Sporadic but recurring connection dropouts on an Intel 6235 wireless adapter

[idata]

Dear all,

I have the same issues of intermittent sudden connection dropouts as reported by others with the Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6235 Wifi adapter and the Intel Proset 15.x drivers!

My system is a brandnew desktop computer with an Intel i7 3770 Quad-Core CPU, an Intel Z77 chipset, an Asrock Z77E-ITX mainboard, 16 GB of RAM, and Windows 7 64-bit.

Previously, I already encountered the issue with this adapter's predecessor, the Intel Centrino 6230 and only managed to resolve it by going back to an older driver version. If my memory is correct, the Intel Proset 14.x version range worked flawlessly, but the 15.x drivers lead to the dropouts (I always use 64-bit drivers).

These can occur randomly after 5 or after 50 minutes. The adapter suddenly disconnects and won't reconnect to the wireless network unless it is reset. The wireless router itself is fine as there are over a dozen devices from all types of brands that connect regularly to it without any problem at all.

The fact that the problem occurs on two different cards (6230 and 6235) leads me to believe that there is a driver problem.

On the 6235, going back to a 14.x driver does not seem to be an option on the table, because the device seems to be only supported by 15.x versions. I already tried going back from the recent 15.2 version to the previous 15.1.1 (after uninstalling through the device manager), but the problem still persists. Now I just went back to 15.1.0 and it's been ok so far, but i'm not very optimistic.

I have tried different changes in the driver settings but with no success. The problem persists!

I'd be thankful for a solution.

Best regards,

Steve

Edited 9/5/2014 by John S. (Intel Customer Support).

The "/message/169514# 169514 Sporadic but recurring connection dropouts on an Intel 6235 wireless adapter" thread will be locked. This thread will remain on the forum for you to reference, but no new posts will be possible on this thread.

The 17.1.0 version of Intel® PROSet/Wireless Software and Drivers has fixes for connectivity related issues with the Intel® Centrino® Advanced-N 6235 wireless adapter. If you are still experiencing connectivity issues after installing the very latest software and drivers and you require further troubleshooting, please contact Intel Customer Support. If you prefer to ask questions, make comments, and/or receive answers on this support forum (Wireless Networking Support Community), please start a new thread or find an existing thread that matches your specific issue with your specific hardware/software.

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[JWong20]

Hi beegee

How long had you had the new 6235 wifi card without dropping connection? Is possible that some earlier 6235 cards were faulty and was corrected in newer" batches. Can you please let us know your results after 1 week or so of testing it? Thank you . We appreciate your input.

[JWong20]

I have an update. After I read beegee's post I got HP to send me a HP tattoed Centrino 6235 adapter.

I replaced my Intel Centrino 6235 WiFi adapter (dated 2012) with the one I got from HP (few days before my warranty expired). Before I physically replaced it I uninstalled the old Intel PROset software and drivers Ver 15.1.0 (only working driver for Windows 7 64bit reported to work without problems) including Bluetooth software, Intel WiDI,ver 4.2.2.21.0 and Intel My Dashboard ver. 15.6.0.

After I went and did actual physical replacement on laptop (hp envy 3277NR) with battery cable disconnected. When in BIOS and loaded setup defaults. Booted normally into windows and proceded to install newest PROSET software and drivers from Intel ver. 16.11.0 and Bluetooth software ver. 17.0.1401.03.

After installation I obtained better results than with old stock card. Connection was not dropping. I was able to game for 3.5 hours without any drops. Before I was getting disconnected every 5-10mins. The only issue I had was that the WiFi icon on the desktop disappeared and there was a red X that showed unavailable connections even though I was connected. Upon further research by a brilliant poster on forums I went to device manager and right click all network adapters including Ethernet, Bluetooth, Centrino 6235 and click uninstall WITHOUT checking "delete driver software". Then I rebooted laptop or clicked scan hardware changes so that drivers were refreshed/reloaded, and voila the Red X was gone.

Now I have a better connection and I am tweaking settings for adapter in device manager. It seems like there were earlier batches of 6235 that were defective or more problematic. My suggestion if your laptop/device is under warranty to replace it with a more recent batch from your laptop manufacturer. This may fix the problem or make the connection more reliable.

I am going to run more test and if all goes well I am going to install the Intel WiDi and Intel My Dashboard

PS. I am running further test without internet activy to see if I get disconnection when I am not using internet.

[JWong20]

Hi guys, I have a second update.

