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sodamon

4 Posts

71343

March 21st, 2006 21:00

Intel Pro/wirless 3945 problem

Hi all:
 
I just got my new laptop Inspiron E1505 with the internal Intel Pro/wireless 3945 mini card.  I have problem with connect to the internet.
If i leave my router open and unsecure then I'll be able to connect to the internet fine but the download speed is very slow 16-25 KB/sec compare to 120-150 KB/sec on my desktop (Laptop is next to the router).
If i set my router with secure password using WEP or WPA.  I cannot connect to my router and if it can connect ... it only stay connect for 3-4 second and then disconnect.  Sometime, It connect and if i load up a yahoo page and click on a link .... It will disconnect right away.  I know that i setup WEP or WPA correctly because i tried it with a different wireless adapter and it worked fine.  I've also tried D-link, Linksys, Netgear, and US Robotic router ... but none of this works on my Intel Pro/wireless 3945 mini card with WEP or WPA opion .... I don't want to leave my router open and unsecure.
 
I have tried windows and Intel utility to manage my wireless .... but it still does not work .... help me please.    thank you very much
 
 

guiness

2 Posts

April 27th, 2006 01:00

I tried updating the firmware on my old Linksys B router and still had speed issues.  Purchased the Linksys WRT54GS two weeks ago and it's working great.

Budi_WA

4 Posts

April 27th, 2006 03:00

 

 

I have tried all the following options but none of them worked with my Intel PRO/3945 wireless card speed problems. It is still less than 25 kb/sec.

1. Worked with Dell Support and received a new card and replaced - no improvement

2. Upgraded to latest Intel Driver - no improvement

3. Upgraded my Linksys B router firmware - no improvement.

Now I have decided to replace my old router with a new one and I am planning to go for

Linksys WRT54GS router as mentioned in this mail thread.

Please reply if any of you had any problems with this router and Intel PRO/3945 wireless card.

 

rhpt

52 Posts

April 27th, 2006 10:00

I have the Intel card and the Linksys WRT54G. It works fine.

svAbhinava

15 Posts

May 2nd, 2006 20:00

I had a WRT54GX4 router which was working at top (as good as or better than wired) wireless speeds with 2 laptops having the WPC54GX4 cards. The moment I received my Inspiron 6400 (April 12th) with built-in 3945 card and turned the latter on, it disrupted all communications before disconnectibg itself. This hapens each time. To cut a long story short (including returning the 1st router and buying a 2nd one), LinkSys has officially recognized that there's a compatibility problem and is testing right now. I'm receiving a WRT300N router today (still have to sell off my 2 WPC54GX4 cards...) and am keeping my fingers crossed that it will be compatible (like the Belkin Pre-N router) with the 3945. It's possible that the non-GX4 versions of the LinkSys routers may be compatible but, from what I've been reading on other threads in this Dell forum, there seem to be problems with those as well (though it's the 3945 that seems to be behaving badly...).

I plan to post a detailed and systematic report here for other 3945 Dell users contemplating LinkSys routers, but in the meantime I recommend you read the following Amazon review (the one by Ronald Epstein):

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0006A7X36/002-1968707-9242404?v=glance&n=172282

From the posts in this thread it seems that the Linksys WRT54G and WRT45GS routers are working with the 3945 (quite unlikely that the particular built-in 3945 card on my brand-new Inspiron is defective...)

regards,

Sunthar

Budi_WA

4 Posts

May 4th, 2006 18:00

Hi,

I bought Linksys WRT54G router and my Intel Pro/wireless 3945 is working much better now. I am getting speeds of around 250 KB/sec compared to my earlier 25 kb/sec speed.

However I tested with my other Dell Laptop with Intel Centrino Mobile and it is giving speeds of around 350 kb/sec.

It seems the available wireless routers are not providing the expected speeds with Intel PRO/wireless 3945 minicard.

Thanks for all the help I received thru this forum !

6400w3945

2 Posts

May 4th, 2006 23:00

I received my Dell 6400 with the Intel 3945 on the 26th of April. Immediately it would not connect properly to my Belkin router. I had to use the Windows XP wireless connection settings instead of the Intel PROset/Wireless software to get connected to anything.
 
Even after connecting, my connection would get lost and my computer would freeze up. I tried connecting to my neighbors Linksys router and it does the same thing. Everyone else, including my desktop, connects to my Belkin just fine except for my new 6400 which I was sooo excited for.
 
After reading these forums and others, I believe there must be a bad batch of 3945 mini cards which got past QC.
 
I have tried restarting my router, installing the latest firmware, updating the Intel PROset software, disabling the Intel PROset software, and still get the same results.
 
To be continued...

