Question WiFi randomly disconnects/reconnects ?

[rinzler001]

Good day everyone. I have been having an issue where my wireless disconnects randomly and will reconnect. I have posted about this over at the Lenovo community support and I'm posting this here to see if anything else can be the issue.
Here is a bit of a background into my issue:
I have a Lenovo Thinkpad E15 model 20RD005GUS -
The adapters I have are: The adapters I have are:
Realtek 8822CE Wireless LAN 802.11ac PCI-E NIC
Realtek PCIe GbE Family Controller

I started having random wireless disconnects/drops shortly after switching to a new ISP - I was with Charter Spectrum and now I'm on AT&T Fiber. After looking in event viewer I saw that disconnects were happening on Charter Spectrum but I must have not noticed them or seen them because I never had issues with the internet with them(at least not on the wifi disconnects/drops side of it). After switching to AT&T fiber the drops started happening more and more. So I reached out to Lenovo support and here are the things they had me do:

changing channel in router - AT&T combines the 2.4 and 5ghz channels together so I renamed them to two separate names so it would split them.
changing the power plan settings for the wireless adapter settings > Power saving mode to maximum performance
turning off 'allow this computer to turn off this device to save power' in the network adapters properties in the device manager


after changing the above settings I started getting blue screens that would say "your device ran into a problem and needs to restart. We're just collecting some error info, and then we'll restart for you" - the stop code was: SYSTEM THREAT EXCEPTION NOT HANDLED - What failed: wdiwifi.sys.

after that I was told to update my drivers to make sure I have the latest version.
I went through the lenovo drivers page for my laptop and made sure I had all the latest wireless drivers. I currently have installed 2024.0.8.135 wireless driver.
I have uninstalled and restarted my laptop and reinstalled the latest drivers that didn't seem to help any either.
after making all of the above changes the issue seem to settle down for a bit until around 2/16. It started back again. I got tired of dealing with whatever it is. So I preformed a full clean install of windows. After that I didn't notice it - if it was happening I didn't notice it or couldn't tell it was happening until today 2/23. It happened today and that's what made me check event viewer. I will insert a screenshot of the event viewer here. It seems the same error has been happening even after I did the clean install.

I have also changed my DNS server on my laptop to Google's and even tried Level3 for awhile. None of it seemed to help at least not in a short period of time. I have also ran DISM and SFC and all of it comes back with no issues. After reading a few other posts on here I also ran inSSIDer and I did not see any interference on the 5ghz channel that I'm on.

Here are the screenshots:
EventViewerLog1
inSSIDer log

• Provide us with the make and model of your laptop (if applicable) Lenovo Thinkpad E15
• Provide us with the make and model of your router (if provided by your ISP please note) - AT&T Fiber Modem/Router Combo - model BGW320-500
• Provide us with the make and model of your modem (if provided by your ISP please note)
• Provide us with the exact specifications of your PC (if applicable) including: Realtek 8822CE Wireless LAN 802.11ac PCI-E NIC / Realtek PCIe GbE Family Controller. Windows 10 Pro 64bit
• Make and model of motherboard
  Make and model of USB / PCI-E / motherboard Wifi Adapter,
  Operating system and current version being used (eg Windows 10 version 1909 or Mac OS X version 10.5.3
• You will also need to post your ISP and connection type*. AT&T Fiber - Wireless - 5ghz channel
• You will also need to post the exact number of devices connected to your router (this includes tablets, smart phones, laptops, and desktop PCs) as some routers can only handle a specific number of devices at a time. - my smartphone, my roommates smart phone, my laptop, and amazon fire stick are on 5ghz channel - the rest(nest, desktop pc) are on 2.4ghz channel.
• Post any and all error messages you are getting from your ISP or Windows itself - see above and links
• If requesting help with a wireless printer, please provide us with the manufacturer and EXACT model number (eg HP Officejet Pro 9018)
• If requesting help with current Wifi standards, such as Wifi 6, it will help to know what equipment you are connecting to what router
• If requesting help with non PC related Wifi devices, such as a gaming console or streaming device, let us know what it is you are trying to connect

 

[Ralston18]

Also look in Reliability History for error codes, etc.. More more user friendly and the timeline format can be quite helpful.

