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Troubleshooting: Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 2200BG Network Connection User's Guide


Troubleshooting

LAN Utility Conflict Message

Message dialog "Another wireless LAN utility is communicating with the Intel(R) PRO/Wireless LAN adapter. To avoid conflicts, Intel(R) PROSet for Wireless has temporarily disabled its Profile Management features" is displayed. Refer to Enabling Intel(R) PROSet for Wireless to manage Your Wireless Connections for information.

Using a Profile with an incorrect WEP Encryption Key

When connected to an access point using a profile with an incorrect WEP key encryption, the task tray icon and the General page will both indicate good signal strength and that you are associated with the AP. However, when you attempt to send data to the AP using this profile, because of the incorrect WEP key encryption, authentication cannot be established to acquire an IP address from the AP to allow data transfer.

Refer to the following WEP encryption and authentication settings.

Open Authentication with an incorrect WEP 64 or 128-bit encryption key:

Open Authentication with no WEP encryption:

Shared Authentication:

Problems with installation

Windows does not detect the wireless adapter:

  1. Remove and re-install the adapter.
  2. Uninstall and reinstall the adapter's drivers.

Users are dropped from the wireless network

Suggested causes and solutions:

Range decreases as data rate increases

This is a normal condition. Range is inversely proportional to data rate: the faster the data, the shorter the range. This has to do with the modulation technology used. Very fast data rates require extremely complex signal waveforms, where even minor distortions can result in data errors. Slower data rates are much more tolerant, and consequently will get through even in the presence of some amount of noise, interference, distortion and echo. 

Signal doesn't pass through a short or thin wall

Range is highly dependent on the physical environment. In a line-of-sight location, with elevated and calibrated antennas, range predictions are quite accurate. This is not true in a “typical” office building, where the walls may be simple drywall (which is almost transparent to microwaves), or could be plaster with metal underneath. Most sites are somewhere between these two extremes, and consist of a mixture of surfaces. You can’t tell what is inside a wall by just looking at it, and we can’t tell you exactly what distance you will achieve. Consider published range information to be typical, average, common or usual. Do not expect it to be exact.

Signal strength drops when a cell phone is used in the area

Range also depends on the electronic environment. If other equipment that could cause interference is nearby, the range of your transceiver could vary widely, and could change suddenly when the other equipment activates. This is particularly true for 802.11b installations, which share their frequencies with microwave ovens, cordless phones, wireless hi-fi speakers, electronics toys and similar devices. Try to keep your system away from other transmitters, and from other sources of electrical noise, such as large motors, spot welders, and similar “electronically noisy” devices.

Range is shorter than it should be

Repeat some tests late in the evening, or on a weekend, when there may be less interference. However, some users leave their networks turned all the time so this test is not foolproof. By all means, try more than one channel. Your range problem may just be a nearby user whose system uses your present test channel.

Interference from fluorescent lights

If you mount an access point close to fluorescent light fixtures, the lamp glow appears constant, but inside the lamp tube, ionization appears and disappears 120 times a second. This can modulate or “chop” an incoming signal and interfere with reception.

When too much range is undesirable

Too much range is not necessarily a good thing. At first it would appear that you would want as much range as possible, but with the increase in range comes an increase in interference potential, as your unit hears not only your other units but also manages to hear the systems of other companies up and down the street. If you have a large installation, you will also wind up with more than one access point using the same channel. If a remote unit hears two or more access points, this will slow the network.

Help Prevent access to wireless networks from outside the building

Excess transmit range presents a special reverse problem. For example, putting an access point adjacent to a second floor bay window invites anyone with the right software on the street below to pick up and enjoy all network transmissions. We discuss some possible solutions to this problem further on.

Problems with Network Connectivity

If you cannot connect to the wireless network, try the following:

Check Network Settings

  1. From the General page, check that the Network Name (SSID) and operating mode are correct. If the laptop is configured for ad hoc networking, make sure that the channel is correct.
  2. To correct these settings, click the Networks tab.
  3. Select the profile being used.
  4. Click the Edit button and make the changes.

Check Security Settings

  1. From the General page, check that the security settings are correct.
  2. To correct the security settings, click the Networks tab.
  3. Select the profile being used.
  4. Click the Edit button.
  5. Click the Security tab. Make sure that the settings for WEP encryption are correct.

Checking Adapter Statistics

Adapter Statistics

If the adapter is communicating with an access point (infrastructure mode) or other
computers in peer-to-peer mode, click the Statistics button in the Troubleshooting tab to display the current information about how well the adapter is transmitting and receiving information.

Before calling Customer Support

Make a note of the following answers before calling customer support:


Transmit Data Rates and Access Points

To achieve the optimum transmit data rate it is important to identify the type of access point that the wireless adapter is connecting to. The Advanced Settings provide the mode selections to optimize your operating environment.

Infrastructure Mode

The following describes how the wireless preference modes operate using Infrastructure mode. The adapter can operate in three modes:

Access Point and Client Combinations

The following table shows compare the adapter wireless preference mode, and the transmit date rates using a specific type of access point. The wireless mode (Modulation type) options determine the discovered access points displayed in the Scan list (Available Networks dialog).