BBraxton

2K Posts

May 5th, 2006 11:00

Did you also use Device Manager to 'Remove' the network adapter, then do a complete shutdown. Then boot again to start from scratch and see whether the re-discover takes care of anything?

svAbhinava

15 Posts

May 7th, 2006 15:00

Hello everyone,
 
Follow up on my previous post in this thread at
 
 
Again, just a brief report to confirm that the new LinkSys WRT300N router seems wholly compatible with the Intel Pro Wireless 3945abg internal card, which is now working at its top 54 Mbs rate with an excellent connection (though I've moved the router much further away). Moreover, my earlier WPC54GX4 cards also connect well with the WRT300N at close to 54 Mbs though the connection is of low quality (they are even much further way from the router).
 
Here are some caveats, though, based on my experimentation over the last 3 weeks:
 
1) Do *not* set the pass phrase on your 3945abg WEP 64 security settings for Dell does not support this feature. LinkSys seems to make abundant use of passphrase on its devices: e.g., the setup wizard for my WPS54G print server won't allow you to move on to the next screen without providing a pass phrase if you choose WEP 64. I had to "Disable" security, and then change the security settings directly using the Web management tool.
 
2) Ensure that the 3945abg is in constantly awake (CAM), as opposed to some level of power-saving, mode. Otherwise, you'll be disconnected intermittently.
 
3) Do not use 24Ghz cordless phones in the vicinity of your Dell notebook. My 3945abg was being disabled and there was no way to enable it again short of rebooting the computer. I then realized that this was happening whenever I was using the cordless phone in front of the notebook (like talking to LinkSys tech-support :-). Setting the 3945abg to *full*  power in the "adapter settings" seems to have made it immune to interference.
 
4) For other known problems with this card and possible solutions, please check out the Intell suport site at
 
 
The curious thing now is that the new Linksys WPC300N card, which ought to be communicating in N mode with the WRT300N (for which it has been tailored), remains at g mode and offten at a speed (much) below the WPC54GX4. The statistics dialog shows that N is actually not available and the wide (40 instead of 20) channel is not being used. Perhaps, LinkSys intends to enable N mode only post-sales with a firmware upgrade?
 
As regards incompatibility between the earlier WRT54GX4 router and the Intel Pro Wireless 3945abg internal card, there is indeed a compatibility problem that has been confirmed b y LinkSys on two separate occasions . Both times a supervisor was involved, they thanked me, and even tried to get me involved in the testing (I had to decline...) by contacting neighbors who were also using LinkSys routers (as revealed in my Available Connections list).
 
I hope this brief update is useful for both Dell customers, who are thinking of ordering the 3945abg on their next laptop (but perhaps you should be preparing for the N standard instead....?), and for those who have already invested in a proprietary LinkSys W??54GX4 wireless network (which is already obsolete now with the release of their N-compatible router and adapter).
 
 
regards,
 
svAbhinava

svAbhinava

15 Posts

May 7th, 2006 15:00

Here are some caveats, though, based on my experimentation over the last 3 weeks:
 
1) Do *not* set the pass phrase on your 3945abg WEP 64 security settings for Dell does not support this feature. LinkSys seems to make abundant use of passphrase on its devices: e.g., the setup wizard for my WPS54G print server won't allow you to move on to the next screen without providing a pass phrase if you choose WEP 64. I had to "Disable" security, and then change the security settings directly using the Web management tool.
 
2) Ensure that the 3945abg is in constantly awake (CAM), as opposed to some level of power-saving, mode. Otherwise, you'll be disconnected intermittently.
 
3) Do not use 24Ghz cordless phones in the vicinity of your Dell notebook. My 3945abg was being disabled and there was no way to enable it again short of rebooting the computer. I then realized that this was happening whenever I was using the cordless phone in front of the notebook (like talking to LinkSys tech-support :-). Setting the 3945abg to *full*  power in the "adapter settings" seems to have made it immune to interference.
 
4) For other known problems with this card and possible solutions, please check out the Intell suport site at
 
 
 
regards,
 
svAbhinava

svAbhinava

15 Posts

May 7th, 2006 16:00

Hello everyone,
 
Follow up on my previous post in this thread at
 
 
Again, just a brief report to confirm that the new LinkSys WRT300N router seems wholly compatible with the Intel Pro Wireless 3945abg internal card, which is now working at its top 54 Mbs rate with an excellent connection (though I've moved the router much further away). Moreover, my earlier WPC54GX4 cards also connect well with the WRT300N at close to 54 Mbs though the connection is of low quality (they are even much further way from the router).
 
Here are some caveats, though, based on my experimentation over the last 3 weeks:
 
1) Do *not* set the pass phrase on your 3945abg WEP 64 security settings for Dell does not support this feature. LinkSys seems to make abundant use of passphrase on its devices: e.g., the setup wizard for my WPS54G print server won't allow you to move on to the next screen without providing a pass phrase if you choose WEP 64. I had to "Disable" security, and then change the security settings directly using the Web management tool.
 
2) Ensure that the 3945abg is in constantly awake (CAM), as opposed to some level of power-saving, mode. Otherwise, you'll be disconnected intermittently.
 
