Windows 8.1: WiFi dropping and/or "Limited"

Same problem on a HP Envy 14 with Intel Centrino Wireless-N 2230. 

Pretty sure its a problem with network driver.    By selecting the properties of the adapter, Drivers TAB, Update driver, Manually select, pick from a list - you can pick a different version of the driver.  I have switched from intel versions of the driver to a Microsoft version of the driver to see if that rectifies.

Glad you got it working. When you said you got it working for a while I thought you meant it was coming back after working for a longer time. And I thought you were having lagging issues with the WiDi. I've heard that lagging is solved when changing the Aero theme to Microsoft's Aero Theme from Intel's Aero theme. That's in windows 7, however. I've tested my computer on several networks and haven't had any issues. Some of those use the same hardware and drivers as people who are having issues. In fact on one network everyone who uses other windows OS versions can't connect to one of the routers on a daisy chained setup but my windows 8.1 machine can

So far I haven't found any issue related to WiFi limited connection on Windows 8.1 its always fixed by changing an offending network. I wish I could get a local machine to reproduce this so I can troubleshoot first hand. With updates you can always hand pick which ones to update like critical security errors. Let me know if any issues ever come back. Have a good day! Sorry for misunderstanding about your stsus

My answers in italics below:

Are you still getting a limited connection alert? One thing I would really be interested in is if the TV issue is happening side by side the limited connection issue. Is the TV not connecting only when you have limited connection?

The TV issue existed regardless of my WiFi internet connectivity status. My updates have completely resolved the smart TV wireless projection issue.

And is the lagging issue happening only when the limited connection happens?

See above - no relation. I also tested a WiDi video projection to my smart TV on my wife's Microsoft Surface Pro - much better. There is a benefit to having the OS and computer manufacturer the same :-)

When using the TV does the network usage show in your task manager? If so what is the speed?

I would like to see if I can get that working for you so I can see if the two are related in someway.

I have resolved both problems, thank you. I just got on this forum to share what worked for me with the hundreds of other people struggling with the same issue. Since we are all using different hardware, what worked for me will not necessarily work for others. My solution actually started with a complete Windows 8 "clean" re-install (not a roll-back, I wiped the drive and started again) then updates to 8.1, then subsequent driver resolution efforts. My manufacturer (Asus) had both 8 and 8.1 drivers, neither held the connection on either platform until I did what I explained. The "secret sauce" to my solution, I believe, is that I uninstalled the driver through windows, rebooted, then uninstalled it yet again through the Intel driver updater. I should not have had "uninstall" as an option in the Intel updater if my Windows uninstall had worked - so that shed some light on why previous efforts had failed. This was the one thing I did differently than all the other times - and it finally worked!

It is your choice to update or not. I was simply stating the reasons it is bad not to and that it shouldn't be an acceptable fix for any problem.

Agreed - I imagine one day Microsoft will work all the bugs out of this new OS - in the meantime, my current configuration works, so I've locked it down. What people who constantly bash Microsoft and extoll Apple don't realize is that the MS OS supports hundreds, or thousands, of different hardware configurations across multiple manufacturers' devices - that's a huge challenge, and sometimes it takes time to resolve all the issues. What Microsoft needs to do now is acknowledge there is a bug in the OS that is interfering with OEM and/or Intel WiFi drivers, and fix it . Then I'll turn Windows Updates back on.

Good Luck

Are you still getting a limited connection alert? One thing I would really be interested in is if the TV issue is happening side by side the limited connection issue. Is the TV not connecting only when you have limited connection?

And is the lagging issue happening only when the limited connection happens?

When using the TV does the network usage show in your task manager? If so what is the speed?

I would like to see if I can get that working for you so I can see if the two are related in someway.

It is your choice to update or not. I was simply stating the reasons it is bad not to and that it shouldn't

be an acceptable fix for any problem.

Good Luck

My answers inside your below:

Don't allow computer to turn off adapter is the master setting. Is meant to block the wireless adapter from being incorrectly configured by the computer manufacture power setting. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2740020/en-us It is usually only relevant if the issues are when a computer is coming back from sleep.

This is obviously a software problem related to the OS and the drivers - the fixes I am trying are not about how things are "supposed" to work, because they are not working like that. It's more of an anything and everything approach.

Updated Driver

Before you installed the driver did you notice if the current driver was the same version or if you got a newer one?

Did this make the issue go away 100%?

I now have an Intel Pro/Set wireless icon in my task tray - I didn't have that before. After I reinstalled the driver in the 2-step fashion I described, it dropped the connection much less often, and held the WiDi for the first time ever, but still dropped the WiFi connection sometimes, just much less, so I started tweaking more settings in the adapter.

Turning off windows update

First on the update section of your post. Turning off Windows update is not a good idea. Most of these updates are security related and the rest are bug fixes or enhancements. The rest are updates to things like Flash Player which has to be updated through Windows Update. 

I could not care less. Windows 8.1 updates have caused me enough grief that I had to do full wipe and reinstall of the OS after having the machine for less than 4 months. My machine is working properly now, so I turned Updates off - I don't want it mucking with my machine anymore. If you surf around the web you'll see that people are having no end of grief from windows 8.1 updates these days. I'll take my chances on the security related issues. I'm running script blockers as well as anti virus and a VPN.

Second, when you said, "[...] last time I did an update, the problem started again right away, and I had to do it all over again." Do you mean that the problem started again or that the problem started again and the settings reverted or the problem started again and the driver reverted?

I didn't check, don't know.

Smart TV issue

You mentioned that updating the driver fixed some other issues such as it stopped dropping the wireless streaming to your Smart TV. Can you explain what was going on there; what type of error did you get? For example, did the TV or computer not see one or the other. Did you get a limited connection notification at the same time the TV connection stopped working? Can you get it to stream when you see the connection has a limited status?

Wireless streaming either connected then dropped a few minutes later, or didn't connect at all. Now it connects most of the time but is still a little buggy, but when it does connect (sometimes I need to remove the TV from Add/Remove Hardware, and reinstall it), it holds the connection now, with some lag.

Thanks for letting everyone the status and what you have been  ding trying to solve the issue.