Windows 8.1: WiFi dropping and/or "Limited"

Anonymous
2013-10-20T17:01:27+00:00

Since installing 8.1 Pro, I'm having issues with WiFi dropping internet connectivity and always showing "Limited" when clicking on the system tray icon.  When I troubleshoot the problem using the system tool it is always the gateway that is faulty.  I have uninstalled/reinstalled the device drivers several times, installed the newest drivers directly from Intel, restarted the computer, etc.  I can restore connectivity by turning WiFi off then back on, but the connection will drop at what seems to be random intervals.  My applicable system specs are as follows;

Lenovo Y510P  Laptop

Windows 8.1 Pro

Intel Centrino Wireless-N 2230

Apple Time Capsule router w/newest firmware

Needless to say this is quite an irritating bug that didn't exist prior to the update to 8.1  I hope this can be resolved quickly. Thanks!

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Internet and connectivity

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  2. Anonymous
    2014-07-05T17:34:12+00:00

    This advice would be alot more useful to those of us struggling with the same problem if it provided clearer instructions and less drama.

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  3. Anonymous
    2014-07-08T15:02:14+00:00

    Ladies and Gentleman,

    The issue here appears to be an amalgamation of events which result in your computer being unable to effectively connect with DNS servers. For background, I had this issue when I first upgraded to 8.1, and had it come back about a week ago before fixing it once again. The following solution should work in the vast majority of cases:

    1. Flush DNS and allow Reset Winsock Catalog

    a) Open a command prompt as Administrator (type "cmd" in a search bar. Right click on the program, and click "Run as Administrator")

    b) Type "ipconfig /flushdns"

    c) Type "netsh winsock reset"

    d) Reboot the Machine.

    1. Disable Window's power management of the network card

    a) Go to Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change Adapter Settings

    b) Right click on the problem device and click "Properties"

    c) Click "Configure"

    d) Click on the "Power Management" tab and uncheck the box labeled "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power"

    1. Change your DNS Server to a known dependable one

    a) Go to Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change Adapter Settings

    b) Right click on the problem device and click "Properties"

    c) Scroll down to "Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4), select it and click "Properties"

    d) Change the "Obtain DNS server address automatically" radial option to "Use the following DNS server address"

    e) Enter your Preferred DNS server as: 8.8.8.8 and your Alternate DNS server as 8.8.4.4. (Note: These are the addresses of Google's DNS server. If you have a dependable alternative, use it.) 

    With the above steps I have fully recovered my internet access across multiple Windows 8.1 devices. Good luck!

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  5. Anonymous
    2014-07-09T16:20:31+00:00

    Great, excellent, bravo. After days and weeks of troubles with QualcAtheros and Microsoft support, discussions and recommendations on web, the solution above finally works as expected. Stability, performance and throughput on WiFi seems to be like before the 8.1 upgrade which I've done without any respect to the fact that "all new upgrades are inherently fault". Once again, thanks, thanks and thanks.

    Vaclav

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