Intel Wifi 5100 AGN with your HP Laptop

[dpl72]

Model:  HDX16-t

OS:  Vista Home Premium x64

Ram:  4 gb

Wireless Router:  Linksys WRT600N

Network Storage:  D-Link DNS-323 connected to Router

Hello All -

I've owned the above laptop with for almost 1 month now.  I am connecting to my Linksys WRT600N router via 5ghz "N" frequency.  The connection will hover around 121.0 Mbps.  The problem is I'll loose the wireless connection when I access my NAS (D-Link DNS-323) to move/copy large files.  Example, when I open a 12mb file, and I'll loose the connection.  But I can browse the NAS and open small files without any problems.  I've been using this laptop for business; and I've had constant wireless connection when I don't need to access the NAS.

I have two other Vista computers that have no problems with connection to the NAS through the router.  Desktop #1 (Vista Ultimate x32) is wired to the router.  Desktop #2 (Vista Home Premium x32) is connected to a Linksys 350N acting as a wireless bridge.  Desktop #2 has no problems with dropped connections.  It can watch 1gb movies stored on the NAS without a hiccup.  Desktop #2 is connecting to the WRT600N via 2.4ghz frequency.

Regarding drivers, this problem occured right out of the box.  I've downloaded the 12.2.0.11 from Intel which is the latest (I think).  No improvement on the connection drops.

Any ideas on a solution?

Thanks.

dpl72

[Judlad]

Hi

I have a HDx18T same card. I am running a Netger WNR854T. I get no better than 72Mbps but it is constant. I put my son's Dell Lattitude D800 next to mine and he gets 270Mbps!

Have been in touch with HP but just get told to contact my ISP! Bang your head against a brick wall!

[HP_wifi_broken]

I have a HP dv5t with the same wifi card (Intel 5100 AGN).  I have the same issues as you described and countless others I've found online.  I am a network engineer who configures Cisco routers for a living and cannot get this laptop to work properly.  I probably spent weeks, if not months, swapping out routers and changing WEP settings, but I finally figured out that this is not a router/wep issue.  This is definitely 100% a HP laptop wifi card issue.  I don't know if its the card itself or a setting with Vista x64.  My connection constantly drops.  Sometimes it would recover and reconnect me, other times I would have to reboot the router.  This can happen a few times a day to over a dozen times a day.  I've already sent my laptop back to HP support.  All they did was re-image my laptop.  I doubt they even looked at the issue.  They just loaded their latest image and that was it.  it didn't fix the problem.  I'm not sure what else to do at this point but this HP laptop has been the biggest pain in the ass since I purchased it.  I most likely would never purchase an HP laptop ever again. 

[dpl72]

Thanks for the reply.

I just decided to not connect via N-speeds, and just stick with G-speeds.  I dont have any drop connections now, I can move & copy large files and watch videos without any problems.

Too bad HP is offering a card that seems faulty/buggy.

[CinKidLV]

I have a 2 month old dv7 with the 5100 AGN card and have run into similar issues.  I actually did the work necessary to read the .DMP file created and found a reference to the WiFi card's driver as the source of the BSODs I was getting every day.    Checking on the web I discovered a thread that indicated that a potential fix was to use the XP driver instead of the Vista driver.  I tried this and had no more (and have had not one more) BSOD problems.  But, the connection is clearly dropping for a few seconds regularly.  Since I spent about 20 hours a day on the web for work and play, any issues with networking was not acceptable.

I turned off the WiFi card and connected one of my N type Apple Airport Express units to the Ethernet port and I have had solid wireless / internet and absolutely zero issues with the machine since.   Clearly, there is an issue with the N type cards in these units, in my case serious enough to cause the machine to reboot.

I will be contacting HP to arrange for a repair / replacement / refund shortly.

[gdirty]

These wireless card is not faulty. The older drivers ships out with these machines is causing the problems.

Download and install the lastest drivers from Intel: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=17525 or update the driver from within Windows Update or the Device Manager. Trust me, I deal with these alot!

Message Edited by gdirty on 07-09-2009 11:30 PM

[CinKidLV]

Thanks but that is the version I was already using.

Update:  Not a single issue with this system since I stopped using the built in WiFi card.   Playing Company of Heroes, working all day and most of the night using Outlook 2007, IE8, Skype 4.1, lots of stuff all running simultaneously, and not a single hiccup, with the WiFi unit off.

[bluesguitarist]

"These wireless card is not faulty. The older drivers ships out with these machines is causing the problems.

Download and install the lastest drivers from Intel: http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=17525 or update the driver from within Windows Update or the Device Manager. Trust me, I deal with these alot!"

NOT!

This is not an issue the driver will fix at this time . . .. unless the next one they release addresses this issue.

I have the latest driver (12.4.0.21) and, when on the 5300 AGN, I can watch my network status window speed cycle from 300Mbps down to 30Mbps.  Around and around it goes. . . then it will drop randomly throughout the day.

I work in a networking group and we have multiple WAPs set up with many different configurations.  We have tried every imaginable configuration between the NIC and the WAP.  This nic behaves the same way on an N network.  There is definitely a problem with either the design, or firmware/driver.  I hold out hope that the next driver release will fix this.  The design of the card is very promising.  The performance do date . . . not so much.

I am currently using a LinkSys WUSB600N usb nic and it works just fine.

[Health]

We have 11 Panasonic T8's that are doing the exact same thing.  I have the latest drive from Intel.  I have tried every setting in the NIC properties -- no solution yet.  Since this issue seems to go away when others have switched to a different WNIC I think it must be the problem...

I did find at another site a user who had said the driver could not handle WPA2, I down graded to WPA.  Waiting to see if that makes a difference.

Just as miffed as others to buy a new pc and get these results...

[wohic]

I have the same issue with a recently purchased HP Laptop with no help from HP. Did some indicate that you could drop from N to G to improve the current poor performance of the wireless nic? If so, what settings are required to be changed on the card?

Thanks