reconnects to it).
>
> This is so aggravating.
>
> The WRT54G is brand new. Bought it to replace older model BEF11SW4 which I
> thought may have been causing the dropouts. It had been working flawlessly
> for over a year until some point (prior to installing SP2) it started to
> get the drops. Replaced the router, upgraded to SP2, and continue to
> experience an unreliable wireless network connection.
>
> I've installed wireless drivers from Motion's site (the 7.x drivers and
> the 4.x Sebring drivers) and they both behave the same - inconsistently.
> Just went back to Gateways site and installed their wireless drivers.
> Driver is now listed as:
>
> w70n51.sys v1.2.2.8 1/13/2004
> W20NCPA.dll v4.1.04 2002
> w70n5msg.dll v1.0.0.0 2002
>
> I'll have to wait and see if this driver works any better.
>
> In the interim, are there any router settings or something else I should
> be looking it? This is driving me crazy! I do have 2.4GHz cordless phones,
> but these never interfered previously. I have tried several different
> channels on the WAP, all behave the same way.
>
> Andy advice would be appreciated. Having an unreliable wireless connection
> makes the Tablet PC almost useless.
>
> Thanks,
> David
>
>
>

Chris - thanks for the advice.

However, 802.1x authentication is not checked, nor has it been. That is one
config parameter I've known about.

"Chris H." <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:OID%(E-Mail Removed)...
> Are you running WPA encryption on the router? If not, go into Network
> Connections, right-click the icon representing your wireless LAN
> connection and select Properties.
>
> Go to the Wireless Networks tab, then highlight your LAN's name in the
> Preferred networks box at the bottom and tap the Properties button at the
> lower-right.
>
> Go to the Authentication tab and remove the check mark from Enable IEEE
> 802.1x authentication for this network.
>
> OK your way out.
> --
> Chris H.
> Microsoft Windows MVP/Tablet PC
> Tablet Creations - http://nicecreations.us/
> Associate Expert
> Expert Zone - www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
>
>
> "David Lipetz" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>> Cross-posted to Tablet PC and Wireless Networking newsgroups:
>>
>> Folks,
>>
>> I am about to go crazy. I can not obtain a persistent wireless connection
>> between my Gateway (Motion Computing) M1300 Tablet PC and a Linksys
>> WRT54G wireless router.
>>
>> The Tablet PC has SP2 installed. The WRT54G has the latest firmware.
>>
>> The Tablet PC will boot up and find my local wireless AP and connect
>> properly. Then after some period of time, the connection will drop and
>> the taskbar icon turns to the red x (not connected) status. At that
>> point, SP2 looks for a wireless network to connect with. The available
>> networks box will show mine, along with a couple of neighbors. Generally,
>> I can select mine and it will reconnect. Sometimes it will reconnect to
>> mine automatically (first works, then drops it, then reconnects to it).
>>
>> This is so aggravating.
>>
>> The WRT54G is brand new. Bought it to replace older model BEF11SW4 which
>> I thought may have been causing the dropouts. It had been working
>> flawlessly for over a year until some point (prior to installing SP2) it
>> started to get the drops. Replaced the router, upgraded to SP2, and
>> continue to experience an unreliable wireless network connection.
>>
>> I've installed wireless drivers from Motion's site (the 7.x drivers and
>> the 4.x Sebring drivers) and they both behave the same - inconsistently.
>> Just went back to Gateways site and installed their wireless drivers.
>> Driver is now listed as:
>>
>> w70n51.sys v1.2.2.8 1/13/2004
>> W20NCPA.dll v4.1.04 2002
>> w70n5msg.dll v1.0.0.0 2002
>>
>> I'll have to wait and see if this driver works any better.
>>
>> In the interim, are there any router settings or something else I should
>> be looking it? This is driving me crazy! I do have 2.4GHz cordless
>> phones, but these never interfered previously. I have tried several
>> different channels on the WAP, all behave the same way.
>>
>> Andy advice would be appreciated. Having an unreliable wireless
>> connection makes the Tablet PC almost useless.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> David
>>
>>
>>
>
>

Continued: Is it possible that the other wireless networks are somehow
interfering with mine? Can I set my Tablet to ONLY connect with my wireless
network? (It is currently the only one listed in Preferred Networks).