 

11b Access Point

Wireless Mode

Scan List

Connect

Transmit Data Rates

11g and 11b

Yes

Yes

1, 2, 5.5, or 11 Mbps

11b only

Yes

Yes

1, 2, 5.5, or 11 Mbps

11g only

No

No

None

 

11g (11g and 11b) Access Point

Wireless Mode

Scan List

Connect

Transmit Data Rates

11g and 11b

Yes

Yes

1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, or 54 Mbps*.

11b only

Yes

Yes

1, 2, 5.5, or 11 Mbps

11g only

Yes

Yes

1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, or 54 Mbps*.

 

11g (11g only mode) Access Point**

Wireless Mode

Scan List

Connect

Transmit Data Rates

11g and 11b

Yes

Yes

1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, or 54 Mbps*.

11b only

No

No

None

11g only

Yes

Yes

1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, or 54 Mbps*.

 

Note: (*) depends on the signal strength and quality. Use RTS/CTS (Default setting) to avoid collisions in mixed mode environments where the 11g and 11b clients cannot hear each other. Use CTS-to-self to improve performance in mixed mode environments where 11g and 11b clients are in close proximity and can hear each other.

 

Note: (**) Because 11b clients cannot connect to this access point mixed mode protection (RTS/CTS or CTS-to-self) is not used.

Ad Hoc Mode

The following summarizes how the modulation settings operate using ad hoc mode.

Ad Hoc Initiator

Ad Hoc Joiner

Action

Comments

11b-only

11b-only

Basic rates (1, 2, 5.5, or 11 Mbps)

11b-only

11g-only

Down scale basic rates, turn on protection* (1, 2, 5.5, or 11 Mbps)

11b and 11g

11b and 11g

Basic rates (1, 2, 5.5, or 11 Mbps)

11b and 11g

11g-only

11b-only

Does not apply to Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 2200BG adapter. For other cards - down scale basic rates, turn on protection* (1, 2, 5.5, or 11 Mbps)

11b and 11g

11g-only

Basic rates (1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, or 54 Mbps)

11g-only

11b and 11g

Upscale) basic rates (1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, or 54 Mbps)

11g-only

11b and 11g

11b-only

Basic rates, turn on protection* (1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, or 54 Mbps)

11b and 11g

11g-only

Downscale basic rates, turn on protection* depends on initiator (1, 2, 5.5, or 11 Mbps)

11b and 11g

11b and 11g

Basic rates, turn on protection* depends on initiator (1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, or 54 Mbps)

11b and 11g

Note: (*) See Viewing Adapter Advanced Settings in Windows - Use "RTS/CTS enable" (Default setting) to avoid collisions in mixed mode environments where the 11g and 11b clients cannot hear each other. Use "CTS-to-self enable" to improve performance in mixed mode environments where 11g and 11b clients are in close proximity and can hear each other.

Ad Hoc Transmit Rates Overview

The following describes how the wireless preference modes operate using Ad Hoc mode. The adapter can operate in three modes:

When different modulation settings are used in ad hoc mode, they influence the computer in the following ways:

A station in an ad hoc network constantly adapts itself to the current situation in the ad hoc network as far as other stations capabilities are concerned. Updating of the supported transmit data rates is done in the following way:

Only the basic rates change. Supported rates of a station never change. At all times the basic rates advertised by stations in an ad hoc network should be the same, and should reflect the set of basic rates supported by every station in this ad hoc network. Since basic rates is the actual information used by a station to decide if it can join the ad hoc network then this is enough to determine if a station can or cannot connect to this ad hoc network.

Mixed Mode

Mixed mode stations (802.11g and 802.11b) are able to join any ad hoc network they hear.

Joining an ad hoc network

Initiating an ad hoc network

When initiating a mixed mode ad hoc network the default rates for mixed mode is: 1, 2, 5.5, 11, 6, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48 and 54 Mbps with rates 1, 2 as basic. When other stations join in, the basic rates are down scaled if required. Protection is on when 11b station are joining.

11b only mode

Joining an ad hoc network

In this mode you can only join an ad hoc network that advertises only basic data rates of 1, 2, 5.5, or 11 Mbps. So, the list of potential ad hoc networks will include 11b and 11b and 11g, but not 11g. Supported rates remain unchanged, and basic rates are adapted to match those advertised by the ad hoc network which you are joining in the beacons.

Initiating an ad hoc network

When initiating an 11b only ad hoc network, the following rates 1, 2, 5.5 and 11 Mbps, with 1 and 2 as basic. As other stations join in they down scale their basic rates if required. Protection (RTS/CTS or CTS-to-self) is on.

11g only mode

Initiate an ad hoc network as an 11g only (1, 2, 5.5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, or 54 Mbps). Support joining and down scaling in the same way as in Mixed mode. When initiating such an ad hoc network the advertised rates are: 1, 2, 5.5, 6, 11, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48 and 54 with 1, 2, 5.5, 6, 11, 12 and 24 Mbps as basic.

11g only stations are able to join any ad hoc network they hear.

Joining an ad hoc network

The basic rates in this case are taken from the beacons.

Initiating an ad hoc network

When initiating an 11g only ad hoc network the advertised rates are: 1, 2, 5.5, 6, 11, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48 and 54 Mbps with 1, 2, 5.5, 6, 11, 12 and 24 Mbps as basic.

When other stations join in, the basic rates are down scaled if required. Protection (RTS/CTS or CTS-to-self) is on when 11b station is joining.

 

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