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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[TSant7]

Hi.. I bought an Ultrabook Samsung 5 NP530U3C. It arrived 3 days ago, it came with Windows 8 ( ) and I'm experiencing some problems with wireless and wired connection.

Wireless adapter is "intel(R) Centrino(R) Advanced-N 6235 (version 15.5.6.48)" and wired network is "Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller (version 8.2.612.2012)".Connection do not drop completely, but it's always intermittent, what makes internet navigation really hard...

Sometimes I have to refresh page 4 times, until it loads ok. Sometimes I have to clear browser cache to make some websites that loads many data on starup, like gmail, works. Shortly, it sucks.

I'm thinking on change system to windows 7 or Linux Ubuntu. Maybe W8 applications is the issue. Do you think it would help?

More importante, how can I downgrade driver to version 14.8.8.75?? I do not find it anywhere, even on intel website.

Thank you for your help.

[idata]

For people this didn't work for. It got me halfway there I was working on an Intel Centrino N-2200. The only WiFi device that was having issues. After ensuring I had the latest driver from Intel, using their Auto Driver detection software, I changed the wireless mode to 802.11g, enabled Wireless N, and lowered the broadcast strength, but then I had to get into the router. I change the broadcasting mode from 802.11abg to 802.11 g and the frequency from 20/40 to 20 only, I left the rest of my settings default. This fixed my problem. I have had no issues since. I hope this helps people.

[FSimo1]

Eight months and 32 pages of complaints. What going on Intel? This lack of concern is is not good for your reputation.

[idata]

This issue is NOT ANSWERED. Months later and I'm still facing issues with this wireless adapter on my Asus Zenbook. I've updated my wireless drivers to 15.6.1 and the issue persists. Constant connectivity issues, slow internet, limited connections, and sometimes it flat out doesn't connect to any network. Tested on a multitude of routers of varying manufacturers. The problem is the adapter itself or the drivers.

As noted with the hundreds of replies over dozens of pages, this issue is VERY REAL and a lot of people are having the issue. The common vector is the wireless adapter in every case.

INTEL PLEASE DO SOMETHING. Don't let your carelessness in resolving this issue tarnish your reputation. OEMs may not be addressing this as a wireless adapter problem, but it's most certainly 99.99% wireless adapter related.

[idata]

I'd like to share a solution that has worked for me so far, regarding the router. If you believe that changing your router settings will not help then I guess you can stop reading now. Bottom line is, my daughter's computer was useless to her, and now she is happy playing Sims 3 on it.

I have many devices in the home working fine with wireless, but have 2 laptops that experience exactly the same wireless disconnection problems - a Dell Inspirion 5520 with Windows 7 (but originally with Windows 8 with same problems), with Centrino N2230 card, and a HP Elitebook with Windows 8, with Centrino N6300 card. I did not think a router change would make a difference since so many devices worked ok with it, but I guess it is more complicated than that.

Resetting the router would temporarily let me connect again, but not for long. After the connection disappeared (with 'Limited' or "No Internet" status) they could not connect again. Both machines behaved exactly the same in their disconnection behaviors.

After phoning Dell and arguing with them and getting no luck, their suggestion was try with another router but would not provide me with one to do that. For this, and other reasons (Dell Studio that overheats and shuts off) I am finished with Dell. So I phoned my Internet provider company to explain the problem in the hope they could provide me with another router to test with. Instead, the first thing they tried was to change the Wireless Channel used by the router. They did this in 2 seconds themselves and I fired up the HP to try it. It got Internet no problem, but sometimes it could anyway, so I told them I would have to try it for a while and would get back if it was still a problem.

That was 2 days ago and both machines have not dropped out since then. Normally they would within minutes. Also, both machines still have the latest Intel drivers installed, Win7 and Win8 respectively. All other devices are working fine too.

I would suggest you try to contact your provider to try changing the channel too, since this seems to be a simple solution. If you are unable to or have no luck there, you might be able to do it yourself. The only catch is that you need to login to your router with username and password, but in my case and in many cases, after resetting the router this becomes "admin" and no password.

Now, I looked into this Channel business yesterday, since I am no expert in wireless or any other networks. I found a useful page about scanning your nearby networks with a free utility in order to select the best channel. This is the link: http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/21132/change-your-wi-fi-router-channel-to-optimize-your-wireless-signal/ Change Your Wi-Fi Router Channel to Optimize Your Wireless Signal. Mentioned in the article is a link to the utility "inSSIDer" (http://www.metageek.net/support/downloads/ Download Wireless Troubleshooting Software | MetaGeek) which I downloaded and ran to see what my channel was. It had been changed to channel 11 but I don't know what it was on before, probably 6 like my neighbors. The tool gives a Link Score rating for each channel - mine is 100 which seems pretty good.

You can follow the instructions in the article as I did, but briefly I did this (took me around 20 minutes):

1. Reset your router and wait till it gets online again.

2. You need to get the http address of the router. Go to a DOS prompt (from the Run menu in windows issue CMD).

3. Issue ipconfig. In the list displayed find the Centrino card's information and get the IP address of the Default Gateway. It is usually 192.168.1.1 but may not be.