3) Do not use 24Ghz cordless phones in the vicinity of your Dell notebook. My 3945abg was being disabled and there was no way to enable it again short of rebooting the computer. I then realized that this was happening whenever I was using the cordless phone in front of the notebook (like talking to LinkSys tech-support :-). Setting the 3945abg to *full*  power in the "adapter settings" seems to have made it immune to interference.
 
4) For other known problems with this card and possible solutions, please check out the Intell suport site at
 
 
The curious thing now is that the new Linksys WPC300N card, which ought to be communicating in N mode with the WRT300N (for which it has been tailored), remains at g mode and offten at a speed (much) below the WPC54GX4. The statistics dialog shows that N is actually not available and the wide (40 instead of 20) channel is not being used. Perhaps, LinkSys intends to enable N mode only post-sales with a firmware upgrade?
 
As regards incompatibility between the earlier WRT54GX4 router and the Intel Pro Wireless 3945abg internal card, there is indeed a compatibility problem that has been confirmed b y LinkSys on two separate occasions . Both times a supervisor was involved, they thanked me, and even tried to get me involved in the testing (I had to decline...) by contacting neighbors who were also using LinkSys routers (as revealed in my Available Connections list).
 
I hope this brief update is useful for both Dell customers, who are thinking of ordering the 3945abg on their next laptop (but perhaps you should be preparing for the N standard instead....?), and for those who have already invested in a proprietary LinkSys W??54GX4 wireless network (which is already obsolete now with the release of their N-compatible router and adapter).
 
 
regards,
 
svAbhinava

6400w3945

2 Posts

May 8th, 2006 18:00

Okay...my results:
 
I called several times to get a hold of someone at Dell who can help me...what a nightmare! After attempting to talk to a couple people who thought they knew English, I was transfered several times to people who cannot help me. I was eventually hung up on in between a transfer. I called again and asked to be transfered to Hardware Support...they were "in a meeting...call back in one hour".
 
After about 1.5 hours of phone frustration and hang-ups, I sent a service post online expressing my frustration and they responded back letting me know that they have taken care of the problem and shipped me a new Intel 3945 mini PCI card.

Finally, just as I suspected...my card was bad. I got my new card in today, replaced the old one, and I have had a consistant high speed connection with no interuptions or lag. WEEEEEEEEEEEE

If you have a problem...first conclude that it is not a SOFTWARE problem...if you in fact know that it's the wireless card (Intel 3945), get it replaced.

Adios & good luck everyone.


GPSC

1 Message

May 11th, 2006 17:00

I'm having the same or similar problems with my Inspiron 6400 and Intel Pro Wireless 3945  card.  After a few minutes of downloading the wifi light indicator would turn off (radio turned off?) and can't be re-enabled via software or any other method, short of a reboot.

I'm hoping a new wifi card will fix the issue. I'll try and keep you all updated if this fixes the issue.

Brewernumbernin

1 Message

May 20th, 2006 12:00

I have a Linksys WRT54G v.3 and a 1505 with the Intel Pro 3945. In order to get it to work I upgraded Intel Pro 3945 with latest drivers. I upgraded my router firmware with the latest driver for it (v4.20.7). Reset the router ( hold resest button for 30 seconds then unplug power and replug while holding reset. Set router security to WEP. Uninstalled Intel Proset software and use Windows to configure my wireless connection.

Speed is good, connection is solid. The Intel card picks up further than my wireless card in my desktop and I see more networks. The Intel card had no problem connecting to other routers it just hated my WRT54G.

This sounds like a simple fix but it took me about 4 days of trying things. Dell customer service was pitiful. Linksys support was outstanding.

Now I am working on my network connection between my wireless laptop and wireless desktop. Laptop see's destop, desktop can't see laptop. Off to do some reading.

greyman26

2 Posts

July 12th, 2006 23:00

Thanks to Rick 1137 on WLAN 1390 problems thread - his post saved me a lot of effort.  I only wasted about 10 hours instead of a lot more!  I just rec'd a new Inspiron E1505 with Intel 3945ABG card. Other 2 laptops in home worked fine with Netgear Mr812v2 router but this one was slow and frequently timing out or disconnecting.   After trying a lot of other stuff, upgrading the firmware in Netgear router worked perfectly for me.  Netgear's website mentioned the firmware upgrade should address some issue with Centrino based cards. Anyway, it worked.

Ptolemy_jwo

2 Posts

September 16th, 2006 20:00

I had the exact same problem with my new 6400.  The Intel 3945 card would just turn off.  I would have to reboot it to get it to work for five more minutes.
 
My router is a belkin.  I updated the firware and still had the problem.  Wifi worked great at work, just not at home.
 
I found a solution (workaround) to the problem in Intel's KB.  http://support.intel.com/support/wireless/wlan/sb/cs-006205.htm
 
while the card is active, go to the device manager, click the properties for the wireless card, set "power management" to "maximum performance."
 
After doing this, it has been a solid connection. No more problems.

Message Edited by Ptolemy_jwo on 09-16-2006 04:48 PM

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