"David Lipetz" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Cross-posted to Tablet PC and Wireless Networking newsgroups:
>
> Folks,
>
> I am about to go crazy. I can not obtain a persistent wireless connection
> between my Gateway (Motion Computing) M1300 Tablet PC and a Linksys WRT54G
> wireless router.
>
> The Tablet PC has SP2 installed. The WRT54G has the latest firmware.
>
> The Tablet PC will boot up and find my local wireless AP and connect
> properly. Then after some period of time, the connection will drop and the
> taskbar icon turns to the red x (not connected) status. At that point, SP2
> looks for a wireless network to connect with. The available networks box
> will show mine, along with a couple of neighbors. Generally, I can select
> mine and it will reconnect. Sometimes it will reconnect to mine
> automatically (first works, then drops it, then reconnects to it).
>
> This is so aggravating.
>
> The WRT54G is brand new. Bought it to replace older model BEF11SW4 which I
> thought may have been causing the dropouts. It had been working flawlessly
> for over a year until some point (prior to installing SP2) it started to
> get the drops. Replaced the router, upgraded to SP2, and continue to
> experience an unreliable wireless network connection.
>
> I've installed wireless drivers from Motion's site (the 7.x drivers and
> the 4.x Sebring drivers) and they both behave the same - inconsistently.
> Just went back to Gateways site and installed their wireless drivers.
> Driver is now listed as:
>
> w70n51.sys v1.2.2.8 1/13/2004
> W20NCPA.dll v4.1.04 2002
> w70n5msg.dll v1.0.0.0 2002
>
> I'll have to wait and see if this driver works any better.
>
> In the interim, are there any router settings or something else I should
> be looking it? This is driving me crazy! I do have 2.4GHz cordless phones,
> but these never interfered previously. I have tried several different
> channels on the WAP, all behave the same way.
>
> Andy advice would be appreciated. Having an unreliable wireless connection
> makes the Tablet PC almost useless.
>
> Thanks,
> David
>
>
>

I should also point out that I am using 64-bit WEP security...


"David Lipetz" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Cross-posted to Tablet PC and Wireless Networking newsgroups:
>
> Folks,
>
> I am about to go crazy. I can not obtain a persistent wireless connection
> between my Gateway (Motion Computing) M1300 Tablet PC and a Linksys WRT54G
> wireless router.
>
> The Tablet PC has SP2 installed. The WRT54G has the latest firmware.
>
> The Tablet PC will boot up and find my local wireless AP and connect
> properly. Then after some period of time, the connection will drop and the
> taskbar icon turns to the red x (not connected) status. At that point, SP2
> looks for a wireless network to connect with. The available networks box
> will show mine, along with a couple of neighbors. Generally, I can select
> mine and it will reconnect. Sometimes it will reconnect to mine
> automatically (first works, then drops it, then reconnects to it).
>
> This is so aggravating.
>
> The WRT54G is brand new. Bought it to replace older model BEF11SW4 which I
> thought may have been causing the dropouts. It had been working flawlessly
> for over a year until some point (prior to installing SP2) it started to
> get the drops. Replaced the router, upgraded to SP2, and continue to
> experience an unreliable wireless network connection.
>
> I've installed wireless drivers from Motion's site (the 7.x drivers and
> the 4.x Sebring drivers) and they both behave the same - inconsistently.
> Just went back to Gateways site and installed their wireless drivers.
> Driver is now listed as:
>
> w70n51.sys v1.2.2.8 1/13/2004
> W20NCPA.dll v4.1.04 2002
> w70n5msg.dll v1.0.0.0 2002
>
> I'll have to wait and see if this driver works any better.
>
> In the interim, are there any router settings or something else I should
> be looking it? This is driving me crazy! I do have 2.4GHz cordless phones,
> but these never interfered previously. I have tried several different
> channels on the WAP, all behave the same way.
>
> Andy advice would be appreciated. Having an unreliable wireless connection
> makes the Tablet PC almost useless.
>
> Thanks,
> David
>
>
>

You could try selecting the Advanced button on the Wireless Networks page to
"Access point (infrastructure) networks only." Do you have the Windows XP
built-in Wireless Zero Configuration enabled in Control Panel/Administrative
Tools/Services?
--
Chris H.
Microsoft Windows MVP/Tablet PC
Tablet Creations - http://nicecreations.us/
Associate Expert
Expert Zone - www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone


