Windows 8.1 Causing Wi-Fi Connectivity Issues

[exfileme]

Here's another bubbling problem stemming from the Windows 8.1 upgrade.

Windows 8.1 Causing Wi-Fi Connectivity Issues : Read more

 

[sean1357]

Go back to Windows 7. Problem solved.

 

[dimar]

I've encountered this with several notebooks that use Broadcom wifi chipset. Installing latest Windows 8 driver in Windows 8.1 had the same issue, as with preinstalled driver. Loading Windows 7 driver solved the problem everytime so far.

 

[jimmysmitty]

Go back to Windows 7. Problem solved.

How is that a solution when it has been seen to happen on 7 as well?

I've encountered this with several notebooks that use Broadcom wifi chipset. Installing latest Windows 8 driver in Windows 8.1 had the same issue, as with preinstalled driver. Loading Windows 7 driver solved the problem everytime so far.

I am not surprised as Broadcoms WiFi chips are at best mediocre. I have a HP ElitePad with 8.1 and it uses a Intel Centrino WiFi adapter and I have had 8.1 since release with no issues.

What's interesting is that it has been 2 months since the release and these reports are just now surfacing. Makes me wonder if it is a specific WiFi adapter that had a driver update that is causing it.

 

[SteelCity1981]

or avoid windows 8.x altogether and go back to windows 7. seems like windows 7 fixes a lot of peoples issues with windows 8.x

 

[itzdanielp]

I actually encounter this relatively often with the clients I rolled out. And the solution I found was to restart (not shut down / power on) the computer. Fairly often it is because there are updates pending.

 

[itzdanielp]

I actually encounter this relatively often with the clients I rolled out. And the solution I found was to restart (not shut down / power on) the computer. Fairly often it is because there are updates pending.

 

[iamadev]

I have and am responsible for multiple win8 and 8.1 machines, I have yet to see this type of thing that hasn't been resolved by running windows update.

I realise when problems affect you and others talk about it it seems like it is a far reaching issue that is affecting a large portion of users but often they are very limited cases of hardware issues or some driver. Yet people will still blame an OS that has been out for months over an issue that has been happening for a couple of weeks.

This reeks of driver update or broken hardware. Some of the machines I have use Broadcom wifi and I have no issue.

 

[sykozis]

This problem isn't related just to WiFi. It's networking in general. I have an HTPC running Win8.1 that is receiving the "unidentified network" message. The only way I've found to get around it, short of a clean install, is to assign a static IP to the affected systems. This should prevent the issue from reoccurring in the future as no network detection has to occur with a static IP.

 

[sykozis]

This isn't a broadcom only issue either. My HTPC uses an Intel Gigabit NIC and receives this same message.

Going back to 7 isn't a solution either as this problem has existed since at least WinXP....

 

[slate]

I only have the problem with my Vaio (Centrino N 6200 AGN); worked fine in W7 and W8; but with 8.1 it is a problem again and again... often when the laptop has been at sleep. I run Network repair and it is fine again.

The other laptops, tablets no problems; stationaries and servers are cabled and no problem.,

 

[dylanlloyd]

Hello we had this issue on our office network, we use aruba networks which have 802.11K turned off by default but if you turn it on then it will cause issues with your intel wifi cards, I would turn off 802.11K if your access point supports it and it is on.

 

[Innocent_Bystander-1312890]

"Go back to Windows 7. Problem solved. "

It's funny, I had the exact opposite experience. Windows 7 kept dropping my network connection, Windows 8.1 is rock solid.

I think a lot of these have to do with the cheap realtek network cards that cheaper laptops insist on using. Sony's community forums are full of these reports.

Those users might have to open their computers and replace the network adapter with a proper one (Intel Centrino cards seem to work well).

IB

 

[Lewis Vicinus]

I had the opposite problem...i had very poor wi-fi connection in Windows 8 (only 5 Mbps) after the upgrade to Windows 8.1 my wi-fi connection went to 28 Mbps (which is what the adapter was achieving on my old Windows 7 computer)

 

[everygamer]

Based on your own experience, it was a driver issue. The wireless card vendor had not provided Microsoft with the newer drivers for your hardware to be distributed via a standard update. If you can fix the issue with a drive update, its not Microsofts problem, its the hardware vendors.