Verify that only one network adapter (either wired or wireless) is enabled on the Thinkpad. Not both at the same time.

As I understand your post the requirement is wireless so all wired network adapters should be disabled and only one wireless network adapter should be enabled.

Disable IPv6 - often problematic for some systems.

If the problem continues, then run "ipconfig /all" (without quotes) via the Command Prompt.

Use copy and paste to post the results here. No need to retype everything.

 

[rinzler001]

Also look in Reliability History for error codes, etc.. More more user friendly and the timeline format can be quite helpful.

Verify that only one network adapter (either wired or wireless) is enabled on the Thinkpad. Not both at the same time.

As I understand your post the requirement is wireless so all wired network adapters should be disabled and only one wireless network adapter should be enabled.

Disable IPv6 - often problematic for some systems.

If the problem continues, then run "ipconfig /all" (without quotes) via the Command Prompt.

Use copy and paste to post the results here. No need to retype everything.

checked reliability history and no error codes show.
wired adapter is disabled.
IPV6 is disabled

IPCONFIG/ALL results:
Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.19045.2604]
(c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Windows\system32>ipconfig /all

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : DESKTOP-F0B20L3
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Wireless LAN adapter Wi-Fi:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : attlocal.net
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek 8822CE Wireless LAN 802.11ac PCI-E NIC
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : --------------------------------(deleted)
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

C:\Windows\system32>

 

[Ralston18]

The "ipconfig" results appear incomplete.

None the less the above listed Wireless LAN adapter Wi-FI is shown as disconnected.

 

[rinzler001]

The "ipconfig" results appear incomplete.

None the less the above listed Wireless LAN adapter Wi-FI is shown as disconnected.

i ran that as admin here is a normal cmd:


Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.19045.2604]
(c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\bryan>ipconfig /all

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : DESKTOP-F0B20L3
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
DNS Suffix Search List. . . . . . : attlocal.net

Wireless LAN adapter Local Area Connection* 1:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . :
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Wireless LAN adapter Local Area Connection* 2:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter #2
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . :
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Wireless LAN adapter Wi-Fi:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : attlocal.net
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek 8822CE Wireless LAN 802.11ac PCI-E NIC
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : (deleted)
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . :
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . :
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Friday, February 24, 2023 12:11:33 PM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Saturday, February 25, 2023 12:11:32 PM
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . :
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . :
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . :
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

C:\Users\bryan>

 

[Ralston18]

Okay: the Realtek adapter is now listed but the Media State is missing as is other key information.

And the wireless adapter has been enabled - correct?

Compare the problem computer's "ipconfig /all" to that of another working computer on the same network. There will be some differences but other configurable settings will be the same. Default Gateway for example.

= = = =

Understand that you do not want to reveal any personal information or information that puts your network at risk.

Really no need to delete anything from "ipconfig" although many people do delete the physical address (AKA MAC).

The C: prompt path includes the username which may or may not be telling. That user name can be deleted if you wish.

Here is my "ipconfig /all" (run via Powershell with admin rights):

PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> ipconfig /all

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : [REDACTED]
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
DNS Suffix Search List. . . . . . : hsd1.[REDACTED]

Ethernet adapter [Network name REDACTED]:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : hsd1.[REDACTED]
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek PCIe GbE Family Controller
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 8C-EC-4B-[REDACTED in part but not really necessary.]
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.201(Preferred)
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Friday, February 24, 2023 6:43:53 AM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Saturday, March 4, 2023 6:43:53 AM
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 8.8.8.8
8.8.4.4
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

Ethernet adapter Bluetooth Network Connection:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Bluetooth Device (Personal Area Network)
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 74-40-BB-[REDACTED]
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
PS C:\WINDOWS\system32>

What you do not want to show is your public IP address.

