New Lenovo laptop -- does not connect to wireless

[alastingimpression]

I'm becoming very frustrated. I just got a new Lenovo U31 laptop today and am having the worst time connecting to the internet.

At first, my laptop would not connect to the internet at all. I'm not super tech savvy, but my roommate is pretty good with computers and had me try multiple things. I've also Googled the problem and none of the solutions I found online worked. I know the password was correct and I know wifi is enabled. Every other device in the apartment connects fine, but this one kept saying "cannot connect" without giving a reason why.

Finally, I moved the laptop into a different room and it connected almost immediately. It is closer to the router now and I'm not sure if that has anything to do with it. However, the internet is moving at such a slow pace that something as simple as the Google logo will not load. I can get a Google search page pulled up, but no website that I click on will load. Again, every other device in the apartment works fine.

Did I get a dud? Has anyone else encountered this problem?

 

[turkey3_scratch]

Almost sounds like wireless interference to me. I would be curious what connection you would get in McDonalds for instance. Then again, I'm not sure why only your laptop is being affected. Does it have the proper and up-to-date wireless drivers?

 

[alastingimpression]

Almost sounds like wireless interference to me. I would be curious what connection you would get in McDonalds for instance. Then again, I'm not sure why only your laptop is being affected. Does it have the proper and up-to-date wireless drivers?

Thanks for your response. I considered going to a place like McDonalds to check but haven't had the chance to do this yet. This is probably going to sound ignorant, but how do I check the driver? Is this something that can be done without an internet connection?

 

[turkey3_scratch]

In the Start Menu search "Device Manager" and open it up. Then drop-down Network Adapters and see what is there.

 

[Solandri]

It sounds to me like the antenna cable(s) to this particular laptop have come loose from the wifi card, or were never attached, or are broken. That's why you were able to connect when you got closer, but only at slow speed. With a strong enough signal, it'll still connect even without an antenna. If you encounter the same problem with the wifi at McDonalds, then that makes this almost certainly the cause.

Get your friend who is PC-saavy to open up the laptop and take a peek at the wifi card. It should have two wires leading up to it - one black, one white. (Some have three, but those are rare.) Make sure both wires are securely connected.

http://www.pcauthority.com.au/Feature/292597,how-to-upgrade-your-laptops-wi-fi-adapter.aspx

If they're just loose are aren't connected, then connect them and problem solved. If they look fine, then go back to the store and return the laptop as defective and exchange it for another one.

 

[Pete_4]

Hi, I had exactly the same problems on exactly the same laptop - Lenovo U31-70. Wifi connects, but disconnects frequently and some programs never connect fully.

You need to download the latest drivers.
Just go to Lenovo support website, let it know your model (you might need to enter / detect the serial number), and download the latest drivers for the wireless adapter (atheros QCA61x4,). My laptop came with a verison 10.xxx driver, and upgrading to Windows 10 did not renew it. After I updated to a veriosn 12.xxx , all the problems went away.