After 8.1 Update Wi-fi Dropping Connection

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josefresco

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I'm going to throw my hat into the ring of people with wi-fi issues following an update to 8.1. on a brand new Alienware 17.

After the update to 8.1 last night, wi-fi will connect and then drop out after I start transferring data (browsing)

The only remedy is to either restart, or "forget" the connection and re-establish. At which point it will again only work for several minutes, or until I start "using" it.

I'm going to read over the other threads here to see if I can find my formula for repair, but I wanted to make note of my similar issue in hopes it helps others (and MS take notice!).

Wireless adapter is a Broadcom BCM4352 Wireless adapter.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
josefresco said:
I'm going to throw my hat into the ring of people with wi-fi issues following an update to 8.1. on a brand new Alienware 17.

After the update to 8.1 last night, wi-fi will connect and then drop out after I start transferring data (browsing)

The only remedy is to either restart, or "forget" the connection and re-establish. At which point it will again only work for several minutes, or until I start "using" it.

I'm going to read over the other threads here to see if I can find my formula for repair, but I wanted to make note of my similar issue in hopes it helps others (and MS take notice!).

Wireless adapter is a Broadcom BCM4352 Wireless adapter.
Click to expand...

This sounds like a driver issue, many people here with similar complaints. Have you tried visiting the Windows Update Center using a wired connection for the latest drivers for your system?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro WMC
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built
    CPU
    Q9650 @ 4.05 GHz
    Motherboard
    Gforce 780i SLI FTW
    Memory
    8GB Gskill DDR2 1200Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    GTX-480
    Sound Card
    Asus D2 Xonar
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    HannsG
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I will post an update later when I have time to work on it.

And yes I already ran Windows Update but not specifically looking for these drivers. Here's my steps:

1. Unboxed new PC
2. Booted up and ran windows update (after stumbling around Win8 for a bit)
3. Found, and installed ~50 updates.
4. Reboot etc.
5. Attempt install of 8.1 from Windows Store (failed 3x due to ... driver issues)
6. Sorted driver issues (not certain but I think it was related to my nvidia grfx card 770M)
7. Installed 8.1 update (it worked!)
8. After first-boot I attempt to access some Windows Apps and connection drops.

from there on my symptoms are like many others who have reported this issue. Connection for a few seconds/minutes but then it drops.

This AM I downloaded Broadcom drivers from Dell's website. I will test later and see if this solves it. Unlikely as the drivers were published back in June and should have been included.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
josefresco said:
I will post an update later when I have time to work on it.

And yes I already ran Windows Update but not specifically looking for these drivers. Here's my steps:

1. Unboxed new PC
2. Booted up and ran windows update (after stumbling around Win8 for a bit)
3. Found, and installed ~50 updates.
4. Reboot etc.
5. Attempt install of 8.1 from Windows Store (failed 3x due to ... driver issues)
6. Sorted driver issues (not certain but I think it was related to my nvidia grfx card 770M)
7. Installed 8.1 update (it worked!)
8. After first-boot I attempt to access some Windows Apps and connection drops.

from there on my symptoms are like many others who have reported this issue. Connection for a few seconds/minutes but then it drops.

This AM I downloaded Broadcom drivers from Dell's website. I will test later and see if this solves it. Unlikely as the drivers were published back in June and should have been included.
Click to expand...

Yes the Broadcom drivers have been a problem, people with Dell systems and Broadcom NIC's have similar complaints.

The only place I can find the updated driver version is at the Lenovo site.
http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/downloads/detail.page?DocID=DS037800
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro WMC
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built
    CPU
    Q9650 @ 4.05 GHz
    Motherboard
    Gforce 780i SLI FTW
    Memory
    8GB Gskill DDR2 1200Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    GTX-480
    Sound Card
    Asus D2 Xonar
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HannsG
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    Gskill 120GB SSD
    PSU
    Thermal Take 1000watts
    Case
    Thermal Take Xtreme
    Cooling
    9 fans air cooled
    Keyboard
    G15 logitech
    Mouse
    G9 logitech
    Internet Speed
    50mbps
Odd development here...