Hi joe_intel or anyone from intel please help.

Whenever I turn on my Bluetooth mouse (only Bluetooth device paired with 6235 Centrino) and I run the WiFi in 40mhz channel width (channel bonding) at 300Mbs. The Bluetooth disconnects my WiFi (internet connection). The WiFi drops to 20Mhz single channel says it has Limited Connection" and eventually and stays disconnected (with shiny yellow triangle in wifi icon) unless I click on it and connect it manually. From there on it connects at 144Mhz and stays connected without disconnecting.

Also, if I run my WiFi in dual channel (40Mhz Channel and 300Mbps speed) after restarting router and only use a usb wired mouse (Logitech G400) with the other Bluetooth mouse off, I don't get disconnected and the connection is speed is perfect around 300Mbps. Why is this? Is it not possible to use a Bluetooth mouse and 40Mhz channel with the Centrino 6235 WiFi/Bluetooth combination card?

My system spec are:

Windows 7 SP1 home premium 64bit

PROSet software and driver ver. 16.11.0

Bluetooth PROset software ver. 3.1.1311

Bluetooth mouse: Logitech M555b bluetooth

USB corded mouse: Logitech G400 (non-Bluetooth)

Intel Centrino 6235 Adapter Advanced settings in device manager:

2.4ghz channel set to "Auto"

Roaming Aggresiveness: "medium"

Transmit Power: "highest"

Bluetooth AMP : "disabled"

Fat Channel intolerant: "disabled"

Adhoc channel: "11"

Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power: "Unchecked"( in 6235 adapter and Intel Centrino Wireless Bluetooth 4.0 +HS Adapter)

Router settings:

Interface type:N mode only

channel: 11

security: wpa2-psk (AES)

Transmit Power: 100

Frequency band 2.4Ghz

Power settings plan -Windows 7:

Wireless Adapter - Power saving mode (on battery-"Maximum performance", plugged in-"Maximum performance")

Notes: I tried PROSet WiFi software ver. 16.7.0 but program inSSider showed erractic changes in signal strength so I used latest version 16.11.0

I also tried using latest bluetooh ver. 17.0.1401.03 but had to troubleshoot pairing with my Bluetooth mouse in Devices and Printers. Also, I experienced the same issues of discoonection from 40Mhz to 20Mhz with my WiFi.

Please help. Is it not possible to use Bluetooth of 6235 Intel adapter and channel bonding (40Mhz) because of Bluetooth interference with WiFi? Also, why doesn't WiFi reconnect automatically after changing from 40Mhz wide channels to 20 Mhz channel?

[Jose_H_Intel1]

Jose5, perhaps your 2.4 GHz band is crowded and you get more interference when using the wide channel.

I wonder if you get different results with Bluetooth AMP enabled. You may also want to check a similar post here: /message/232795# 232795 https://communities.intel.com/message/232795# 232795

[JWong20]

joe_intel,

Thanks for the info.

I tried Bluetooth AMP enabled and same results. Disconnection, or limited connection after 15 minutes or so when channel drops from wide to single.

I also tried turning off Bluetooth mouse and using a RF wireless mouse and get same results. Also I noticed this happens with my corded mouse as well. Seems like WiFi card is only usable in single channel mode.

Why doesn't the WiFi reconnect automatically when the channel is droped from Wide to single?

At this point I am thinking of switching the Centrino 6235 for a Dual Band 7260 AC Bluetooth/WiFi combo card. But is it possible to get Intel My Dashboard 15.6.0 (Full version with hotspot support, not the light version of dashboard) working on Windows 7 64bit?

P.S. I checked with InSSider and there is two WiFi networks in my area using same channel 11 (co-channel) but I do have good signal strenghth (-50db) Also tried other channels like 1 and 6 and same results.

[jwils16]

I work for a large organisation in the UK with overs 400 laptops and have had real problems using the intel software with Lenovo thinkpads. We use WPA 2 with PEAP authentication that authenticates through a Cisco ACS server to Microsoft Active Directory. Widows 7 & XP laptops have not been able to connect to our hidden wireless network or has been disconnecting often. I manged to fix the problem and also the amount of desktop calls by doing the following.