However, the problem at hand is likely within your network and the network uses the private IP address ranges. "ipconfig /all" provides details about the private network and is used to troubleshoot accordingly.

For example, the subnet mask is most likely going to be 255.255.255.0. "ipconfig /add" may reveal some error/typo in the subnet mask: "255.255.0.0" perhaps.

FYI:

https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-a-...vate IP address is,a home or business network.

Also MACs are useful to help identify or verify devices: A mismatch between manufacturer and device MAC would be something to investigate further.

https://macvendors.com/

Take another look at it and see what you can find.

 

[rinzler001]

Okay: the Realtek adapter is now listed but the Media State is missing as is other key information.

And the wireless adapter has been enabled - correct?

Compare the problem computer's "ipconfig /all" to that of another working computer on the same network. There will be some differences but other configurable settings will be the same. Default Gateway for example.

= = = =

Understand that you do not want to reveal any personal information or information that puts your network at risk.

Really no need to delete anything from "ipconfig" although many people do delete the physical address (AKA MAC).

The C: prompt path includes the username which may or may not be telling. That user name can be deleted if you wish.

Here is my "ipconfig /all" (run via Powershell with admin rights):

PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> ipconfig /all

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : [REDACTED]
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
DNS Suffix Search List. . . . . . : hsd1.[REDACTED]

Ethernet adapter [Network name REDACTED]:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : hsd1.[REDACTED]
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek PCIe GbE Family Controller
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 8C-EC-4B-[REDACTED in part but not really necessary.]
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.201(Preferred)
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Friday, February 24, 2023 6:43:53 AM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Saturday, March 4, 2023 6:43:53 AM
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 8.8.8.8
8.8.4.4
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

Ethernet adapter Bluetooth Network Connection:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Bluetooth Device (Personal Area Network)
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 74-40-BB-[REDACTED]
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
PS C:\WINDOWS\system32>

What you do not want to show is your public IP address.

However, the problem at hand is likely within your network and the network uses the private IP address ranges. "ipconfig /all" provides details about the private network and is used to troubleshoot accordingly.

For example, the subnet mask is most likely going to be 255.255.255.0. "ipconfig /add" may reveal some error/typo in the subnet mask: "255.255.0.0" perhaps.

FYI:

https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-a-private-ip-address-2625970#:~:text=A private IP address is,a home or business network.

Also MACs are useful to help identify or verify devices: A mismatch between manufacturer and device MAC would be something to investigate further.

https://macvendors.com/

Take another look at it and see what you can find.

Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.19045.2604]
(c) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\bryan>ipconfig /all

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : //
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
DNS Suffix Search List. . . . . . : //

Wireless LAN adapter Local Area Connection* 1:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 96-08-(partially deleted)
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Wireless LAN adapter Local Area Connection* 2:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft Wi-Fi Direct Virtual Adapter #2
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : D6-08-53-BC-31-EF
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Wireless LAN adapter Wi-Fi:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : //
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Realtek 8822CE Wireless LAN 802.11ac PCI-E NIC
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 94-08-(partially edited)
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.66(Preferred)
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Friday, February 24, 2023 12:11:33 PM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Saturday, February 25, 2023 12:11:31 PM
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.254
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.254
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.254
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

C:\Users\bryan>

that is all that shows up. i only edited the bits you edited in yours.
the desktop one is a mess - there are several issues with the desktop that's not important to this conversation but here is the results from that --
Link 1
Link2

 

[Ralston18]

Not seeing anything immediately amiss in the above "ipconfig /all" which I trust is the ThinkPad - correct?

Still questions and comments:

ThinkPad

Noted that the default Gateway is set to be 192.168.1.254. A Google search indictated that that is a default Gateway address used by AT&T.

The above "ipconfig" indicates that the ThinkPad being assigned a DHCP IP address of 192.168.1.66 (Preferred) from the Gateway at 192.168.1.254. IPv4 enabled, IPv6 disabled. 24 hour lease time which should be okay.

