Member Avatar for kivri

Hey,

I've been getting this issue today and from all my internet searching and such I haven't been able to find a solution to it no matter what I do. My university has 3 networks - one is WPA protected and I have to use my school username/password to log onto it. The other two are unprotected, but are set up so to get to the internet I have to log in with my username/password on my browser before it will connect.

Right now I can only connect to the protected one. The other two are just telling me that Windows can't connect to it. And the secure connection randomly DCs; the actual computer doesn't show a disconnection but the browser stops loading pages for 30 seconds or so, Skype calls disconnect, and if I'm playing a game I DC as well. It reconnects me after a few seconds but it's getting really, really old. So far I've configured my wireless adapter to keep the computer from turning it off, and updated my drivers on the network card. Not sure what else to do that might help, and the problem is so broad that Googling it isn't very helpful.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by rubberman

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Good starting points from the thread: and pointed toward hardware vs infrastructure causes and involving campus IT. Below is a compact, practical checklist of diagnostics and targeted steps to gather evidence and fix the problem without repeating basic driver/power tweaks.

Run lightweight tests that show exactly when and where packets are lost. On Windows, capture continuous pings to the gateway and to a public IP and save timestamps so you can correlate freezes:

ping -t <gateway_ip> > gateway-ping.txt
ping -t 8.8.8.8 > internet-ping.txt
tracert 8.8.8.8
ipconfig /all

Collect wireless state and logs to demonstrate whether the client is losing association, getting deauths, or suffering local packet loss. Useful commands and places to collect data:

netsh wlan show interfaces
netsh wlan show networks mode=bssid
netsh wlan show wlanreport

Also check Event Viewer -> Applications and Services Logs -> Microsoft -> Windows -> WLAN-AutoConfig -> Operational for disassociation/auth errors.

Quick configuration checks to try (one at a time) without repeating earlier steps: try a vendor-specific driver (chipset vendor vs. OEM), force the adapter onto 2.4GHz or 5GHz only, temporarily disable IPv6, and set a fixed DNS (8.8.8.8 or 1.1.1.1) to rule out DNS stalls. If possible, boot a Linux live USB or use another OS/device to see if the problem follows the machine (client issue) or stays with the AP (infrastructure).

What to hand to IT if the problem is not client-side: timestamped ping logs, the netsh wlan report, the BSSID/channel/signal readings, Event Viewer entries, and whether other devices show the same behavior. Those items let IT verify firmware/config/load issues or targeted troubleshooting (channel congestion, DHCP lease problems, or rogue APs).

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Member Avatar for JorgeM

to get a better idea of where the issue lies, you'll need more testing. for example, does this issue happen to anyone else? have you tried a different wireless card? maybe uninstall the adapter in device manager and let windows rediscover it? this will usually fix quarky issues.

Member Avatar for rubberman

We have a similar setup at my place of work. Sometimes, network access points and/or routers have problems. We had such a situation today at work, very similar to what you are experiencing. So, contact the university IT help desk (you have a contact for them, right?) and let them know what is happening. No squeek, no oil...

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