WLAN / WIFI Card Issues

Check your bios version...if its 3114 then "maybe" downgrading to 3109 might help...but mucking around with bios updates is always a risk...you might want to wait until its fixed in a newer version.

In the meantime this is how I helped alleviate the problem when I did have it (second day so far no problem with older original bios).

I used devcon from MS to script the disable/enable and scan for new hardware process. Its available here

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/311272

Its a command line utility that lets you script the process of going to device manager, clicking enable/disable etc....it speeds up what is a real pain the ass...

First find the hardware id for your wireless adapter, I used c:\devcon find pci* > c:\pci.txt

You can open that file and find the Atheros device, in my case it is

PCI\VEN_168C&DEV_001C&SUBSYS_E008105B&REV_01\4&2803E7C1&0&00E2: Atheros AR5006X Wireless Network Adapter

Create a bat file with the following commands (you don't include the string past REV_01 from above)

c:\devcon disable "PCI\VEN_168C&DEV_001C&SUBSYS_E008105B&REV_01"
c:\devcon enable "PCI\VEN_168C&DEV_001C&SUBSYS_E008105B&REV_01"

Sometimes you made need to put the machine to sleep by closing the lid or using Function - F4 before disabling/enabling works

If the adapter disappears completely you can have another bat file with

c:\devcon rescan

None of this solves the root problem of course, just makes it a little less painful

 

Thanks Techie. I have hit this issue *twice* today - which is quite frustrating. I will give your work-around a try and follow-up. Much appreciated.

 

Just got the One (AOA150-1570 ZG5), XP SP3. Bios 3114

After 1 hour of operation I noted that the wireless connection (which had been working) was inactive. FUrther, there was no Atheros NEtwork Adapter in either Device Manager or the Network Connedctions page. It wasn't disabled or disconnected; it was GONE. The miniport driver was still visible in Device Manager under Hidden Drivers.

The switch causes an onscreen report (and indicated the device was going from enabled to disabled), but does not affect the Atheros device availability at all no matter whether it "enables" or not.

Reboot didn't help. Power down and wait and restart did fix it though. For now. But this is too flaky to keep. A lot of these are going to get exchanged real fast if there is no quick fix.

My best guess after reading all this is that it may be a heat issue.

 

I have a feeling its a bios bug...having reverted back to 3109 I havent had this issue re-occur (as opposed to 4 or 5 times a day).

Looking at the release notes for 3114 it seems Acer is trying to fix something related to the PCI Express Bus and the ACPI embedded controller. The 4 sec shutdown *fix* doesnt seem like a good problem to have in the first place so who knows what else is lurking in the earlier bios versions. Also some XP specific stuff happening...


Date : 2008/07/17
BIOS Version : v0.3114
EC Version : 3.1

BIOS:
1. Base on 3113, modify something as below.
POST
1. Set C4 timing to 0×06.
2. Disable LAN device and host L0s and L1.
3. Enable PCIE break event.

OS
1. Check if OS is XP, then
1. Set C4 timing to 0×0A.
2. Enable LAN device and host L0s and L1.
3. Disable PCIE break event.

EC:
1. Fix EC 4sec shutdown no function issue.”

 

As an FYI, I submitted a problem report to Acer referencing this thread. Hopefully someone there will realize that a netbook needs reliable Wifi hardware and come up with a fix soon.

 

How are you submitting your issue to Acer? I would like to submit the problem as well - just to get more voices talking to them.

As an FYI - I finally downgraded my BIOS today after hitting the issue *again*. I haven't had the machine running long enough to know if the v3109 bios is better.

For those who are interested in downgrading - here is a related post for building a dos bootable thumbdrive.

viewtopic.php?f=13&t=1264&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

The thread also contains a link to a thread with the v3109 bios.

 

I submitted a support question via the email link under support on the acer.com site....it asks for your email address etc...and under serial number I put "many" and then added the link to this post. Hopefully the bios downgrade works for you too...

 

Thanks Techie. I just submitted the problem as well. I would encourage anyone who is hitting this issue to open support tickets.

