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For the purpose of this guide, the term Access Point is used for whatever wireless connectivity device is being used. This can be a wireless home gateway or an actual Access Point. Some of these steps may not apply to your computer. Test for network connectivity after performing each step.
ThinkVantage Access Connections can help you get and stay connected by automatically managing your basic network connections using "Profiles" for any location (home, office, travel), for any network adapter (WLAN, WWAN, WAN, Ethernet, and Bluetooth wireless), and in any combination. Once your profiles are created, getting connected is simply a matter of selecting a profile and letting Access Connections do the rest. Even when you move between a WLAN and a wired LAN, Access Connections is smart enough to make the appropriate connection. Access Connections takes the hassle out of getting connected. Click here to download Access Connections.
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Verify that the network adapter is being seen by the operating system.
Check Microsoft Windows Device Manager and look for an icon that appears as Network Adapters and see if the network card listed in Mini-PCI information table is installed:
- Right-click the My Computer icon and select Properties.
- Click the Hardware tab and press the Device Manager button. The network card should appear under Network Adapters.
Note: If the card has a exclamation mark over a yellow background, then this is an indication that the card is experiencing a problem. Go to Driver download step 5.
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Verify that the radio is enabled.
It is possible to disable the transmitter of the wireless card without Device Manager showing any problems.
Note: Follow the instructions provided to enable wireless card.
- Most wireless cards will put an icon in the system tray (the line of icons in the lower right corner of your screen). Right click this icon and it may have a menu option to enable/turn on the wireless radio.
- Some systems come with a Wireless Radio switch to disable the wireless radios. The wireless radio switch is usually located on the front side of the machine. If you are having difficulties with wireless connections, make sure the Wireless Radio switch is set in the On position.
- Check for association to an Access Point.
If you double-click the previously mentioned system tray icon, the configuration utility of the wireless card will appear. This utility will be able to show the status of the wireless card, showing what channel the card is using and what signal strength is being received. It may be difficult to maintain a connection if signal strength is low due to either interference or distance. For example, interference can be caused by 2.4GHz cordless phones, other Access Points in the area, and physical structures such as load bearing walls or metal partitions.
Note: The utility can be used to configure the wireless card settings, but if using Windows XP Zero Configuration or Access Connections, you will need to use those programs to actually configure the wireless card as they will overwrite the setting of the utility.
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Check the SSID (the Network name of the wireless network you are trying to connect to) and security settings.
Note: The SSID and WEP key are case sensitive.
- The connection will fail if the SSID is incorrect.
- The most common security setting is the use of a WEP key. This involves using a 5 digit alphanumeric key for 64bit encryption or 13 digit alphanumeric key for 128bit encryption. Some systems will only allow a hexadecimal (0-9, A-F) key of either 10 (64bit) or 26 (128bit) characters. It may be necessary to convert your alphanumeric key to a hexadecimal one in order to connect properly. Click here for a conversion guide of Wireless configuration for encryption keys.
Note: It may also be necessary to temporarily disable the security features in order to check for basic connectivity.
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Verify that the most recent driver for the adapter is installed.
Note: Follow the installation instructions provided with the driver for proper functionality.
- Check the web site, http://www.lenovo.com/support for the latest driver and/or firmware update for the card.
- If you are using a card from a different manufacturer, please check the card's documentation for the proper web site to visit.
- Verify the hardware compatibility with the Access Point.
Often, vendors of Access Points will add features to improve their product. Unfortunately, these extra features are not always compatible with all hardware. Consult the product documentation for the Access Point about the possible need to disable these features. Also, there are often new firmware updates to an Access Point that may solve some issues. Again, consult with the Access Point manufacturer for updates.
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Verify that TCP/IP (or other appropriate protocol) is properly installed.
To check this:
- Right-click the My Network Places icon and select Properties. The wireless card should be present as Wireless Connection.
- Right-click the appropriate Wireless Connection and select Properties. In the Properties window, make sure that the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) is installed.
- If TCP/IP is not installed, click Install, click Protocol, and then click TCP/IP.
- Once installed make sure that Obtain an IP address automatically, and Obtain DNS server address automatically are checked (if using DHCP). To verify this, highlight the TCP/IP protocol, and select Properties.
Note: Only use a Static IP Address if your network/Service Provider requires one.
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Verify the TCP/IP address.
- Click Start, select Programs, select Accessories, and then click Command Prompt.
- Type the command, ipconfig. This will list the IP address for the local machine.
- If this returns a 169.x.x.x or 0.0.0.0 address, then type the following commands, ipconfig /release and then ipconfig /renew. You should then receive a TCP/IP address appropriate to your network, along with a Default Gateway address.
- Try to communicate with it by typing this command ping x.x.x.x where x.x.x.x is the IP address of the Default Gateway.
- If this does not give a reply (see the example in step 9) or you did not receive a TCP/IP address, go to the next step.
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Ping the loopback address.
- Click Start, select Programs, select Accessories, and then click Command Prompt.
- Type the command, ping 127.0.0.1. This will send a message to the internal network stack on the machine. You should see a response like this:
Pinging 127.0.0.1 with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<10ms TTL=128
Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<10ms TTL=128
Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<10ms TTL=128
Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<10ms TTL=128
Ping statistics for 127.0.0.1:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milliseconds:
Minimum = 0ms, Maximum = 0ms, Average = 0ms
- Verify that the hardware is functioning using diagnostics.
- Run diagnostics on the wireless card.
Note: If using another manufacturer's product, then consult it's documentation on how to run the diagnostics for the wireless card.
- Run PC Doctor diagnostics on the network card included with the ThinkPad system by pressing the F11 key or the Access IBM button during startup to access the predesktop menu area. If this method is not available for your system, then PC Doctor for DOS may be downloaded. This DOS version requires two or more floppy diskettes depending on the ThinkPad system.
- Verify that the wireless adapter is properly seated.
Stop, eject, and reinsert PC Cards. This may not be possible with some integrated wireless cards. Consult the Service and Troubleshooting Guide or Access ThinkPad application for removal and installation instructions where available.
- Install latest Service Packs for Operating System or Network Client.
It may be necessary to install Service Packs for either the operating system or for any additional network clients that may be installed. Contact the software vendor for these updates which are usually free downloads.
- If these steps have not solved your problem:
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