"David Lipetz" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:%(E-Mail Removed)...
> Continued: Is it possible that the other wireless networks are somehow
> interfering with mine? Can I set my Tablet to ONLY connect with my
> wireless network? (It is currently the only one listed in Preferred
> Networks).
>
>
> "David Lipetz" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>> Cross-posted to Tablet PC and Wireless Networking newsgroups:
>>
>> Folks,
>>
>> I am about to go crazy. I can not obtain a persistent wireless connection
>> between my Gateway (Motion Computing) M1300 Tablet PC and a Linksys
>> WRT54G wireless router.
>>
>> The Tablet PC has SP2 installed. The WRT54G has the latest firmware.
>>
>> The Tablet PC will boot up and find my local wireless AP and connect
>> properly. Then after some period of time, the connection will drop and
>> the taskbar icon turns to the red x (not connected) status. At that
>> point, SP2 looks for a wireless network to connect with. The available
>> networks box will show mine, along with a couple of neighbors. Generally,
>> I can select mine and it will reconnect. Sometimes it will reconnect to
>> mine automatically (first works, then drops it, then reconnects to it).
>>
>> This is so aggravating.
>>
>> The WRT54G is brand new. Bought it to replace older model BEF11SW4 which
>> I thought may have been causing the dropouts. It had been working
>> flawlessly for over a year until some point (prior to installing SP2) it
>> started to get the drops. Replaced the router, upgraded to SP2, and
>> continue to experience an unreliable wireless network connection.
>>
>> I've installed wireless drivers from Motion's site (the 7.x drivers and
>> the 4.x Sebring drivers) and they both behave the same - inconsistently.
>> Just went back to Gateways site and installed their wireless drivers.
>> Driver is now listed as:
>>
>> w70n51.sys v1.2.2.8 1/13/2004
>> W20NCPA.dll v4.1.04 2002
>> w70n5msg.dll v1.0.0.0 2002
>>
>> I'll have to wait and see if this driver works any better.
>>
>> In the interim, are there any router settings or something else I should
>> be looking it? This is driving me crazy! I do have 2.4GHz cordless
>> phones, but these never interfered previously. I have tried several
>> different channels on the WAP, all behave the same way.
>>
>> Andy advice would be appreciated. Having an unreliable wireless
>> connection makes the Tablet PC almost useless.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> David
>>
>>
>>
>
>

"David Lipetz" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> Cross-posted to Tablet PC and Wireless Networking newsgroups:
>
> Folks,
>
> I am about to go crazy. I can not obtain a persistent wireless connection
> between my Gateway (Motion Computing) M1300 Tablet PC and a Linksys WRT54G
> wireless router.
>
> The Tablet PC has SP2 installed. The WRT54G has the latest firmware.
>
> The Tablet PC will boot up and find my local wireless AP and connect
> properly. Then after some period of time, the connection will drop and the
> taskbar icon turns to the red x (not connected) status. At that point, SP2
> looks for a wireless network to connect with. The available networks box
> will show mine, along with a couple of neighbors. Generally, I can select
> mine and it will reconnect. Sometimes it will reconnect to mine
> automatically (first works, then drops it, then reconnects to it).
>
> This is so aggravating.
>
> The WRT54G is brand new. Bought it to replace older model BEF11SW4 which I
> thought may have been causing the dropouts. It had been working flawlessly
> for over a year until some point (prior to installing SP2) it started to
> get the drops. Replaced the router, upgraded to SP2, and continue to
> experience an unreliable wireless network connection.
>
> I've installed wireless drivers from Motion's site (the 7.x drivers and
> the 4.x Sebring drivers) and they both behave the same - inconsistently.
> Just went back to Gateways site and installed their wireless drivers.
> Driver is now listed as:
>
> w70n51.sys v1.2.2.8 1/13/2004
> W20NCPA.dll v4.1.04 2002
> w70n5msg.dll v1.0.0.0 2002
>
> I'll have to wait and see if this driver works any better.
>
> In the interim, are there any router settings or something else I should
> be looking it? This is driving me crazy! I do have 2.4GHz cordless phones,
> but these never interfered previously. I have tried several different
> channels on the WAP, all behave the same way.
>
> Andy advice would be appreciated. Having an unreliable wireless connection
> makes the Tablet PC almost useless.
>
> Thanks,
> David
>
>
>

I had that problem and it finally narrowed down to that when one particular
computer was on and accessing the network, everything else wireless would
get erratic, to the point where I'd have to re-set the router. Got rid of
that particular wireless card and everything's fine again.