 

hi guys, i''m having the same problem as most xp users are having. the wifi card completely dissapeared from device manager.

i posted in this thread before: viewtopic.php?f=34&t=1981

a reply told me to post here if it happened again. it did, so i decided to post here.

my "one" is running stock xp home, 1gig, 120 gig, 6 cell.

 

Hey all. I'm having the same issues with mine, that is, the wireless controller sometimes just disappearing and having the wireless also disappear after sleep. However, I'm running linpus on bios 3.109. I upgraded the network manager (in order to use WPA enterprise...there is a post around here somewhere about it). Just wanted to let you know it happens elsewhere too.

 

Got my AOA 150 with XP Home SP3 preloaded on it, was OK with wireless till all of sudden my wifi won’t pick any ssid although the wifi ballon notification shown there are one or more wireless available, tried disable/enable wifi card with no luck, restart the machine also helpless, downloaded the latest atheros driver xxxx.239 from http://www.atheros.cz also hopeless, till i remember there was Atheros Client Utility (ACU) (http://www.downloadsource.net/16286/Toshiba-Atheros-Client-Utility-Windows-XP/)I used for my previous eeePC, download and load it up, oddly enough it works, it’s been 3 days and got no problem. Still wondering why WinXP wireless client utility don’t work until now and I don’t know who's to blame.
Frankly i don't like the idea to have so many utilities installed on my small cute netbook, so if there is any solution to fix this problem using native WinXP Wireless Network Connection manager, I'd love to try it

cheers,
emitremus

 

The wifi on mine becomes a 56K modem upon coming back from hibernation - the fix for me is to right-click on the wireless icon at the bottom right and select "repair". Speeds return to normal after that.

 

does anyone want to try the new drivers or old bios to check if WLAN is stabilized?

 

I got my AA1 a few days ago and these WIFI issues are driving me nuts and may cause me to return the thing before my 14 day peroid is up even though I really love everything else about this netbook.

For me the WIFI just stops working in the middle of using the computer for no aparent reason. When this happens the computer doesn't even recognize a WIFI card. A complete shut down and power back up is the only fix but not always with the first try. So aggrivating that this great little machine has this flaw.

 

thanks emitremus! the toshiba tool (http://www.downloadsource.net/16286/Toshiba-Atheros-Client-Utility-Windows-XP/) seems to "control" my atheros WLAN card better. especially if you have a weak WLAN connection (reconnects very fast if you loose a weak signal). I just wanted to post, that the problem seems to be solved as my WLAN connection broke up and I had to reactivate the atheros card. but probably it was the really low connection, it lasted at least much longer than before.
So, PLEASE TEST IT ALL, AAO users. I will also continue to test it.
you just have to let Windows to control the atheros card - otherwise it doesnt work - at least with my AAO.

martin

 

I think I've read somewhere that the WLAN card doesn't receive enough energy and as a result crashes. That would also explain why not everybody is experiencing this issue, because different chips need a different amount of energy to work properly.

The only way to fix these issues is a BIOS update... at least I think so

 

bloody hell, the WLAN connection lasted nearly 5 hours when you let windows do the job - it was much longer than before but probably coincidence.
I found out - stupid me - that the toshiba tool WORKS with the Atheros WLAN card. You just have to create a profile - thats at least what I did to make this tool control the WLAN card.
lets see how long. if its also 3 days like emitremus wrote, it could be really the solution for the WLAN problems.

m.

 

its the first acer netbook, never buy the first version

the energy theory could explain why my 3g-usb-modem (HUAWEI E220 - HSDPA, UMTS, GPRS) disappears after a while (1, 2 hours, sometimes less), which is not the case with other laptops. after 10 - 20 seconds its recognized again and reinstalls itself... it's as annoying as the WLAN problem. But as I use WLAN and 3G often at the same time I have a longer connection in all. It also happens quite regularely that my external USB-HDD loses connection after plugging in a USB device (in this case its always the usb loudspeaker, but only as energy deliverant)
I can only hope this is a bios problem, but it could also be a hardare problem.
:-(
m.

 

My 120gb xp acer one's wireless works fine when the power cord is plugged in . When I disconnect the cord wireless performance is poor.

 

I would test it but my problem isn't the lack of a strong connection. My problem is that the wifi card just dissapears from the device manager . do you think the toshiba software will fix that as well?