1) Goto control panel and add/remove programs

2) disable the intel software that manages the wireless connections (not the device driver)

3) deleted the wifi connection that I had created (this seamed to be still using the intel file that you create when you setup the wireless connection using the intel software)

4) rebooted laptop

5) goto the wireless adapter and configure windows to manage your wireless connections (if you can't find the wireless tab in the adapter properties some other program is still managing your wireless connection

6) setup your wireless manually

IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU ARE NOT USING THE INTEL FILE THAT IS GENERATED WITH THE INTEL SOFTWARE

the only problem we now have with the laptops is when we get calls that still use the intel software setup. this is a big post and I have not read it all so apologies if this has already been tried. Hope this helps some of you.

[JWong20]

Hi johnboy6,

Thank you for your suggestion. Not sure I want to disable PROSet software. This is because PROSet software is required for Intel WiDi and My WiFi technologies to work.

Joe_Intel or anyone from Intel PLEASE READ THIS

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

I switched my 6235 Centrino for a dual band 7260 AC wifi card due to disconnection issues when using Centrino 6235 in wide channel mode (40Mhz).

With the new 7260 card, I have my router and adapter settings to run at 2.4Ghz with wide channel.

I AM NOT ABLE TO GET 300Mbps with the 7260 using the lastest driver (PROSet 17.0.0_64.exe in Windows 7, Driver dated 2/18/2014).

The maximum speed I got for 7260 card latest drivers was 144Mbps, because the latest drivers/software CRIPPLED the wide channel (even though adapter settings is set to "auto" in 2.4ghz channel).

I had to uninstall latest drivers and install the PREVIOUSLY RELEASED VERSION (PROSet 16.10.0_s64.exe for windows 7, Driver dated 1/28/2014). Now I get 300Mbps before I couldn't. INTEL Please DO NOT DISABLE the wide channel mode (2.5Ghz band) in your future drivers because there is no point of using a 2x2 Intel card if you cant get full speed in wide channel.

[JWong20]

HELP PLEASE!!!!!!!!!

I am having an issue with the Bluetooth in my 7260 AC. After Installing latest driver BT_17.0.1401.03_s64 for windows 7 64bit, I don't

see the "+HS" suffix in under Bluetooth Radio. All it says is "Intel Wireless Bluetooth(R) 4.0 Adapter" The HS(highspeed Bluetooth) is disabled.

How can I enable this? I read the instruction of intel "How to install Intel® PROSet/Wireless Software for Bluetooth® technology"

and it says:

"Three components are required for Bluetooth® HS features and function with Intel wireless adapters.

• WiFi (Intel)
• Bluetooth® HS (Intel)
• Bluetooth® Stack (Intel or third-party)"

The link for this info is at http://www.intel.com/support/wireless/wlan/sb/CS-032541.htm Intel® Wi-Fi Products — How to install Intel® PROSet/Wireless Software for Bluetooth® technology

In device manager I have under

Bluetooth Radios

Intel Wireless Bluetooth(R) 4.0 Adapter <-- no +HS suffix here!</strong>

Microsoft Bluetooth Enumerator

Microsoft Bluetooth LE Enumerator <--missing this device also!</strong>

Network Adapters

Bluetooth Device (Personal Area Network)

Bluetooth Device (RFCOMM Protocol TDI)

I also removed all Proset software and proceded to install Bluetooth software first as mentioned in above link.

Tried removing all radios/Bluetooth devices in device manager but "+HS" suffix does not come back on!!!!!!!

P.S. I checked my other Windows 8.1 laptop and the "+HS" suffix is there. So I know my Windows 7 laptop should show it too

[JWong20]

Intel please fix PROSET software in future releases to eliminate disconnection after 10-15 minutes when using

Wide Channel (Auto 40Mhz) in Centrino 6235 Wireless N at 2.4Ghz connection.

If single channel is enabled in adapter (20Mhz) there are no connection drops. When my wifi connection drops

from wide channel to single channel, the adapter loses the connection and get a shiny yellow triangle with limited

access in tray icon.

If the PROSET was working as it should, the connection would not be dropped and would simply reduce

the speed to single channel speed but remain connected. Please FIX THIS.

[Jose_H_Intel1]

Jose5, I see you have different issues with the Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260.

I would like to provide you with the link for the latest https://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&ProdId=3714&DwnldID=23867 driver 17.0.2 for Windows* 7.

Secondly, in order to maintain the discussion within the original subject and product I recommend you following up in the other threads you have started for the different issues with this other wireless adapter model and Bluetooth*.

I also wanted to let you know that Bluetooth* HS is no longer supported in Windows* 7 for your wireless adapter. We recommend using your WLAN instead.