"David Lipetz" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>I should also point out that I am using 64-bit WEP security...
>
>
> "David Lipetz" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>> Cross-posted to Tablet PC and Wireless Networking newsgroups:
>>
>> Folks,
>>
>> I am about to go crazy. I can not obtain a persistent wireless
>> connection between my Gateway (Motion Computing) M1300 Tablet PC and
>> a Linksys WRT54G wireless router.
>>
>> The Tablet PC has SP2 installed. The WRT54G has the latest firmware.
>>
>> The Tablet PC will boot up and find my local wireless AP and connect
>> properly. Then after some period of time, the connection will drop
>> and the taskbar icon turns to the red x (not connected) status. At
>> that point, SP2 looks for a wireless network to connect with. The
>> available networks box will show mine, along with a couple of
>> neighbors. Generally, I can select mine and it will reconnect.
>> Sometimes it will reconnect to mine automatically (first works, then
>> drops it, then reconnects to it).
>>
>> This is so aggravating.
>>
>> The WRT54G is brand new. Bought it to replace older model BEF11SW4
>> which I thought may have been causing the dropouts. It had been
>> working flawlessly for over a year until some point (prior to
>> installing SP2) it started to get the drops. Replaced the router,
>> upgraded to SP2, and continue to experience an unreliable wireless
>> network connection.
>>
>> I've installed wireless drivers from Motion's site (the 7.x drivers
>> and the 4.x Sebring drivers) and they both behave the same -
>> inconsistently. Just went back to Gateways site and installed their
>> wireless drivers. Driver is now listed as:
>>
>> w70n51.sys v1.2.2.8 1/13/2004
>> W20NCPA.dll v4.1.04 2002
>> w70n5msg.dll v1.0.0.0 2002
>>
>> I'll have to wait and see if this driver works any better.
>>
>> In the interim, are there any router settings or something else I
>> should be looking it? This is driving me crazy! I do have 2.4GHz
>> cordless phones, but these never interfered previously. I have tried
>> several different channels on the WAP, all behave the same way.
>>
>> Andy advice would be appreciated. Having an unreliable wireless
>> connection makes the Tablet PC almost useless.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> David
>>
>>
>>
>
>

Broadcast SSID if not already.

Q

On 9/5/2004 10:20:21 AM, "David Lipetz" wrote:
>Cross-posted to Tablet PC and Wireless Networking newsgroups:
>
>Folks,
>
>I am about to go crazy. I can not obtain a persistent wireless connection
>between my Gateway (Motion Computing) M1300 Tablet PC and a Linksys WRT54G
>wireless router.
>
>The Tablet PC has SP2 installed. The WRT54G has the latest firmware.
>
>The Tablet PC will boot up and find my local wireless AP and connect
>properly. Then after some period of time, the connection will drop and the
>taskbar icon turns to the red x (not connected) status. At that point, SP2
>looks for a wireless network to connect with. The available networks box
>will show mine, along with a couple of neighbors. Generally, I can select
>mine and it will reconnect. Sometimes it will reconnect to mine
>automatically (first works, then drops it, then reconnects to it).
>
>This is so aggravating.
>
>The WRT54G is brand new. Bought it to replace older model BEF11SW4 which I
>thought may have been causing the dropouts. It had been working flawlessly
>for over a year until some point (prior to installing SP2) it started to get
>the drops. Replaced the router, upgraded to SP2, and continue to experience
>an unreliable wireless network connection.
>
>I've installed wireless drivers from Motion's site (the 7.x drivers and the
>4.x Sebring drivers) and they both behave the same - inconsistently. Just
>went back to Gateways site and installed their wireless drivers. Driver is
>now listed as:
>
>w70n51.sys v1.2.2.8 1/13/2004
>W20NCPA.dll v4.1.04 2002
>w70n5msg.dll v1.0.0.0 2002
>
>I'll have to wait and see if this driver works any better.
>
>In the interim, are there any router settings or something else I should be
>looking it? This is driving me crazy! I do have 2.4GHz cordless phones, but
>these never interfered previously. I have tried several different channels
>on the WAP, all behave the same way.
>
>Andy advice would be appreciated. Having an unreliable wireless connection
>makes the Tablet PC almost useless.
>
>Thanks,
>David
>
>
>

