Public WiFi: limited connection (no Internet) -- new ASUS Zenbook 1

[Rlah]

ASUS Zenbook UX305FA, new on 6/8/15. Fron Microsoft Store, no bloatware. Win 8.1.

I'm getting no replies from Microsoft's Answers community, so I figured to get back to this forum that seemed to have *real* experts for me in the past. I'm copying the following from that forum:

New from MS Store yesterday, Win 8.1, connected quickly to home wifi (Frontier DSL). BUT went to Barnes & Noble this morning and only got a "limited connection" after a slow process, NO Internet. Even nearby McDs and BestBuy public wifi resulted in the same "limited connection", i.e. no Internet.
BUT after repeat attempts, the McD's connection finally produced a sign-on screen (in Chrome browser) with them and I had a slow connection (across the parking lot). So I again tried the BestBuy wifi and after maybe 10 seconds if too produced a sign-on screen and I had Internet -- much faster because it is next door to B&N. Soooo, I again tried the B&N public wifi but it only remained at a limited connection -- no Internet.
I was anxious to see what would happen when I got home... opened it up and my home wifi popped right in and I'm composing this message on this new Zenbook.
The Microsoft Store offers 90 days phone support so I called them. To make a long story short:
Device Manager ->
[ul]
[li]updated drivers for Network Adapter (2 Bluetooth Devices, 1 Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265)[/li]
[li]Cmd Prompt (Admin) -> Netsh winsock reset (enter, restart)[/li]
[/ul]
After these steps, my home wifi still works normally with no dropouts for the first 2 days. So I struck out across town...
1) Lowes hardware store: locked on almost immediately with 1 of the options to go to the host's webpage to sign in. A quick sign in yielded a good, fast connection.
2) Went to a nearby Target store, but their outside signal was not very strong outside and would not connect successfully.
3) Home Depot: Almost immediate signin screen came up (as fast as Lowes) and got a good Internet connection.
4) Nearby McDonalds was next: had some trouble, so moved car closer to building. Had sporadic successes, but somewhat frustratingly slow... Hmmm.
5) Went to downtown library. In the parking lot, with 2 bars out of 5 bars strength, it would not connect. My Chromebook would probably have connected. So I went inside where I got 5 bars strength, and it connected rather quickly.
6) When I came home, my wifi is normal and fast.
So, although I'm somewhat encouraged with the successes so far, I am apprehensive about general usage of public wifi networks. We are accustomed to the ease that our Android phones & tablets connect to public wifi... even my Chromebook has no problems.
Does anyone have any comments, or possible solutions to make public wifi work better? Should I keep this unit or return it and wait for Win10 to possibly get better connectivity?
Thanks in advance for any assistance


rlah

 

[goombawaho]

Bottom line - wireless IS working/connecting. You may just have a lousy antenna in that computer. Some are better than others and some are just bad, just like car radio reception. I don't think anything is technically wrong.

Last thing I would try before deciding to keep or not: update wifi drivers from Intel web site IF you had updated previously from ASUS. The OEM is not always giving you the most up to date driver.

"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[linney]

How to fix limited or no connectivity Wi-Fi issues in Windows 8

http://fixedbyvonnie.com/2013/10/ho...ivity-wi-fi-issues-in-windows-8/#.U2MuefiKA5s

No access to public wifi

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/46105-43-access-public-wifi

Microsoft North American Retail Product Refund Guidelines

http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/productrefund/refund.mspx

Returns / Refunds Downloadable Software

"Returns for downloadable software products will be honored for thirty (30) days from the date of purchase"

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/html/pbPage.Help_Return_Exchange

"7.2 If you wish to return a product to us for any other reason (for instance, because you claim that the product is defective), you must inform us by contacting our helpline. To do this, please go online to the order review at

http://www.mswos.com

and follow the contact data provided for your country. We may ask you to provide photographic proof of damage at your own cost. We will examine the proof and/or investigate your complaint and will notify you via e-mail whether you are entitled to a refund within a reasonable period of time. We will usually process the refund due to you as soon as possible and, in any case, within 30 days of the day we confirmed to you via e-mail that you were entitled to a refund for the defective product. Products
returned by you because of a defect will be refunded in full, including a refund of the delivery charges for sending the item to you. "