I am sorry for any inconvenience.

[JWong20]

Ty for the link to new drivers joe_int.

I swapped back the 7260 AC adapter in my Windows 7 notebook for the original Intel Centrino Advanced N 6235. This is because this 7260 did not

work well with HS, WiDi, and My Dashboard.

But I still have the problem of disconnection on the Centrino 6235 when using wide channel. If the router switches from Wide Channel to

Single channel because of interference, the connection is dropped as mentioned in my previous post on this thread. The normal behaviour would be for

the wifi adapter to make the switch to single channel speed without disconnecting. Seems like an issue with either the PROSET software and or driver. Hope intel will address this in future software releases.

[SLill1]

Hi!

My problems were similar to the original problem steve06 had.

Built a new desktop computer with a Asrock Z87M OC Formula M/B and used a old Intel N6235 half-size miniPCI-E from my laptop (upgraded that to AC7260). Router used is Asus RT-AC66U.

In the old laptop the N6235 worked flawlessly. No driver, compatibility or other issues. Also the new AC7260 i put in the laptop worked perfectly. I've had 3 different laptops with the N6235 with no problems so I was suprised when the connection was bad with the desktop computer. The link speed was mainly around 140mbps and not stable at all. Losing internet connectivity so I had to reconnect to the network manually etc.

Googling aroud for the answer I saw people saying that it would be a driver issue. Alot of people trying different versions and settings (disabling N support). I didn't believe that the problem was directly in the drivers. As I said never had any problems with the N6235 in the other computers even though I always had the newest drivers installed.

Then I found a fix that has helped alot. It is disabling the PCI Express -> Link State Power Management.

After I turned this off my connection has been very stable. Getting 270-300mbps link speed. The actual throughput has been improved by 1.5 to 2x. Had ping (to a NAS) running for 10 hours with 1 packet lost.

The thing is that all computers don't show this setting in the power options management panel and you cannot configure it easily.

I wondered why the N6235 chip worked flawlessly in my laptop before without me changing any settings and found these links:

http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/X-Series-Tablet-ThinkPad-Laptops/PCI-Express-Active-State-Power-Management-ASPM-has-been-disabled/td-p/479751 http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/X-Series-Tablet-ThinkPad-Laptops/PCI-Express-Active-State-Power-Management-ASPM-has-been-disabled/td-p/479751

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-performance/platform-power-management-capabilitiespci-express/8611ba23-8091-46ac-b1f3-97cba5b43455 http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-performance/platform-power-management-capabilitiespci-express/8611ba23-8091-46ac-b1f3-97cba5b43455

In the case of my laptops running the powercfg -ENERGY command revealed that ASPM was already disabled by default. Enabling ASPM may result in incompatibility of the hardware.

I believe changing this setting will benefit the desktop / Intel NUC users to get a more reliable connection. Also many laptop users may have this setting available to them in the power options manager so you could try it out.

Best Regards

Sven

[NDohe]

I have a Samsung Chronos 7 with an Intel 6235 wifi card experiencing problems with constant sporadic recurring dropouts (especially with N) for many months (this seems to have become worse after an Intel update) and with my browsers (especially Chrome) running so slowly I feel like I am back in the days of dial up connections to the internet. I just tried Svenkka's suggestion to disable PCI Express -> Link State Power Management and it helps tremendously. I now have stable, strong access to N and g, and Chrome is usable once again. Thank you Svenkka!

[GBeer]

Hi,

update. The problem resurfaced so it is a chipset issue (conflict with some other hard or software)

I am now using a Asus USB-N10 wifi adapter and that one does not have any issues.

so if anybody has found a solution I would be happy to try it...

[Jose_H_Intel1]

For those who were not able to fix the issue with the latest drivers, we are looking for volunteers willing to assist providing information and testing drivers. The people who would like to help with this task must be using our latest driver and still have connection drops. Please note these important considerations:

• Be a technical savvy person in wireless networking.
• Be willing to install/uninstall drivers and provide feedback.
• Have software skills. If possible, knowledgeable in software debugging.

In order to participate please send an e-mail to the Intel® Support Center indicating that you would like to contribute with driver testing or send me a private message with your contact information.