I do not see the Ethernet (wired) adapter. The adapter should be listed as "Media disconnected" On my wireless system the Ethernet adapter is described as "Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller". The Thinkpad may be different but, as far as I know, Ethernet adapter should still be listed.

Should appear much as is shown in Link 2 Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection.

Also disable all power saving etc.. Doubt that much power is being saved and the power saving configurations can always be re-established once working and stable wireless connectivity is restored.

What device(s) are being shown via Link 1 and Link 2. Desktop & "working computer" perhaps.

Based on the .jpg images:

Link 1

IPv4 appears not to be enabled.

IPv6 is being used and that can be problematic. Still it appears to be provided with an IPv6 IP address via the Gateway at 2600:1700:....... etc..
Matching IPv4 Gateway being 192.168.1.254 as would be expected.

No lease time listing ???

Disable IPv6 and enable IPv4.

Link 2

Both IPv4 and IPv6 being used. Disable IPv6.

IP addresses again being received via a Gateway 192.168.1.254/2600:1700:...... etc...

Lease time is 24 hours for IPv4 and onehour for IPv6. Not sure about the consequences of that short one hour lease time for IPv6 but that will become moot once IPv6 is disabled.

Summary:

Disable IPv6 use for all wired and wirelessdevices.

Disable all power saving of any sort on the ThinkPad.

Objective being to establish a stable IPv4 network environment for all wired and wireless devices connected via your AT&T Gateway/Router.

= = = =

Do the router's admin screens present some listing of connected devices, their respective IP address, MAC, and connectivity? That information may prove useful.

 

[rinzler001]

Not seeing anything immediately amiss in the above "ipconfig /all" which I trust is the ThinkPad - correct?

Still questions and comments:

ThinkPad

Noted that the default Gateway is set to be 192.168.1.254. A Google search indictated that that is a default Gateway address used by AT&T.

The above "ipconfig" indicates that the ThinkPad being assigned a DHCP IP address of 192.168.1.66 (Preferred) from the Gateway at 192.168.1.254. IPv4 enabled, IPv6 disabled. 24 hour lease time which should be okay.

I do not see the Ethernet (wired) adapter. The adapter should be listed as "Media disconnected" On my wireless system the Ethernet adapter is described as "Realtek PCIe GBE Family Controller". The Thinkpad may be different but, as far as I know, Ethernet adapter should still be listed.

Should appear much as is shown in Link 2 Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection.

Also disable all power saving etc.. Doubt that much power is being saved and the power saving configurations can always be re-established once working and stable wireless connectivity is restored.

What device(s) are being shown via Link 1 and Link 2. Desktop & "working computer" perhaps.

Based on the .jpg images:

Link 1

IPv4 appears not to be enabled.

IPv6 is being used and that can be problematic. Still it appears to be provided with an IPv6 IP address via the Gateway at 2600:1700:....... etc..
Matching IPv4 Gateway being 192.168.1.254 as would be expected.

No lease time listing ???

Disable IPv6 and enable IPv4.

Link 2

Both IPv4 and IPv6 being used. Disable IPv6.

IP addresses again being received via a Gateway 192.168.1.254/2600:1700:...... etc...

Lease time is 24 hours for IPv4 and onehour for IPv6. Not sure about the consequences of that short one hour lease time for IPv6 but that will become moot once IPv6 is disabled.

Summary:

Disable IPv6 use for all wired and wirelessdevices.

Disable all power saving of any sort on the ThinkPad.

Objective being to establish a stable IPv4 network environment for all wired and wireless devices connected via your AT&T Gateway/Router.

= = = =

Do the router's admin screens present some listing of connected devices, their respective IP address, MAC, and connectivity? That information may prove useful.

Yes. the first cmd response is the thinkpad and the one in the links is the desktop. The power saving bits were disabled in the device manager for the wireless adapter. battery saver doesn't kick in until 10 or 15%. I have IPv6 disabled on the thinkpad - I will disable it on the desktop. the router admin screen does show that information not sure what is needed from that. I don't notice any issues on my cellphone and the desktop pc doesn't get used much.