Windows Order Summary

https://www.mswos.com/

 

[rclarke250]

Also, remember that every free wifi host is a separate gateway from the internal site network to keep them isolated from each other. So, some stores have a crappy public wifi setup, and may not even know when it is down or having issues....In the 2nd link Linney posted, if you sift through the answers, a lot of time you have to get the login page to load, and "agree" to use the wifi responsibly. To get this screen to come up you might have to try a few web pages, in the address bar, you can try login,

http://www.purple.com,

and

http://www.yellow.com

to force the agreement page to load, without it, you will be stuck at limited connectivity and no web access. This works in all browsers, and all devices. I had to do it sometimes at hotels with my tablet or phone. And also, most sites free wifi is for inside the building, and outside is "spillover" area and thus gives reduced reliability and connection speeds.

 

[Rlah]

goombawaho:
Sorry to take so long to respond. I think you are exactly right as I compared the Zenbook with my Acer C720 Chromebook in my backyard. The Chromebook consistently outperforms the Zenbook -- quite a surprise for me. I'm spoiled by the Chromebook's wifi performance.
I did as you suggested and went to Intel... downloaded some mammoth 105MB file, it did its thing, but I'm not sure it actually updated the driver. Anyway, the performance did not change.

linney:
I checked your first 2 links for any ideas. Seems I've got some reading to do... some ideas to try. But the return/refund info isn't needed as I would just call Microsoft Store phone number to setup return for full refund within their 30-day policy. I'm not sure yet if I want to return this wonderful notebook...

rclark250:
Your description of public wifi confirms my experiences while traveling... Most seem to work (at least with my Chromebook), but I have to go to a plain website while at B&N store to get the ATT sign-in page to actually load. Can't way to try the purple.com suggestion (and some others).

I'll try to post any results from the first 2 of linney's links. I'm going to Barnes & Noble tomorrow.

Thanks to all so far!



rlah

 

[goombawaho]

I've had many laptops at my house (to fix) and on some laptops I could see wireless networks that I never saw with my old laptop. Now with the my new laptop, I can see these weak signals again.

Barring anything being technically wrong with that laptop, your experience matches my real world experiences. Did you check to see if anyone else is complaining about weak reception on the interwebz for that model?

"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[Rlah]

goombawaho:
For the last 2 years, I've been a Chromebook/cloud user for my "away from desktop" uses and have not regretted it. (Have you had any of these in your experience?) The only reason I'm considering this light and fast Zenbook is because I've run into some limits with the Chromebook now when I try to work with multiple 100 page Google docs... it chokes a bit. Also I have some "heavy lifting" software (OCR, scanning, TeamViewer, etc.) that I would like to have available on my laptop...

I have done some more testing this morning:
[ul]
[li]In my backyard, the Chromebook stays connected easily 20 feet farther than the Zenbook... maybe 30+ feet.[/li]
[li]At a McDonald's where I was parked next to building, Zenbook connected relatively OK[/li]
[li]At a Comfort Suites hotel, it would not connect from parking lot next to building, but once inside where I had at least 3 bars, it connected fine. (I got the Terms & Condition screens fine on both of these.)[/li]
[/ul]

Later today, when B&N bookstore opens, I will re-try their wifi ... like I did 2 days ago.

This situation seems analogous to our high-cost Samsung flat panel TV having an inferior TV tuner to our much cheaper Visio flat panel TV.

I wonder if the much higher cost Surface laptops have better antennas... I wonder if this is one of those areas where ASUS cut the corner too harshly to offer such a low price for a Core M processor with 8GB RAM and 256 GB SSD. -- I suppose Amazon's feedback area maybe the best place to check with other owners to see if their experience is the same. I don't recall anything as I read them last week... (Maybe I'm just too spoiled with my Chromebook wifi performance...)