4. In your browser type http://192.168.1.1/ http://192.168.1.1 or whatever your Default Gateway address is. You should see a web UI login page for your router. As I said earlier, try with admin and no password. If you cannot login, you will need the username and password from your internet provider, or they will have to do it for you.

5. You then see a UI that is specific to your router and provider so I cannot describe it, but mine has a Wireless tab and under that a General tab. In there is the Channel dropdown where I can specify channels 1-13. Change it based on the channel with the highest link score from the inSSIDer tool. And save.

I did not reset my router after the change was made to it, seems the channel changes immediately.

I am writing this on my HP while my daughter is using her Dell, with fine Wireless. I hope this will solve your problem as it did mine. If you have questions feel free to contact me (mailto:dmccrae@microsoft.com dmccrae@microsoft.com).

Good luck!

Dean.

[KKlov]

I downloaded inSSIDer, I optimized my connection and 46 is my best link score (if I recall correctly my last score was in the 30's)

It might be to early to tell, but it looks better. Still more unstable then the driver that came pre-installed on W8, and much more unstable then my previous non-Intel WiFi card. My girlfriend has the exact same computer as me, but with a different card. To troubleshoot the issue I switched WiFi cards, and I had less drops with the non-Intel branded card.

I never had any problems with Intel in my past 20 years, it's a big brand and lots of people sees the brand as a quality sign (including me). I really do hope that they will fix this driver issue.

To me it looks like the newer driver (or maybe software) makes the card more fragile when it comes to signals. Hence the better stability when using a different line on my router, but still no sign of instability with a different branded WiFi card.

[idata]

I think I know why Intel does not answer here any more: people complaining about all kinds of different wifi problems, with different symptoms, devices and OSes (however, generally the same adaptor). Please consider: sporadic dropouts probably have a different cause than denied connects, and certainly slow internet. And for some people the router settings are the reason, for others the driver version. This thread has lost focus, because the range of complaints has become too unspecific. Sorry.

[KKlov]

I have to disagree. There is so many users telling that the updated version of the driver makes the network connection unstable vs the "original" W8 driver that is stable that there HAS to be something wrong..

[RKuma47]

I had the same constant limited connectivity issues....Tried tones of different things but all failed.

In the end, I successfully solved the problem by rolling back my Wifi Adapter Driver from 15.6.1.20 to 15.5.6.48. Now , I have no problem at all. Intel please solve this problem which is affecting alot of users in terms of stable wireless connection.

Thanks,

Roshan

[AMori8]

I'm owner of a Samsung NP770Z5E Notebook with the Intel Centrino Adapter Advanced N 6235. It is an absolute catastrophe. The same thing as mentioned here happens all the time loosing connection with the current Driver 15.6.1 or 15.6.1.20 from Samsung. It seems that the 5 GHz band works a bit better than the 2.4 but the another big issue which I didn't see here discussed is the range of the device. My wireless hotspot is about 12 or 13 meters away (in my flat) and I have no chance to get any connection although the signal seems to be at least average up to excellent. I'm absolutely frustrated as Intel speeks about greater range. My older Laptop has no problem with that distance. Is this really an issue or is there possibly another reason behind why I only have connection with my older Notebook using a different wireless adapter.

As soon as i get closer to the hotspot it works also with the centrino. Can this be fixed by a Driver or Firmware update or do I have to exchange the wireless adapter inside this brandnew notebook?

Thanks for comments and help from the community or Intel.

[Manon1]

I set on router channel width 20MHz , wireless network mode set N-only, turn off bloototh adapter and connection dropouts are gone.

[IDonm]

Tried the new 15.8.0 driver and its much worse now. Even though I disabled 802.11n its really unstable.

[cmacd1]

Thanks for the heads up - good to know. I'm guessing Intel labs are struggling to replicate the root cause. I hope they read these posts. Seems I have a handle on personal workarounds and the error that's at the root of the issue. It's clear this is a bad code problem. I hope it won't be long for a reliable fix to come along - assuming Intel are treating the issue with the seriousness it deserves. As I say, in the short term look on the web for a USB N transceiver and use that for the APs that are causing the issue. My Cisco AP seems relatively fine (but not perfect) with N on the old Microsoft drivers and others such as work's TP LINK I have to use the USB N transceiver as I can't get a stable session on that. Means I have to disable and enable the on-board Intel when I move around but at least it's a working solution.

C-

[JEmen]

Well, I looks like it has been 6 months since this issue first appeared, with 34 pages of users here reporting the same issue. It appears clear to me that Intel isn't going to fix this issue. Wireless isn't where they make their big money (as opposed to, say, Netgear or Linksys), and they're probably already rolling out the successor to this awful card, so I expect they're just going to let us all suffer.