On top of the other advice, here's a few you can try. I had similar problems
with a Linksys A/B unit. They had me try the following - may or may not have
these options present on your model:

Lower RTS threshold
Lower Fragmentation length
disable turbo mode
try different preamble type (if it's at long, try short, and vice versa)

I eventually got mine to work better with the first two options. It never was
flawless though... I had better luck with my Dlink when I got my new tablet
that had 802.11G rather than the A/B my old one had. But that dlink has
problems with the wan link, so I'm still dealing with resetting it all the
time...


--
John

Yes, Windows XP is controlling adapter. Also tried Access Point only.

Neither helps.

In addition to my Tablet PC, I have a Dell laptop (W2K) with Microsoft
802.11b/g card that experiences the same drops as my Tablet PC.

So, must be a common software issue, a bad WAP setting, interference, or
some combination of all of the above.

I truly believe it is software related...

Struggling for the truth.

"Chris H." <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> You could try selecting the Advanced button on the Wireless Networks page
> to "Access point (infrastructure) networks only." Do you have the Windows
> XP built-in Wireless Zero Configuration enabled in Control
> Panel/Administrative Tools/Services?
> --
> Chris H.
> Microsoft Windows MVP/Tablet PC
> Tablet Creations - http://nicecreations.us/
> Associate Expert
> Expert Zone - www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone
>
>
> "David Lipetz" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:%(E-Mail Removed)...
>> Continued: Is it possible that the other wireless networks are somehow
>> interfering with mine? Can I set my Tablet to ONLY connect with my
>> wireless network? (It is currently the only one listed in Preferred
>> Networks).
>>
>>
>> "David Lipetz" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>>> Cross-posted to Tablet PC and Wireless Networking newsgroups:
>>>
>>> Folks,
>>>
>>> I am about to go crazy. I can not obtain a persistent wireless
>>> connection between my Gateway (Motion Computing) M1300 Tablet PC and a
>>> Linksys WRT54G wireless router.
>>>
>>> The Tablet PC has SP2 installed. The WRT54G has the latest firmware.
>>>
>>> The Tablet PC will boot up and find my local wireless AP and connect
>>> properly. Then after some period of time, the connection will drop and
>>> the taskbar icon turns to the red x (not connected) status. At that
>>> point, SP2 looks for a wireless network to connect with. The available
>>> networks box will show mine, along with a couple of neighbors.
>>> Generally, I can select mine and it will reconnect. Sometimes it will
>>> reconnect to mine automatically (first works, then drops it, then
>>> reconnects to it).
>>>
>>> This is so aggravating.
>>>
>>> The WRT54G is brand new. Bought it to replace older model BEF11SW4 which
>>> I thought may have been causing the dropouts. It had been working
>>> flawlessly for over a year until some point (prior to installing SP2) it
>>> started to get the drops. Replaced the router, upgraded to SP2, and
>>> continue to experience an unreliable wireless network connection.
>>>
>>> I've installed wireless drivers from Motion's site (the 7.x drivers and
>>> the 4.x Sebring drivers) and they both behave the same - inconsistently.
>>> Just went back to Gateways site and installed their wireless drivers.
>>> Driver is now listed as:
>>>
>>> w70n51.sys v1.2.2.8 1/13/2004
>>> W20NCPA.dll v4.1.04 2002
>>> w70n5msg.dll v1.0.0.0 2002
>>>
>>> I'll have to wait and see if this driver works any better.
>>>
>>> In the interim, are there any router settings or something else I should
>>> be looking it? This is driving me crazy! I do have 2.4GHz cordless
>>> phones, but these never interfered previously. I have tried several
>>> different channels on the WAP, all behave the same way.
>>>
>>> Andy advice would be appreciated. Having an unreliable wireless
>>> connection makes the Tablet PC almost useless.
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>> David
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>