Wireless Card Tuning

If you are experiencing connectivity issues with laptops, check to see if the laptop has an Intel embedded wireless adapter. The following Intel chip sets are publicly known and acknowledged by Intel to have disconnect issues with third-party wireless access points:

These wireless cards are provided to OEM laptop manufacturers and are often rebranded under the manufacturers name – for example, both and IBM use the above wireless cards, but the drivers are branded under their own name.

To identify the adapter, go to Intel’s support site and do a search for Intel Network Connection ID Tool. Install and run this tool on any laptop experiencing frequent wireless disconnect issues. The tool will identify which Intel adapter is installed inside the laptop.

Once you have identified the Intel wireless adapter, go to Intel’s support site and download the newest software package for that adapter – it is recommended that you download and install the full Intel PRO/Set package and allow it to manage the wireless card, instead of Windows or any OEM provided wireless network card management program previously used.

Be sure to use the Intel wireless management utility and to disable Microsoft’s Wireless Zero Config management service – the Intel utility should control the card, not the OS.

In the Advanced section of the Intel wireless management utility, disable the power management by clearing the box next to Use default value, then move the slider under it to Highest. This instructs the wireless card to operate at full strength and not go into sleep mode. When you are done, click on the OK button to save and activate the change. Reboot the laptop.

In the Advanced section of the Intel wireless management utility, adjust the roaming aggressiveness by clearing the check box next to Use default value, then move the slider under it to Lowest. This instructs the wireless card to stay stuck to the access point to which it’s associated as long as possible and only roam if the signal is significantly degraded. This is extremely helpful in environments with large numbers of access points broadcasting the same SSID. When you are done, click on the OK button to save and activate the change. Reboot the laptop.

If you continue to have issues, you may also try adjusting the Preamble Mode on the wireless card. By default, the Intel wireless cards above are set to auto. All SonicWall wireless products by default are set to use a Long preamble. To adjust the Intel wireless card’s preamble setting, go to the Advanced section and clear the check box next to Use default value, then select Long Tx Preamble from the drop-down menu below it. When you are done, click on the OK button to save and activate the change. Reboot the laptop.