I tried the Broadcom drivers from the Dell site without luck (423MB package yay)

I then went to my device manager and uninstalled (2x) the Broadcom adapter, and then did a hard shut down.

Upon booting back up, Windows didn't prompt me about any new hardware, the adapter was still shown as installed, and the problem persisted.

Here's where it get's weird...

I just took my laptop down to my basement office which is next door to the router room (so I could plug it in), and the connection has been performing great. To test I watched some YT videos, loaded many websites and have yet to have it drop.

I'm going to explore more areas of the house to see if it's related to interference but I find that an odd outcome/result to a problem that clearly started with my 8.1 update.

Just to be clear, no other device (3 PC's, 2 tablets and 4 smartphones) in my house has any wifi connectivity issues.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
josefresco said:
Odd development here...

I tried the Broadcom drivers from the Dell site without luck (423MB package yay)

I then went to my device manager and uninstalled (2x) the Broadcom adapter, and then did a hard shut down.

Upon booting back up, Windows didn't prompt me about any new hardware, the adapter was still shown as installed, and the problem persisted.

Here's where it get's weird...

I just took my laptop down to my basement office which is next door to the router room (so I could plug it in), and the connection has been performing great. To test I watched some YT videos, loaded many websites and have yet to have it drop.

I'm going to explore more areas of the house to see if it's related to interference but I find that an odd outcome/result to a problem that clearly started with my 8.1 update.

Just to be clear, no other device (3 PC's, 2 tablets and 4 smartphones) in my house has any wifi connectivity issues.
Click to expand...

It could be that new Windows updates were finished installing on the shutdown and subsequent reboot had it working again.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro WMC
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built
    CPU
    Q9650 @ 4.05 GHz
    Motherboard
    Gforce 780i SLI FTW
    Memory
    8GB Gskill DDR2 1200Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    GTX-480
    Sound Card
    Asus D2 Xonar
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HannsG
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    Gskill 120GB SSD
    PSU
    Thermal Take 1000watts
    Case
    Thermal Take Xtreme
    Cooling
    9 fans air cooled
    Keyboard
    G15 logitech
    Mouse
    G9 logitech
    Internet Speed
    50mbps
chev65 said:
It could be that new Windows updates were finished installing on the shutdown and subsequent reboot had it working again.
Click to expand...

I wish that was the case! But the problem has popped up again after some more moving and testing.

So I explored the house a bit, and found the connection issues pop up no matter where I am (near the router or not). The stronger the signal, the longer my connection lasts but it still dies after several minutes of use.

Questions:

1. How do I properly remove the adapter so I can let Windows re-discover it?
2. Could my issues be helped by making changes to my router? (even though no other devices on the network exhibit problems)
3. Will the Broadcom Lenovo drivers references above work for my Alienware?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
You might try working with the Advanced tab by right clicking the adaptor in Device Manager>choose properties, Advanced tab, then try enabling or disabling different settings there, be sure and check that the Power Management tab isn't set to turn off the device.

You could also try installing the driver in Windows 8.1 compatibility mode.

Using Compatibility Mode in Windows 8.1 | Teching It Easy: with Windows
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro WMC
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built
    CPU
    Q9650 @ 4.05 GHz
    Motherboard
    Gforce 780i SLI FTW
    Memory
    8GB Gskill DDR2 1200Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    GTX-480
    Sound Card
    Asus D2 Xonar
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HannsG
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    Gskill 120GB SSD
    PSU
    Thermal Take 1000watts
    Case
    Thermal Take Xtreme
    Cooling
    9 fans air cooled
    Keyboard
    G15 logitech
    Mouse
    G9 logitech
    Internet Speed
    50mbps
josefresco said:
I'm going to throw my hat into the ring of people with wi-fi issues following an update to 8.1. on a brand new Alienware 17.

After the update to 8.1 last night, wi-fi will connect and then drop out after I start transferring data (browsing)

The only remedy is to either restart, or "forget" the connection and re-establish. At which point it will again only work for several minutes, or until I start "using" it.

