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Intel 4965AGN internet drops (IPv4 sites only)

NNabi1
Beginner
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I have a very strange and specific problem that I have spent much time troubleshooting...

I recently decided to bring back an old Lenovo ThinkPad T61 Windows 7 64-bit laptop back to use after 3.5 years of being dead (I replaced the motherboard which failed). It has an Intel 4965AGN wireless-N card.

Unfortunately, I am having intermittent internet drops when it comes to IPv4 websites, with being unable to visit such websites anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes at a time before it (sometimes) restores itself. To clarify, I am still able to visit Google, YouTube, Facebook, and Yahoo this whole time as these are all on IPv6. The entire time with these random drops, the WiFi stays connected and the IPv4 and IPv6 in the network connections all show "Internet" next to the IPv4 and IPv6 Connectivity. I can fix the internet drops by disconnecting and reconnecting to the WiFi network, but it's annoying to keep doing this.

The only indication that there is an IPv4 internet issue is with being unable to access those websites and receiving a "Request Timed Out" when I try to ping a website in Command Prompt. Windows 7 and the WiFi adapter the entire time think they're connected and that there is no problem.

I have tried the following:

1) Flushing the DNS

2) Changing the DNS to Google's DNS (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4)

3) Resetting the TCIP stack

4) Resetting the Winsock

5) Releasing and renewing the IP

6) running virus and malware scan

7) Disabling IPv6.

8) Running SFC /scannow

9) Trying multiple drivers from both Intel and Lenovo

10) Changing between 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz.

Nothing made a difference.

I finally decided to do a clean install of Windows 7, and the problem still occurs. I am still running the laptop barebones with just Spotify and Mozilla Firefox as the only non-Microsoft software, however the internet drop occurred before I installed these two software, so they're certainly not the cause.

It's connected to a new LinkSys EA7300 router, a very fast dual band MIMO router. No problems between the new EA7300 and my Lenovo ThinkPad Windows 10 laptop (which has an Intel Wireless-AC 7260), Android smartphone, iPad (old first generation), and Yamaha MusicCast system, so I do not believe it is a router problem.

 

What could be the cause of this conflict? What router or wireless card changes can I try to fix this issue?

I am still testing this, but I have found that disabling "802.11n Mode" in the Device Manager properties of the wireless card resolves the problem, however, this is not an ideal solution as it limits the speed to 54mbps (802.11g).

Would appreciate any help on this as I'm out of ideas.

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6 Replies
idata
Employee
1,122 Views

Hello MEA707,

 

 

We understand that you're having connectivity issues with your http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/network-and-i-o/wireless-networking/legacy-intel-wireless-products/intel-wireless-series/intel-wireless-wifi-link-4965agn.html Intel® Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN. Regrettably, this model has been discontinued and is not longer supported.

 

 

Our main recommendation will be to make sure that you're using the latest applicable driver. You may test using our Intel® PROSet/Wireless Software, which includes diagnostic and troubleshooting tools, or the driver only download.

 

 

- http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/network-and-i-o/wireless-networking/000006507.html Customer Support Options for Discontinued Intel® Wireless Products.

 

- https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/22116 Intel® PROSet/Wireless Software and Drivers for Windows 7* Version: 15.3.1.

 

- http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/network-and-i-o/wireless-networking/000005787.html Running the Intel® PROSet/Wireless Software Manual Diagnostics Tool.

 

- http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/network-and-i-o/wireless-networking/000005544.html Recommended Settings for 802.11n Connectivity.

 

 

Aside from this, you may want to reseat the adapter, making sure all connectors are clean and antennas are properly connected.

 

 

Best regards,

 

Carlos A.
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NNabi1
Beginner
1,122 Views

Hi Carlos,

Thanks for replying. I will try the diagnostics tool and see. I do have the latest drivers installed now (the ones you linked to), but still experience the random IPv4 drops.

Regarding reseating the adapter and making sure all the connectors are clean, I thought about doing this, but if disabling 802.11n mode (running at G speeds) solves it, would this still indicate a possibly hardware/seating issue? Also, I did try using my older Linksys E2000 single band wireless-N router, and I experienced no drops.

The issue occurs strictly between the new EA7300 router and the 4965AGN when I have 802.11n mode enabled.

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idata
Employee
1,122 Views

MEA707,

 

 

If your adapter works well with your older router, then it's possible that your newer router doesn't play well with legacy devices.

 

 

It would be important to make sure that your router has the latest firmware available. You may also want to look through the router's documentation to see if there's any setting available to increase it's backward compatibility.

 

 

Best regards,

 

Carlos A.
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NNabi1
Beginner
1,122 Views

Thank you for the feedback. That may very well be the case.

I did make an interesting discovery playing around with the different Advanced settings in Device Manager. If I select the Wireless Mode as 802.11a only (since I'm using 5Ghz band), the IPv4 drops are reduced. They still happen, but maybe after 20 minutes instead of after 5-10 minutes or so.

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idata
Employee
1,122 Views

Hello MEA707,

 

 

Looking through your router's manual we noticed some settings that may be worth toggling to test if they make an improvement.

 

 

- Media Prioritization: This controls your router's quality of service (QoS) feature. It's important to make sure that your laptop is on this list. You may also test having this enabled vs disabled.

 

- IPv6 Firewall Protection: Toggle off, see if the issue improves, enable again if not.

 

 

You may also want to make sure your router has the latest firmware available. Compatibility issues are often improved with a new firmware release.

 

 

- http://www.linksys.com/us/support-product?pid=01t340000046qvvAAA Linksys EA7300* Support (this is where I found the user guide).

 

 

NOTE: Any links provided for third party tools or sites are offered for your convenience and should not be viewed as an endorsement by Intel® of the content, products, or services offered there. We do not offer support for any third party tool mentioned here.

 

 

Best regards,

 

Carlos A.
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GBoyd
Novice
1,122 Views

Following are some quick fixes to your issue:

  • Power cycle your modem
  • Reset your modem to its factory default settings.
  • Update your firmware
  • Reset your browser.Restore its default settings.Delete temporary files and cookies.Clear the history and cache.
  • If all your devices are experiencing problems with the internet connection, turn your attention to your router. The first thing to try isn't very technical: turn it off and back on again. Rebooting the router fixes connection problems a surprisingly high proportion of the time

I hope these tips will resolve the issue if not? Then approach to https://guideusermanual.com/product-name-thinkpad-t61-manual&po=331258&lang=English Lenovo Thinkpad T61 Manual and do what the experts suggests on this.

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