 

[everygamer]

And to follow up, this type of issue could effect thousands of customers across multiple computer vendors, you might have HP, Lenovo, Acer, etc using the same wireless chipset in different products, they would each have this issue if the driver needed to be updated and the wireless chipset vendor was behind on publishing it to the manufacturers. The manufactures then need to provide Microsoft with the updated drivers for each of their products using it.

 

[sun-devil99]

Hmm...glad I haven't gotten around to installing Windows 8.1 on my main desktop PC. I use the built wireless adapter for connectivity. Plugging directly into the router is an option, but would require me to run a CAT5 cable down the middle of the room or go out and buy a 20-foot cable so that I could run it along the walls.

 

[rickpeterso]

didn't see any issues... install the correct drivers... enter the correct key to the correct router... was pretty automatic...

 

[Koushik Majumder]

Windows compatibility centre shows clearly that most of the broadcom, atheros and ralink wifi adapters do not work in windows 8.1 Strangely cheap and very old usb adapter which is 802.11 b only from belkin works fine.

 

[maddad]

I have been running Windows 8, and now Windows 8.1 almost since it came out. I have a home built no name computer. I have zero problems with windows 8/8.1. If you are just going by what others have said and you have not used Windows 8 yourself; then you should try it. Some things are different than Win 7, but overall it is a faster and I believe more secure operating system. Don't believe the haters.

 

[jimmysmitty]

Windows compatibility centre shows clearly that most of the broadcom, atheros and ralink wifi adapters do not work in windows 8.1 Strangely cheap and very old usb adapter which is 802.11 b only from belkin works fine.

It is all about driver updates. It is much like what happened with LGA775. Most mobo vendors stopped after a new chipset with BIOS updates but I found a Asus P945 chipset LGA775 mobo one time that supported everything from the first Pentium 4 775 CPUs to the at the time latest Core 2 Quad 9000 series 775 CPUs.

Most hardware will work with 8.1. It is up to the hardware vendors to write the drivers for it. A lot of them stop after 1-2 years but good companies keep on going.

 

[Koushik Majumder]

I have been running Windows 8, and now Windows 8.1 almost since it came out. I have a home built no name computer. I have zero problems with windows 8/8.1. If you are just going by what others have said and you have not used Windows 8 yourself; then you should try it. Some things are different than Win 7, but overall it is a faster and I believe more secure operating system. Don't believe the haters.

I use 7 on my desktop (parents don't like 8 interface), 8 and 8.1 I tried both the day available and please read my comment as I have clearly said that the problem is with LAPTOP's built in wifi card, not any desktop. If you have time then check the compatibility centre, see for yourself how many wifi-adapters works on windows 8.1 And if windows 8.1 could not support the inbuilt one which has 802.11 b/g/g capability then why the hell do they support my old belkin usb adapter which is 802.11b only?

 

[pogsnet]

Yes this problem is true. Specially to older laptops.

 

[huffdadde]

Intel Centrino driver? Yeah, my Asus RT-N66U wasn't happy with Centrino-based devices connecting for awhile after getting my Samsung Series 7 laptops from Best Buy. Then, Asus released a firmware update a few months back that fixed *everything*. My girlfriend and I both had problems connecting and we though we had bad laptops for months. Once I upgraded the firmware on the router....*bam* problems all gone and none since. This was all before Windows 8.1 was released. I'm running Windows 8.1 on my laptop now, she's still on Windows 8. Neither of us have problems.

 

[rwinches]

My netbook had excellent WiFi range and speed on Win 7.
When I ran the compatibility check for Win 8 upgrade it said my WiFi was not compatible, but re-installing the driver after the upgrade would fix it.

After the upgrade's final re-boot I got no errors for the WiFi, but soon noticed slow connect speeds and poor range. I de-installed the driver and re-installed, but no change and no updated driver on the web site. There was a video flicker when using the browser, but that cleared up at some point from one of the updates that have far exceeded 1 GB so far, but the WiFi still sucks, I even installed a USB WiFi dongle, but to no avail so I find it hard to believe it is a hardware/driver issue. I wish I had not been lured by the $14 upgrade offer for that netbook.

I bought a notebook for my sister that came with Win 7 on it I warned her not to upgrade to Win 8, but now they invade you system with a blue bar making you go to their site for the upgrade on my Win 8 (Subsequent times they give you a choice to be reminded) I hope that doesn't happen for Win 7 owners.