[Tech gurus] Mini PCI card issues

[socal87]

I have a full height Intel 4965ABGN card in my Dell Inspiron 1720 at the moment. It's okay, except I've started having random issues that I'm not sure are due to driver bugs or hardware. Basically when I do heavy streaming, whether via torrent or video, the card stops responding and won't connect to the WLAN. So I bought a Centrino 6330 half height card and an adapter plate, thinking that I could use a half height card. Unfortunately the antenna cables won'r reach. Most half-to-full height adapters I've seen don't put the top edge of the half height card near where the top edge of a full height card would be. So...any ideas?

I did order a 5300, but UPS is being retarded and won't leave packages at my doorstep. Even with a signature release.

 

[melancholygypsy]

If the cards drivers are updated it sounds like the card is resetting during heavy load. After it drops the connection do you need to restart to get it working again? Or will it pick up the signal again on it's own after a couple minutes?

 

[blankwavercade]

you could be getting throttled internet depending on how much you download from torrents and stream from netflix/hulu whichever.

you may want to try and just plug an ethernet cable in if possible. That is the only thing i can really contribute since i don't use wifi ever.

 

[socal87]

Not getting throttled; I have to restart to get the card to work properly. The adapter plate I got turns out to only be useful for fastening and doesn't provide any electrical connectors at all.

 

[Do Work Son]

you may want to try and just plug an ethernet cable in if possible. That is the only thing i can really contribute since i don't use wifi ever.

Ditto to both.

 

[PRND[S]]

Have you checked Event Viewer to see if any relevant events got logged? A card/driver don't normally stop working without any trace.

 

[socal87]

Ethernet cable isn't really feasible, and I will check Event Viewer.

 

[Charlie22911]

Sounds like a driver issue. Check your DPC latency with this:

http://www.thesycon.de/deu/latency_check.shtml

Intel cards are known to have DPC latency issues that cause audio skipping and other issues. The newer drivers are supposed to be much better, but that might not help you if you have a legacy part.

If you are curious you can learn more about Deferred Procedure Calls here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deferred_Procedure_Call