Random wifi drops

[Ghats]

My wifi network is good most of the time but on occasion it drops to saying there are no network connections available which gets very fustrating when it happens several times in succession. I troubleshoot the problem with {controlpanel/network internet/troubleshooting/reset network adapter} and it resets the wifi adapter and connects me to the internet but doesnt solve the problem since it occurs over and over.

-I have installed all new wifi drivers and even updated the BIOS and cannot figure out what is wrong. (5/29/15)

-Wifi adapter is ralink rt 3290 802.11 b/g/n

-I have tried using the hp diagnostics tool and in [component tests/networking/wireless module test] there seems to be no problem.

-Laptop is ~4-5 years old

-Always get the error message in troubleshooter: the default gateway is not available (fixed) and sometimes: a network cable is not properly plugged in or may be broken (not fixed)

[MKazi]

@Ghats

Welcome to HP Support Forums. 🙂 Thanks for reaching out to us on HP Support Forums. 

I understand that you have an HP 15-r052nr Notebook and the wireless connection drops often saying "there are no network connections available". Fabulous analysis. Spectacular diagnosis of the issue before posting. Kudos to you for that. You've done a remarkable job performing the steps. 

Usually updating the drivers, the issue gets resolved. If it still does not work then try these steps:

1) Start Menu > Control Panel > Administrative Tools for the Classic View (long list of items) or Start Menu > Control Panel > > Performance and Maintenace > Administrative Tools for Category View (colorful, big icons).

2) Double-click Services.

3) In this window, click the Name column header (where is says “Name”) to sort by the service name.

4) Scroll down to find WLAN AutoConfig service. Stop the service first. Then restart it and make sure that it runs automatically.

5) Make sure that dependency services are also stopped and restarted.

If the issue still persists, Try assigning a static IP and check if the issue still persists.Try contacting your internet service provider for assistance.

• Control Panel > set icon view > Network and Sharing >
• Left-Click on your active WiFi connection (in blue next to the word "Connections" >
• In WiFi Status >> Click on Properties >
• In WiFi Properties >> Scroll down the middle section and look for "Internet Protocol Version 4" >
• Left-Click to Highlight the selection > click Properties >
• Click to select "Use the following IP Address:" >
• Enter your IP address, subnet mask, and gateway information
• Click to select "Use the following DNS server addresses"
• Click OK to save and exit
• Restart / Reboot the computer and check if the issue persists.

Now check if the issue gets fixed. I sincerely hope this fixes the issue. 

Also, during your free time, please refer to the steps from this HP document: http://hp.care/2nETfpX
These steps help in fixing wireless connectivity related issues. 

Keep me posted for further assistance. Good luck! 🙂

[Ghats]

Thank you for the speedy response;

I have restarted my WLAN autoconfig but i do not see "dependency services" . When i restarted WLAN autoconfig, the wifi connection (only the one I am connected) to has a red 'x' on it even though i am receiving wifi, as in it affects me not at all when connecting to the internet (goes away if i reconnect to the wifi). I have set my IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway, but when i exit the wireless properties tab and reopen the numbers are gone (don't know if that is supposed to happen). 

This is what I have tried so far, unfortunatly the problem does not seem to be resolved.

Additional note(s):

-I already reset the computer into factory settings once but didn't resolve the problem

[MKazi]

@Ghats

You're welcome. 🙂

I truly appreciate your efforts and your patience. 

Let us attempt a hardware test on the wireless card. The ethernet cable (LAN) needs to be disconnected during this test:

• Shutdown the laptop.

• Turn on the laptop and immediately press Esc repeatedly, about once every second. When the menu appears, press the F2 key.

• On the main menu, click Component Tests.

Figure : Selecting Component Tests from the main menu

• The Component Tests menu displays. Your Component Tests menu might be different, depending on the components installed on your computer.

Figure : Sample list of Component Tests

• Wireless Module Test - The Wireless Module Test checks your system to make sure the wireless module was properly detected by the BIOS and is enabled for use.

  To run the test, click Wireless Module, and then click Run once. The Wireless Module Test takes 30 seconds to complete.

If the wireless test fails or does not run then you may contact our HP phone support team to check the available service options for your laptop. 

Hope this helps. Feel free to keep me posted for any further questions.

All the best! 🙂

[Ghats]

The wifi test stopped after a few seconds rather than run the whole 30 but it did say nothing was wrong. I am not sure if it is supposed to run the whole 30 seconds or not.

[MKazi · Accepted solution]

@Ghats

Thanks for replying with the results.

It is quite possible that the complete functionality of the wireless card did not get tested. However, in this case you may contact our HP phone support to explore the available service options. 

You may click on this link (http://hp.care/2uJxnug) to reach HP phone support.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

Good luck! 🙂

[Ghats]

I cannot think of any specific questions to ask at the moment. However, I now do think it is a hardware issue rather than a software one. To know for certain, I will probably get an external wifi adapter and see if that helps or not. I will post once I see the results.

[MKazi]

@Ghats

Sure, please feel free to reply as conveniently as possible.

Good luck! 🙂

[Ghats]

okay the wifi adapter seemed to solve the problem but im going to wait a little while to make sure it works, i guess it was a hardware issue. 

[DavidSMP]

@Ghats,

I thank you for replying quickly. I am glad the wifi adapter solved the problem for you. great effort and it is nice to have you back. As @MKazi is out for the day, I am responding on his behalf. 

If the issue gets fixed. Please mark his post as an accepted solution as it will benefit the community and several others with the same issue to find a fix. Take care and have a blessed week ahead. Also, Give him a Kudos for his efforts to help.

Thanks and have a great week ahead. 🙂