I will report back with further tests later today... (I'm a little more inclined to keep this notebook now. Hmmm, do I return it and wait for Win10 preloaded?... but that's another thread)


rlah

 

[cdogg]

It sounds like the problem you're running into is 802.11ac vs 802.11n. Your older Chromebook doesn't support Wireless AC while the newer Zenbook does. While the newer standard has the potential for higher bandwidth speeds, there are situations where operating on Wireless N has advantages. For example, Wireless AC operates on the 5 GHz band. The higher frequency allows for higher theoretical speeds. Wireless N operates on both 5 GHz and 2.4 GHz. The lower frequency caps the theoretical speed, but it does have one distinct advantage: greater range. So when comparing wireless performance between different models, it's important to know how each is connecting. You'll want an apples-to-apples comparison before writing one off as being defective or underperforming.

If you have a newer smartphone that supports AC, you can install an app called Wifi Analyzer. You can switch between 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands to see the strength of signals from nearby access points, as well as what channels they're being broadcast on. That should help you gauge expected performance as well as see if there are several access points fighting on the same channel.

Also, here's a good article that goes into depth on the two standards:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2014/12/30/802-11ac-vs-802-11n-wifi-whats-the-difference/

-Carl
"The glass is neither half-full nor half-empty: it's twice as big as it needs to be."

[tab][navy]For this site's posting policies, click [/navy]here.

 

[goombawaho]

Never touched a Chromebook in my life. Whether that's good or bad, I don't know.

While the newer standard has the potential for higher bandwidth speeds, there are situations where operating on Wireless N has advantages.

Heck, there are times when running only wireless G is a better situation for range. 2.4 >> 5.0

I think cdogg could be onto something. You should test with the lowest common denominator that the laptops will handle. You could turn OFF all but wireless G on your router and compare ranges between the two. Then turn OFF all but N and test range.

"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[Rlah]

I'm sitting in the Barnes & Noble bookstore again... and no luck. (I'm writing this post on my Chromebook which connects without a problem.) I'm still getting the same "The connection is limited" message after is is connected to the B&N wifi or the neighboring Best Buy store Wifi.

cdogg:

Do you think if I get a DLink USB ac WiFi dongle mentioned in the Forbes article that I might have a chance of it working? Otherwise I am thinking to return this Zenbook () and wait until later this year when they are preloaded with Win10 to see if public WiFi connectivity is better.

Another thought I had was to try the TPLink USB N WiFi device I currently use for my desktop PC...

(And to think I was beginning to like Win8...)

rlah

 

[cdogg]

Have you tried the Wifi Analyzer app to see how strong the Wireless N and AC signals are? I highly recommend it. It might help explain why the Chromebook connects with ease when the Zenbook doesn't. I believe there are alternatives if you want to run it from Windows. I've never used it, but Acrylic WiFi seems to rank pretty high in a couple searches on Google. Might be worth checking that out if you don't want to use Wifi Analyzer on your smartphone.

If the signal for both N and AC look good, and there's not a lot of nearby interference, then sure look into a possible dongle solution. It wouldn't hurt to try the one you already own first. I wouldn't purchase one unless you are absolutely convinced that the built in WiFi adapter on the Zenbook is the problem.

 

[Rlah]

cdogg:
Thx for the quick response. I will try your wifi analyzer suggestions... it slipped my mind. I should mention that I walked around the inside of the B&N store to find the strongest signal... but the max on the Zenbook was 4 out of 5 bars. Nowhere was their a place that I could get past the "limited connection" problem. (The store employees were probably wondering about me...)

I will also take my TPLink USB Wifi device along to see if it gives any better response. --

I walked over to the Best Buy store (without my Zenbook) -- one employee was rather surprised at my experience as he was not aware of any problems with their equipment. All their PCs were running W8.1 without any Internet connection problems. Maybe its because they have a stronger wifi signal.