I'm going to read over the other threads here to see if I can find my formula for repair, but I wanted to make note of my similar issue in hopes it helps others (and MS take notice!).

Wireless adapter is a Broadcom BCM4352 Wireless adapter.
Click to expand...

I'm in the same boat. I started a thread over at Notebookreview.com: WiFi keeps dropping after update to Windows 8.1 today

I believe I have a Killer Wireless card from what I've seen in my device manager under "network". The broadcom I see under communication along with my Bluetooth drivers. So I installed the latest Killer Suite from their website for Win 8 but found the same results. My connection just disconnects randomly then reconnects and sometimes I have to reconnect myself. Not sure what else to try but glad to know I'm not alone.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware 17
    CPU
    4th Gen Intel Core i7 - 4800QM
    Memory
    16GB DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GTX 780M
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    AVG Free
Thanks pistol44 for the thread link. Your wifi card is actually the Broadcom, the Killer Wireless card is for your wired Ethernet. Like you I called Dell and they told me the same thing: the latest drivers are from June/August and the most recent drivers are hosted on the Lenovo site (which I haven't tried)

To recap (I still have this problem)

1. I tried both disabling and uninstalling the Broadcom card.
2. I tried disabling 802.11a (didn't have an effect)
3. I tried disabling WMM (waiting to see)

The symptoms seem random (even when parked right next to my router), and if I leave the connection alone after it disconnects, it eventually (after a few minutes) reconnects. If I attempt to reconnect immediately, it does not work. I have to give it at least 30-45 seconds to attempt a re-connect.

So far so good on disabling WMM (no drops after 10 min of streaming CNN), although I'm not even sure what that is so it makes me nervous not running it. I'll do some research and post it here.

WMM Wiki: Wireless Multimedia Extensions - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
josefresco said:
Thanks pistol44 for the thread link. Your wifi card is actually the Broadcom, the Killer Wireless card is for your wired Ethernet. Like you I called Dell and they told me the same thing: the latest drivers are from June/August and the most recent drivers are hosted on the Lenovo site (which I haven't tried)

To recap (I still have this problem)

1. I tried both disabling and uninstalling the Broadcom card.
2. I tried disabling 802.11a (didn't have an effect)
3. I tried disabling WMM (waiting to see)

The symptoms seem random (even when parked right next to my router), and if I leave the connection alone after it disconnects, it eventually (after a few minutes) reconnects. If I attempt to reconnect immediately, it does not work. I have to give it at least 30-45 seconds to attempt a re-connect.

So far so good on disabling WMM (no drops after 10 min of streaming CNN), although I'm not even sure what that is so it makes me nervous not running it. I'll do some research and post it here.

WMM Wiki: Wireless Multimedia Extensions - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Click to expand...

Since my last posting I've managed to resolve my problem. I posted my resolution on my other thread that I linked to above. You can give it a go and see if it works for you :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Alienware 17
    CPU
    4th Gen Intel Core i7 - 4800QM
    Memory
    16GB DDR3
    Graphics Card(s)
    Nvidia GTX 780M
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    AVG Free
Lenovo drivers did nothing to help my problem. I installed them and have since lost my connection more than a dozen times.

This morning I bought some software on Amazon, and their downloader caused the connection to drop every 5-10MB by far the worse it's been since I upgraded first.

The performance seems very random, as I was able to update a Steam game with only 1 interruption yesterday.

What are my options here? Should I try completely removing the adapter again and start over? What's the best way to approach this?

To recap; I have a Broadcom BCM4352 adapter and am running Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit. Wi-fi problems started after the upgrade from 8.0 to 8.1 Brand new Alienware 17 machine. Tried Dell drivers from August, and most recently Lenovo drivers posted October 1st. I tried disabling WMM, which seemed to help, but not solve the issue.

I have many devices (Windows, iOS, Android) successfully using my wi-fi so it's not a router issue.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
Here is a link to the Dell drivers that references the Alienware notebook.

If you are using the 5Ghz connection and are trying to go through walls that won't work very well at all and you should be using the 2.4Ghz radio for that. I've done extensive testing with the new wireless ac devices.

