Poor signal quality?

I have an 802.11g home network. My laptop uses Intel ProSet/Wireless to
manage WiFi connections. Sometimes the Intel ProSet/Wireless icon in
the task bar shows poor signal quality event though the signal strength
indicator in the ProSet/Wireless main screen shows five bars (the
maximum). My laptop is located less than three fee from the wireless
router. I have tried different channels with no effect.

1) What metric does Intel ProSet/Wireless use to determine signal
quality?

2) How can I determine the cause of the intermittent poor signal
quality?

Any suggestions or pointers to reference material would be most welcome.

--
..Bill.

Bill wrote:
> I have an 802.11g home network. My laptop uses Intel ProSet/Wireless to
> manage WiFi connections. Sometimes the Intel ProSet/Wireless icon in
> the task bar shows poor signal quality event though the signal strength
> indicator in the ProSet/Wireless main screen shows five bars (the
> maximum). My laptop is located less than three fee from the wireless
> router. I have tried different channels with no effect.
>
> 1) What metric does Intel ProSet/Wireless use to determine signal
> quality?
>
> 2) How can I determine the cause of the intermittent poor signal
> quality?
>
> Any suggestions or pointers to reference material would be most welcome.
>
Have you tried using the Proset logging facility to see if it can give
you nay ideas?
<http://www.intel.com/support/wireless/wlan/sb/cs-025788.htm>

On Wed, 28 May 2008 19:47:40 GMT, "Bill" <no@no.com> wrote:

>I have an 802.11g home network.

That's nice. Any particular make and model wireless router? Extra
credit for the hardware version.

>My laptop uses Intel ProSet/Wireless to
>manage WiFi connections.

Same problem. Any particular maker and model laptop? Also, the model
number of the Intel wireless card?

Did you check if you have the very latest Intel Proset software
installed?
<http://www.intel.com/network/connectivity/products/wireless/proset/proset_software.htm>
Some of the old 9.0.xxx versions were not so wonderful.

>Sometimes the Intel ProSet/Wireless icon in
>the task bar shows poor signal quality event though the signal strength
>indicator in the ProSet/Wireless main screen shows five bars (the
>maximum). My laptop is located less than three fee from the wireless
>router. I have tried different channels with no effect.

Ummm.... I've seen that before. Everything works fine, but the
indicated signal strength is all wrong. Possible causes:
1. Your unspecified wireless router is having a problem. Drag the
laptop to a wireless hotspot and see if the signal strength magically
improves. If so, check your unspecified wireless router's antenna.
2. The two antenna connectors going to your unspecified Intel
wireless card have fallen off. If someone worked on your unspecified
model laptop, it's possible they squashed the antenna coax at the
hinge point.
3. Out of date Proset driver. Update it.

>1) What metric does Intel ProSet/Wireless use to determine signal
>quality?

Dunno. I would have to lookup the chipset specifications and app
notes to dig out that info.

>2) How can I determine the cause of the intermittent poor signal
>quality?

By substitution. Try the laptop with other wireless access points. If
the problem is common to all of them, do a physical inspection to make
sure it's in the socket, antennas connected, etc. If possible, borrow
and identical card and see if it does the same thing. Try different
locations as interference from other networks can affect the signal
strength indication.

>Any suggestions or pointers to reference material would be most welcome.


--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

On Wed, 28 May 2008, LR wrote:

> Bill wrote:
>> I have an 802.11g home network. My laptop uses Intel ProSet/Wireless to
>> manage WiFi connections. Sometimes the Intel ProSet/Wireless icon in
>> the task bar shows poor signal quality event though the signal strength
>> indicator in the ProSet/Wireless main screen shows five bars (the
>> maximum). My laptop is located less than three fee from the wireless
>> router. I have tried different channels with no effect.
>>
>> 1) What metric does Intel ProSet/Wireless use to determine signal
>> quality?
>>
>> 2) How can I determine the cause of the intermittent poor signal
>> quality?
>>
>> Any suggestions or pointers to reference material would be most welcome.
>>
> Have you tried using the Proset logging facility to see if it can give you
> nay ideas?
> <http://www.intel.com/support/wireless/wlan/sb/cs-025788.htm>
>

Check www.intel.com for updated drivers, be sure to complain to them about
their annoying flash intro that you have to sit through before doing
anything useful.

Some older versions of the Intel drivers just suck, others suck royally.
I know there was an update for many of them recently.