I'll post again after next test...

rlah

 

[apstef]

Rlah,

What IP does the Zenbook get from the DHCP server? And what IP does the Chromebook get?

Try and set up a static IP for Zenbook for the B&N wifi with the same Gateway, same DNS and a similar IP the Chromebook gets from the DHCP server.

 

[goombawaho]

I wouldn't concentrate on the one location with "limited connectivity". There are incompatibilities in the wireless world. If it's more than 1 in 10, then I would be suspicious.

"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[Rlah]

cdogg:
I'm at the B&N bookstore for a third time and finally (some) success! ... sort of, but still a big mystery.

I loaded the Acrylic Wifi analyzer and it told me that the B&N signal was the strongest one... 3 or 4 bars. Since my last post, I got some feedback from an Intel forum post... the network adapter is an Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7265 unit. They suggested some tweaks to the advanced settings. But my subsequent test with this stock adapter at the store continue to either fail to get a connection or have a "limited connection".

But this time I brought the TP-Link TL822N USB wireless adapter,plugged it in, installed the driver, and tried to search for WiFi at B&N and viola! Near instant connection with a Windows dialog question of whether I had a password or needed to load a web page for the terms and conditions... it worked perfectly just like my Chromebook.

So I'm satisfied with this "solution" for now until either ASUS or Intel come with a driver... or public wifi hotspots make advances for better connectivity with the newer AC wireless equipment. I'll keep testing "fix-its" and will post here if I get anything to work. But I'm planning to keep this light and fast Zenbook.

rlah

 

[cdogg]

Rlah,
That's great, at least you have a workaround for now. I imagine that some of the access points you are encountering are optimized for Wireless N connectivity, since this is the most common WiFi connection supported by a majority of devices. It's possible that the Intel AC-7265 adapter, while backward compatible, isn't performing as well on Wireless N. I'm not sure about the Acrylic WiFi app, but if you download and use Wifi Analyzer on your smartphone, you should be able to easily see access points around you that support 5 GHz AC. The next time you come across one with a good signal, try connecting your Zenbook to that to see if it performs as expected. For Wireless N connections, I would just use the TP-Link dongle for now.

Cheers!

 

[goombawaho]

Can't we just go back to Wireless G????

"Living tomorrow is everyone's sorrow.
Modern man's daydreams have turned into nightmares.

 

[Rlah]

cdogg:
I went back again to the bookstore and tried to figure out how to find and connect to 5GHz signals exclusively but I find both WiFi Analyzer and Acrylic WiFi difficult to figure out how to do this. I did attempt to connect to many available signals with no success.

I have advised both Intel and Asus to work on this issue... hopefully either updated drivers or updated hotspot providers will solve this problem in the future.

rlah

 

[Rlah]

Update:
To follow my June 17 post, I purchased a smaller USB Wireless N adapter (TP-Link TL-WN725N Nano). Went to the bookstore a 4th time, plugged in the Nano adapter, and voila!... almost instantaneous connection, even without going through the motions of installing the driver. The connection was just like the larger adapter I had tried... and 5 bars to boot! But the beauty of this is that it is so small that I can leave it plugged in without much disadvantage. You can see in the attached picture in the lower right.

I'm not at all sure that an upgrade to Win10 will help my situation... I suspect the solution will be in a future updated driver.

FYI,
Rlah

rlah

 

[cdogg]

Just a thought...
If you ever get time, see if a rep at that Best Buy would be willing to try one of their laptops for sale next door at B&N, such as this one that has the same Intel AC 7265 adapter. You don't have to tell him what you're doing exactly, only that you've read reports of spotty connection results with the 7265 and want to make sure it works in some of your favorite hotspots before purchasing.

It's a little sneaky and time consuming, I admit, but that might help you narrow down once and for all whether or not it's the adapter. If another model laptop works fine at B&N, then it could be that yours has a bad antenna design or software issue.