Which dual band router are you using for this?

Driver Details | Dell US
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro WMC
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built
    CPU
    Q9650 @ 4.05 GHz
    Motherboard
    Gforce 780i SLI FTW
    Memory
    8GB Gskill DDR2 1200Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    GTX-480
    Sound Card
    Asus D2 Xonar
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HannsG
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    Gskill 120GB SSD
    PSU
    Thermal Take 1000watts
    Case
    Thermal Take Xtreme
    Cooling
    9 fans air cooled
    Keyboard
    G15 logitech
    Mouse
    G9 logitech
    Internet Speed
    50mbps
Thanks chev65 for the link. For some reason that did not turn up while searching, the only version from Dell I could find was from June.

I actually found different Lenovo drivers (on the German site of all places) on Sunday and installed those which *seemed* to have helped. This is my first full workday with this computer and with these drivers so I'll know by the end of today if they have worked.

I'm not going to install the drivers from Dell if these stay solid, but at least this thread will help others find the correct drivers either from Lenovo or Dell.

FYI I contacted Broadcom directly to see if they could provide me with help, and here was their rather unhelpful response:

Broadcom offers support for its BCM57xx and BCM4401 wired Ethernet controller products only. Broadcom is currently not supporting Non-Ethernet NIC Products directly.Since we do not sell products directly to end-users, we do not offer comprehensive support for Broadcom's customers' products.If you are having a problem with a Non-Ethernet NIC product, please contact either the PC OEM or product manufacturer for technical support.
Click to expand...

The kicker is that Dell doesn't support it either, because the machine shipped with 8.0. Dell told me to call Microsoft.

I think I might conference Dell, Microsoft and Broadcom's support teams and make them have a deny & deflect party.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
Thought I had this licked, as I was able to work all day yesterday with no drops. Working for me means web browsing, limited FTP, IM, streaming Sirius, etc.

However come afternoon I browsed over to some video streaming sites (to rename nameless), and once again my connection dropped again.... and again... and again.

I then tried to replicate the issue by loading up 10+ YouTube tabs and low and behold, no drops.

Browse to another "tube" site and bam, connection drops.

I don't know what this means. If it's the type of streaming, or if it's related to the time of day/network activity.

It seems certain apps/needs cause more issues than others.

Regarding my router... I'm less than 5 feet from it, and it's a Linksys WRT54G2 firmware version 1.0.01 Wireless channel is 6 running at 2.437 Ghz Security is WPA personal/TKIP
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro
I would think about trying another firmware for the router. Linksys is showing 1.5.02 firmware dated 3/19/2012 but it's for the version 1.5 router, this may be worth a try. Depending on the routers version number there is also DD-WRT firmware which is supposed to fix many issues.
Router Database | www.dd-wrt.com

WRT54G2 Support | Wireless-G BroadBand Router

I should also point out that wireless drivers for Windows 8.1 are set up to use WPA personal with AES encryption, TKIP is an outdated encryption which may not work very well.

A wireless G router may not be ideal here where a newer N router would probably work better.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro WMC
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built
    CPU
    Q9650 @ 4.05 GHz
    Motherboard
    Gforce 780i SLI FTW
    Memory
    8GB Gskill DDR2 1200Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    GTX-480
    Sound Card
    Asus D2 Xonar
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HannsG
    Screen Resolution
    1680x1050
    Hard Drives
    Gskill 120GB SSD
    PSU
    Thermal Take 1000watts
    Case
    Thermal Take Xtreme
    Cooling
    9 fans air cooled
    Keyboard
    G15 logitech
    Mouse
    G9 logitech
    Internet Speed
    50mbps
Hi guys. I´ve been battling with this for the last few days (even bought a different wifi adapter...) i read all the forum i could find and tried absolutely everything with no success... and then i was in my router settings and i tried to reset the gateway...and voila the problem went away! i´m downloading streaming videos and playing online with no problem. Hope this helps.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    win 8.1
Hey I am having an issue with my killer double shot pro option not showing in the network manager can any one help me with that??
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 10
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