So, here's what I did to finally solve the problem once and for all:

1. Remove the cover from the bottom of the laptop covering the wifi card (for the Samsung, this requires taking the entire bottom cover off)
2. Remove the Intel card.
3. Replace it with any of: Raylink RT3592 or RT3290 or Broadcom 94313 or 94312 or an Atheros AR5B195 or AR5B22 card.
4. Throw the Intel card into the trash. Do *not* sell it on eBay to some other un-suspecting Windows user (you *may* sell/give it to a Linux user, as those drivers *work*)

There. You're done. Basically, you can just search eBay for *any* half-height mini-pci-express wifi/bluetooth card (for a bonus, look for one with bluetooth 4.0) which doesn't say Intel on it. They're only about $20-$25. A small price to pay to have the problem in your past.

Sure, you can rail about the injustice of this... that you shouldn't have to pay extra for a working product.... Intel should stand behind their products.... someone should hold them accountable.... yeah... I get all that. But how much of your life are you willing to give up for that sense of justice? The price of purchasing a *working* wifi card will cost less than 1 hour's worth of your time. How many more hours of your life was this Intel card going to cost you (both in trying suggested workaround settings which don't really work or in lost productivity because your wireless isn't working)?

[cmacd1]

Thanks bud.

My Samsung 700T is still in warranty so I'll have to wait till December. I agree replacing the card is the best option right now if you can do that as it's not clear if Intel is looking to remedy the issue??? On searching the web Microsoft refer all these issues back to Intel. Samsung is no help and so It's clearly in Intel's court. I have faith we won't be forgotten, but who knows. If not remedied by December the only answer for me is replace the card as a year is a long time to wait for working drivers. The little CNET USB N transceiver is the best option right now. It is reliable and fast.

I do find the original windows drivers stable on N for my Cisco AP so that's a partial win. If you're reading this for the first time read up the thread on klumsch for instruction to roll back to the windows 8 original driver. For many this will help depending on your Access Point. If it does not then disable the on board and grab a CNET N transceiver per my earlier notes for quick fix and either wait for a driver that works from Intel or replace the card per jemenake above. I also grabbed an Ethernet USB3 NIC for $50 NZ that allows you to plug into a wired network. That's really useful for big downloads if your wireless is unstable. Very hand to have.

Intel, if you do read these notes; in the thread above are details of the problem, an AP model that's affecting me and the events that illustrate the failure of the driver. Good luck.

C-

[JEmen]

Well, I'm not worried about warranty issues. My Samsung is less than a week old. There aren't any stickers over the screw-holes which say that I'm voiding the warranty and, frankly, I'm not interested in a warranty which is going to replace a broken-as-designed Intel wifi card with *another* broken-as-designed Intel wifi card. Every account I've read here of people who have sent their laptops back to Samsung for service has reported that it didn't help.

[MKim33]

I have a Samsung Series 5 Ultrabook NP520U4C with the dreaded Intel Centrino 6235 wifi adapter running windows 8. I too have had connectivity problems since day 1 and I finally had enough! I ordered a new NON-Intel wifi adapter from ebay and just installed it about an hour ago and I couldn't be happier!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/300888954702?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649 Atheros AR5B195 WiFi WLAN Bluetooth Combo Half Mini PCI E Card New | eBay

It has bluetooth 3.0 vs 4.0 of the Intel but I never use bluetooth anyway! Installation was a bitch but sooo worth it! Best $10 I've ever spent! Maybe with the exception of a chicken burrito bowl with guacamole from Chipotle!

[cmacd1]

Well I bit the bullet and replaced the Intel card, too. I do plan to hold on to the card as I do want WiDi but I also need a stable mobile WiFi. Went for the Broadcom. As such I'll watch this space. Until then keep the faith that intel is working tirelessly day in day out to solve the problem.

The how to is listed in my Blog at: http://macdonaldz.blog.com/2013/06/01/replace-intel-centrino-advanced-n-6235/ http://macdonaldz.blog.com/2013/06/01/replace-intel-centrino-advanced-n-6235/

Good luck peps.

C-

[DBaxt2]

Add me to the list of pissed off victims of Intel's N6235 Wireless Adapter and their failure to provide a reliable driver for this device. I can't believe my brand new Ultrabook can't maintain a connection! I created an account just to add my voice to the community.

Device information:

Samsung Series 9 NP900X3D-A04

OS: Windows 8

Driver version: 15.6.1.20

We have several ASUS notebooks, an old Dell, an IPAD 2, and a Kindle Fire HD in our home. All connect flawlessly to my Netgear A/B/G/N router. They all stream video without a problem.

I've read every single post in this long thread, and having been holding off implementing the roll-back fix in the forlorn hope Intel would solve the problem. Guess I will wait a few more days, then try the Microsoft driver. What a crock. Thanks to everyone else on the forum for posting their hot fixes.

doug

[cmacd1]

Got to say the Broadcom card is sweet. I can actually roam and connect to public networks AND my VPN actually stays up. Didn't realise how bad the driver was for my intel card. Good luck all.

C-

[JEmen]

I agree. I'm seeing all of these "I rolled back to driver X.Y.Z and I'm able to connect for at least 3 hours!" messages and I keep wanting to say: Ever since I switched to my Ralink card, I've not had a single issue.

Just bite the bullet and replace the card and your problems are history.