Intel 5300AGN cannot connect to DIR-855 when set to N only mode

[Stimpy]

*SOLVED* Intel 5300AGN cannot connect to DIR-855 when set to N only mode

Hello everyone. I have been a long-time reader of this site, and now I'm a first-time poster on the forum!

I really need some help from some of you wireless experts here...

I have an HP laptop with an Intel 5300AGN WiFi card that I want to connect using wireless N to my D-Link DIR-855 router (using the new 1.22NA firmware). Sounds simple, doesn't it!?!

The problem is that if I set the router to N only mode, the laptop will not connect to the network. The laptop can see the network, and Windows 7 asks for a password, then it takes about 5 seconds, then says it just disconnects from the wireless network... However, if I set the router to run mixed mode, then the laptop will connect instantly after asking for a password, but only at 54Mbps.

I really can't see what the problem is, I'm making sure I have the router set to use WPA2 Personal with AES. 40MHz channel, as well as running the latest drivers from Intel for the wireless card.

So does anybody have any ideas what I can try next? Any help will be really appreciated!


*** UPDATE ***
I have just used a firmware that allows downgrading the DIR-855 to an earlier EU version (1.12EU), and found that this fixes my problem. My laptop is currently connected at 300Mbps now!

If I use a firmware higer than 1.12EU, it breaks the 300Mbps N only mode on the Intel card.

*** UPDATE 2 ***
Well you can scrub what I said before about the firmware, because it's just gone back to not connecting again!!!

*** UPDATE 3 ***
Problem solved, Enabled WMM in router, if disabled the Intel card wont connect.

 

[Rouke]

Hi there,

seems as an issue to fix by firmware/driver update

So contacting DLink and/or intel and notifying them about this issue is A good idea.
If they don't act, mister smallnetbuilder himself might give some bad press & the problem is almost guaranteed to be fixed.
Intel & Dlink know very well if such an issue gets 'airtime' on smallnetbuilder; they have to respond.

 

[Stimpy]

Hi there,

seems as an issue to fix by firmware/driver update

So contacting DLink and/or intel and notifying them about this issue is A good idea.
If they don't act, mister smallnetbuilder himself might give some bad press & the problem is almost guaranteed to be fixed.
Intel & Dlink know very well if such an issue gets 'airtime' on smallnetbuilder; they have to respond.

Thats a goood idea Rouke. However Intel and D-Link have never been companies that choose to listen to customer reports of problems with their products like this, even when it effects thousands of customers (esp in the case of D-Link)

And to be honest, I'm pretty sure it's a D-Link problem, not an Intel one.

 

[thiggins]

Do you have the same problem trying to connect to either the 2.4 or 5 GHz band radios?

Does the client connect ok if you don't use any wireless security?

You should not have to force the router to N only mode to get an N client to properly connect at the higher N speeds.

 

[Stimpy]

Hello Thiggins,

I get the same problem on both radios/bands. It's like the card will not use wireless N. If you give it any other option, it will take it, and connect to it. (at 54Mbps)

But Wireless N only just wont connect at all. It "sees" the N network fine, and Windows asks for the password, but thats as far as it will go. Very strange...

Just after trying the downgrade of the router firmware, it connected at 300Mbps (all settings the same as they are now!!!), and I was able to download a large file from my NAS to see that it averaged 10MBps, which is a huge improvement over wireless G that I'm forced to now use.

*** UPDATE ***
Well I just completely disabled wireless security, and it still wont connect. Same as before, windows sees the network, but says it was unable to connect.

 

[Stimpy]

Thank you Thiggins, your comment about being able to connect to the router when the Wireless Security was turned off made me think about what settings I had changed from when it worked at 300Mbps to now...

And I have found the answer, it's a setting called WMM Enabled in the Advanced Wireless section of the firmware. If this setting is *Disabled* then the Intel card will not connect to the router, but if I *Enable* the setting, it connects, and connects at 300Mbps!!!

Problem is solved (I can repeat this every time I change that option!), thank you for taking my mind off wireless security protocol problems!!!

And thank you for running a great site and forum.

 

[thiggins]

You're welcome, Stimpy. Thanks for reminding me about that. I even wrote an article about it! Don't Mess With WMM!
Sorry for not remembering!