Troubleshooting Wireless Connectivity on Lenovo Laptops

Question ID : 300
Created on 2009-06-05 at 7:38 PM
Author : Demo Admin [demo@knowledgebase-script.com]

Online URL : http://www.knowledgebase-script.com/test-demo/question.php?ID=300

1. Verify that the network adapter is being seen by the operating system.

Check Microsoft Windows Device Manager and look for an icon that appears as Network Adapters and see if the network card listed in Mini-PCI information table is installed:

• Right-click the My Computer icon and select Properties.
• Click the Hardware tab and press the Device Manager button. The network card should appear under Network Adapters.
  Note: If the card has a exclamation mark over a yellow background, then this is an indication that the card is experiencing a problem.

2. Verify that the radio is enabled.

It is possible to disable the transmitter of the wireless card without Device Manager showing any problems.

Note: Follow the instructions provided to enable wireless card.

• Most wireless cards will put an icon in the system tray (the line of icons in the lower right corner of your screen). Right click this icon and it may have a menu option to enable/turn on the wireless radio.
• Some systems come with a Wireless Radio switch to disable the wireless radios. The wireless radio switch is usually located on the front side of the machine. If you are having difficulties with wireless connections, make sure the Wireless Radio switch is set in the On position.

3. Check for association to an Access Point.

If you double-click the previously mentioned system tray icon, the configuration utility of the wireless card will appear. This utility will be able to show the status of the wireless card, showing what channel the card is using and what signal strength is being received. It may be difficult to maintain a connection if signal strength is low due to either interference or distance. For example, interference can be caused by 2.4GHz cordless phones, other Access Points in the area, and physical structures such as load bearing walls or metal partitions.

4. Check the SSID (the Network name of the wireless network you are trying to connect to) and security settings.

Note: The SSID and WEP key are case sensitive.

• The connection will fail if the SSID is incorrect.
• The most common security setting is the use of a WEP key. This involves using a 5 digit alphanumeric key for 64bit encryption or 13 digit alphanumeric key for 128bit encryption. Some systems will only allow a hexadecimal (0-9, A-F) key of either 10 (64bit) or 26 (128bit) characters. It may be necessary to convert your alphanumeric key to a hexadecimal one in order to connect properly.

Back to Original Question