HPG60-120US Atheros Wireless Adapter Drops Connection Frequently [ Edited ]

[Pendulum]

HPG60-120US

Product Number FS184UA#ABA

BIOS version: F.34

BIOS Release Date: 20081223

Processor: AMD Turion Dual-Core RM-70

Winodws Vista Home Premium

WLAN Card is Atheros AR5009

  w/ Atherios Extensible Wireless LAN device driver version 7.6.0.114

3GB of Memory

The G60-120US connects to the Wireless LAN easily enough, obtains is IP address via DHCP properly and will work...for a time.  The connection will drop every minute or so and leave browsers reporting that I am now working in offline-mode.  Repeated "Try Again" and/or Reload button pushes will cause it to reconnect.

A Ping to the Router reveals a certain amount of packet loss:

C:\Users\Moitessier>ping -t 192.168.1.1

Pinging 192.168.1.1 with 32 bytes of data:
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=7ms TTL=150
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=7ms TTL=150
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=4ms TTL=150
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=4ms TTL=150
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=13ms TTL=150
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=1ms TTL=150
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=2ms TTL=150
Reply from 192.168.1.1: bytes=32 time=2ms TTL=150

Ping statistics for 192.168.1.1:
    Packets: Sent = 39, Received = 33, Lost = 6 (15% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
    Minimum = 1ms, Maximum = 13ms, Average = 2ms
Control-C
^C

Sometimes the time on the response won't get a timeout but will go up into the 200ms range.  I'm optimistic that HP will want to retain me as a customer and will be able to assist me in rectifying this problem.  In the meanwhile, if anyone else has had the above experience and knows a resolution that would be great.

Let me be clear in my confidence that this is either a HP60 problem or an Atheros (or associated driver) problem.  I have two other laptops in the environment which are a Dell and a Toshiba and they are consistently able to connect to the wireless LAN and stay connected without a problem.  Whether its one laptop turned on, or all three turned on - the result is consistent.  Its only the HPG60 that fails to stay connected.

I am leaning towards its being an Atheros problem because the problem is non-existent if I connect via the Ethernet card over copper (a NVIDIA nForce card).  Further, this problem follows me when I take the laptop to other wireless environments.  

If I can provide any other information please let me know and I'll be sure to post it fairly promptly as I am eager to resolve this issue.

Thank you.

 Re-edited:  Corrected two grammatical errors (hey, there probably are more - but what the heck.  I'm sure I got my point across!).

Message Edited by Pendulum on 03-26-2009 06:11 PM

[CyberVisions]

 Don't hold your breath waiting for HP to work on customer retention. As many people as I see having problems with their Customer Support, it's a wonder they're still in the home pc market. And they're considered one of the better companies at support?  Not like when I used to run an HP Support Center.

The following is a copy-over from other posts here with similar problems as yours, modified a bit for your particular problem. From your packet information, I'd say verify your adapter's Wireless Mode settings first, then check the power settings. Adapter/Router setting mismatch is fairly common, as most users think about Router setup, but not the adapter itself. If the wireless mode is incorrect, or power is low, weak signal is virtually assured. Also, since your adapter is an AGN card, if your Router is set to N, try setting it to Mixed - or, if all your other devices are N devices, set the adapter Wireless Mode to N. Regardless, you need to match your adapter settings to the Router settings as much as possible.

---

There are many things that affect a wireless connection, but random drops usually are due to improper adapter wireless and power settings which result in a weak signal. You can check your connection strength by opening the Network and Sharing window. Your adapter's Power Settings need to be set at 100% to alleviate connection problems, and its settings need to match your Router's Wireless Mode settings. If the adapter is either dropping a connection or turning off seemingly without any reason, it's also possible that it may be set to be turned off by the system to conserve power when it doesn't need to be. You should also verify that your system isn't sitting next to any transformers (move your AC adapter as far away from your system as the cable will allow if possible, as well as any others) or cordless phone bases to rule out interference. Also, A/V software and firewalls can also have an adverse effect on wireless connections.

1. Check your current Power Plan Advanced Settings. Click on Control Panel - Power - Change Plan Settings - Change Advanced Power Settings, then navigate to the Wireless Adapter + and open it out.

