Vista connecting to phantom wifi network - even with wifi switched off

  • Thread starter Sharky.
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Sharky.

Sharky.

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Straight to the point: my laptop keeps trying to connect to a non-existent wireless network each time it comes out of sleep/turns on.

That is weird in itself, but even more bizarre is that it also does this when I have my wireless adapter switched off! Disabling then re-enabling the wifi adapter resolves the problem, but only until I put the laptop to sleep again - at which point the problem returns.

Some images:
wifi1.png

wifi2.png

Note in the second picture that my wireless is switched off - second icon from the left is HP Wireless Assistant, indicating wireless is off. When wireless is on the red x disappears from the icon.

This is frustrating the hell out of me, and Google isn't throwing up anything remotely useful.

Info that *may* be useful:
Vista Home Premium
Atheros AR5009 802.11a/g/n wifi adapter
 
I use the standard Vista networking capability.

A mate of mine suggested that it could be caused by sleeping the computer while still connected to a network; if the computer wakes when the network is no longer in range the limited connectivity thing happens. Is this plausible?
 
I had the same problem with my adapter. I stopped using the Vista utility and used the Realtek utility instead, and i have had no further problems.

Have look you looked in your wireless network list for this phantom network?
 
Not sure if it'll help anyone, but can you paste the results of "ipconfig /all" from a command prompt? Maybe a before and after of that, so when its working correctly and then when its doing the limited connectivity?
 
Eric.
Not sure if it'll help anyone, but can you paste the results of "ipconfig /all" from a command prompt? Maybe a before and after of that, so when its working correctly and then when its doing the limited connectivity?
Click to expand...
When working correctly (connected to university's network):
Code: 
Wireless LAN adapter Wireless Network Connection:

   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . : canterbury.ac.nz
   Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Atheros AR5009 802.11a/g/n WiFi Adapter
   Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-23-4E-6F-AD-69
   DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
   Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
   Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::3462:f7da:119c:f729%11(Preferred)
   IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 10.32.13.37(Preferred)
   Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.0.0
   Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Friday, 31 July 2009 9:10:20 a.m.
   Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Saturday, 1 August 2009 9:40:15 a.m.
   Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 10.32.254.254
   DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 10.32.254.240
   DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 132.181.2.225
                                       132.181.39.50
   Primary WINS Server . . . . . . . : 132.181.2.19
   Secondary WINS Server . . . . . . : 132.181.39.29
   NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled
Limited connectivity:
Code: 
Wireless LAN adapter Wireless Network Connection:

   Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . : 
   Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Atheros AR5009 802.11a/g/n WiFi Adapter
   Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-23-4E-6F-AD-69
   DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
   Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
   Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::3462:f7da:119c:f729%11(Preferred) 
   Autoconfiguration IPv4 Address. . : 169.254.247.41(Preferred) 
   Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.0.0
   Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 
   DHCPv6 IAID . . . . . . . . . . . : 268444494
   DHCPv6 Client DUID. . . . . . . . : 00-01-00-01-11-92-5D-66-00-23-8B-5B-72-36
   DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : fec0:0:0:ffff::1%1
                                       fec0:0:0:ffff::2%1
                                       fec0:0:0:ffff::3%1
   NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled
 
If you go.

Start > Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Manage Wireless Networks. See if that network is in there. If it is, then see if the "Connect even if the network is not broadcasting" Checkbox is ticked.
 
Already checked that, and that network doesn't show there. Only the uni wireless does, and it's not set to connect when not broadcasting.

Seems like Vista is just getting confused when coming out of sleep.
 
And that. :lol:

I suspect it's just Vista getting confused when I put the computer to sleep while the wireless is still switched on, and awaking it from sleep in an area where the network it was last connected to isn't available in. That's Vista for you, I guess =/
 
Sharky.
And that. :lol:

I suspect it's just Vista getting confused when I put the computer to sleep while the wireless is still switched on, and awaking it from sleep in an area where the network it was last connected to isn't available in. That's Vista for you, I guess =/
Click to expand...

That 164.254.x.x address is something I see a lot on Macs, which I generally just fix by Turning Airport On and Off again. I'm guessing, like you say, it has something to do with the adaptor getting confused when the PC goes to sleep. Their could be an updated driver or something. I'll try to research it further, because now it's annoying me. haha
 
Ah. SP2.

It didn't do the connectivity thing this morning when I turned it on, so fingers crossed it's magically fixed itself. Now that I've said that.... :lol:
 

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