E- Mail support for North America: http://www.intel.com/support/mailform/networking/wireless/emailsupport.htm http://www.intel.com/support/mailform/networking/wireless/emailsupport.htm

E- Mail support for the rest of the world: http://www.intel.com/support/mailform/networking/wireless/email_support.htm http://www.intel.com/support/mailform/networking/wireless/email_support.htm

[CMess]

I'm having the same network problem. I'm not a technician, don't want to be, just want the darn laptop to work properly without all the hassle. I can't keep the network connection for more than 2 minutes at a time. Best Buy shows trade-in value @ $149. Peachy. The darn thing isn't even a year old. Samsung Series 5 Ultra

Please Please Please, Intel, give us a solution.

[Jose_H_Intel1]

I would like to inform that we continue recruiting /message/233503# 233503 volunteers for driver testing. We need to complete this phase before releasing the new driver for this wireless adapter.

[GSavi1]

Hi guys, I leave my comment here just to confirm the hardware is defective. I requested the replacement part for the WLAN board of my HP Spectre XT, still under warranty. HP customer service response was positive, they sent me a new Intel Centrino 6235.

Now the wireless connection is steady and relyable.

I think Intel should give more respect to their customer and give them the opportunity to receive a wlan board replacement even if their laptop warranty is over.

I think the best way to pesuade them is to talk about this misbehaviour as musch as possible!

Good luck!

[BStew1]

It's been interesting reading through more than 2 years of posts in this thread. I have to say I was not aware of wifi issues on my laptop until just recently, and apparently for a very good reason.

I have an Asus Zenbook UX31A. It came with Windows 8. My intention was to reinstall it with Ubuntu when I first got it and so that's what I did. All drivers and hardware were pretty stable there. No wifi issues.

I recently decided to reinstall to Windows 7 due to some needs that required it. I started noticing my wifi would drop out. Sometimes it would reconnect after a few seconds then return. Other times it would never return and I'd have to force it to reconnect. I had several of these occur while reading through this thread. This problem appears regardless which wifi band I'm using (2.4GHz or 5GHz). My routers (yes, multiple) are set to fixed channels.

All of my laptop's drivers are up to date as far as I can tell. When I redownloaded the latest wifi drivers from intel.com and went to install, it asked to repair, which generally indicates it was already installed. Still no solution to the problem.

I have a Centrino 6230 just laying around, but I've seen a few comments here the problem persists so I'm hesitant to try it.

Understanding there may be some regulatory problems installing my own adapter, it really feels like the only course of action that fully resolves this issue in Windows is to purchase a non-Intel adapter.

I am not willing to be one of Intel's driver guinea pigs. One of my biggest complaints about Linux based operating systems is there are many places where you have to tweak things to make it work. I had my Ubuntu install stable and working. I want this to JUST WORK. If it doesn't JUST WORK, and I have to play around with it to get it to do what it was advertised to do, then, in my opinion, it's broken and needs replacement.

I've seen a few recommendations for adapters that appear to work fine. I will likely go down that road to fix this. I don't need widi, though it would have been a nice to have feature. There's other ways to achieve this, anyway.

I am tech savvy. I have been working in technical support, administration, engineering, and architecture over the past decade or so. I've built my own systems and have already gotten past the phase of trying various tweaks and changes to make things do things. This is a system where my preference is for things to do what they're suppose to do, as advertised, so that I don't have to spend hours upon hours making it work.

[PB6]

Platform: Samsung NP-530U3C A05PL

OS: Windows 7 SP1 PL 64-bit

Wireless card: Intel Advanced Centrino N-6235 Wireless Card

Drivers: official from Samsung and Intel website; various

Router: TP-LINK TL-WR740N (HW v4; FW: 3.16.6 Build 130529 Rel.47286n ): Channel: Auto; Mode: 11bgn mixed; Channel width: 20MHz; Security: WPA2 PSK AES

I tried various wireless drivers and settings (incl. W7 power settings) and I discovered that problem is related to "N mode" and wifi driver setting: "Roaming Aggressiveness".

The only way to fix the problem is to:

1. Disable "N" mode (unfortunately you must to use B/G mode).
2. Set "Roaming aggressiveness: Lowest"

Please verify this solution.

Regards,

PB

[BWIn]

I've tried to disable N-mode but this didn't solve my problem. I also tried all settings concerning "Roaming aggressiveness". Besides, this is not an option for me, I need the faster N-mode. I bought the WLAN-card to use it as expected from the specs. Why should i accept this crippled solution? Intel should fix this long going problem. I solved it by returning the Intel WLAN.-card and bought a Broadcom instead. This has worked flawlessly for weeks now.

And I thought Intel was a quality supplier of hard- and software!