2. Under Power Saving Mode for the Wireless Adapter, set it to Maximum Performance.

Verify that the WLAN Adapter power settings are correct

Internal wireless networking adapters or PCMCIA cards may have problems connecting to a wireless network if the

Power Output settings are not set to 100%. Follow the steps below to verify the correct settings:

1.Click Start and then right-click the Computer icon.
2.Select Properties from the menu list. The System window appears.
3.Select the Device Manager from the left panel of the System window. Accept any prompts that may appear.
4.Click the plus sign (+) next to Network Adapters.
5.Right-click on the WLAN adapter in the list and select Properties.
6.On the Advanced tab select Power Output from the Properties list. The value should be 100%.
If the value is set any number lower than 100% change the value to 100% and then click OK.

7. Under the Power Management tab, if the Allow Computer to turn off this device is checked, uncheck it.

8 .Close the Device Manager, restart the notebook PC and attempt to reconnect to the wireless network.

The Performance Information and Tools window will also show any information pertaining to Adapter shutdown by the system.

1. Go to Control Panel, click on Performance Information and Tools.

2. On the left side, click on Advanced Tools.

Performance Issues will be shown at the top as a yellow exclamation.

Click on Open Performance and Reliability Monitor.

1. Under Monitoring Tools, click on Reliability Monitor.

2. The Stability Chart shows activity since the system was installed. You can select a date or view all data by

choosing Select All in the drop down menu on the right

3. Red Circle X's indicate failures - click on any in the Software Uninstall, Application, Hardware, or Miscellaneous Failure rows.

4. The failure explanations are below the chart. See if any correspond to the adapter.

You should also check your system's Event logs to see what information is being recorded when the adapter goes offline.

1. Click on Start, type in Eve, then click on Event Viewer at the top of the list.

2. Check the following logs for Information or Errors:

Custom - Administrative, all Network Diagnostics.

Windows - Applications, Services

Applications & Services - Hardware Events

Microsoft/Windows - Diagnostics: Networking, WLAN - Auto Config.

You can view the Wireless TS procedures for your system at this link: HP G60-120US Notebook PC

They're pretty much the same for all HP notebooks.

Hope this gets you started on tracking down the issue. Don't forget to ensure your Router Transmission Power is set to High also. 

[Pendulum]

Excellent post.  I'm working my way through the recommendations right now.  One thing...I don't have any power settings in the properties for the AR5009 card.  My properties consist entirely of:

802.1b Preamble       Long and Short

Network Address       Radio Box with not present checked.

Receive Buffers         256

Scan Valid Interval     60

Transmit Buffers        512

There are no other properties visible.

Is it an absolute certainty that I should be seeing a power output setting under the Advanced tab??

Message Edited by Pendulum on 04-03-2009 06:25 PM

[Anglogeezer]

Computer = Compaq CQ60-214.

Network card = ATHEROS AR5007 

Router = D link DSL-G604T

*************************************

This laptop has suffered frequent, irregular failures to conect to the internet since being purchased on 28/02/2009, without any specific error message just a rather general "Unable to connect to the internet, please check ..etc..."

Whilst being as helpful as possible HP support have been unable to sort this problem. I've had to Uninstall/Install the Nework Adapter to get back online.

HOWEVER, .....  this morning there was the error message check "Domain Name Server Configuration" and I recalled a similair problem that I had with my desktop some years ago.

Whilst the wireless connection is set up obtain IP & DNS addresses automatically there is also the option to enter DNS server addresses manually. This seems to have sorted the problem.

******* 

GO TO - Control Panel/Network Sharing/Manage Connections

Right click on wireless network in use/select Properties

Highlight IPV4/select Properties

Check button "Obtain IP addresses automatically"  is selected

Then enter DNS server address & alternate server address -- these are obtained from your ISP provider.

******** 

Have also posted this message as a separate topic -   "Intermittent Wireless falure now sorted" - for more general information

regards

[CyberVisions]

Anytime you get a DNS Server error you need to do a POR on the Router so that it will reset the DNS IP to a new address. While you can set it manually, the problem with doing that is that ISP's don't always keep the same IP address, and if they change it (as the frequently do) you'll be wondering why your internet doesn't connect again. That's why it's always better to leave it on Auto - it will renew the IP address after a day or two automatically.