Fix Windows 7 Mobile Connectivity Issues

Windows 7 and Windows Vista based mobile PCs may have connectivity issues when connecting to Wi-Fi hotspots. Among the issues that may be experienced are poor network performance and the dropping of the wireless network connection. These connectivity issues are experienced if the mobile computer is running on battery power, or if the mobile PC is connected to a wireless access point in a small office / home office environment or in an enterprise environment,

The issue is caused by Wi-fi hotspots that make use of wireless access points or routers that do not support the power saving protocol of the 802.11 standard. What happens is the following. When the 821.11 wireless network adapter enters sleep state it indicates this to the wireless access point by setting this power save option in its packets that are send to the wireless AP. A wireless access point supporting the power saving protocol would notice the packets, and would begin to buffer packets that are destined for the network adapter of the mobile PC. Packets are send when the radio of the client network adapter turns on.

This behavior enables the wireless network adapter to use less power and to wake up periodically at the correct time to receive network traffic from the AP.

A wireless network adapter that does not support the power saving feature will not recognize the intention of saving power, and continue sending packets to the client adapter. Packets that reach the client adapter in turned off state are lost, and this causes the mobile connectivity issues.

Microsoft suggests three workarounds / fixes to repair the connectivity issues:

Method 1: Connect the mobile PC to a power source

When you plug the mobile PC into a power source, Windows Vista or Windows 7 switches the wireless network adapter power setting in the default power plan from the Medium Power Save setting to the Maximum Performance setting. This turns off the 802.11 power save mode.

Method 2: Modify the default power saving power plan

Modify the default on-battery power setting for the wireless network adapter. Configure the wireless network adapter to use the Maximum Performance setting when Windows Vista or Windows 7 is configured to use the Balanced power plan or the Power saver power plan. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, type Power Options in the Start Search box, and then click Power Options in the Programs list.
If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type your password or click Continue.
2. Click Change plan settings under the power plan that is selected. For example, if the Balanced option is selected, click Change plan settings under Balanced.
3. Click Change advanced power settings.
4. In the Power Options dialog box, expand Wireless Adapter Settings, and then expand Power Saving Mode.
5. In the list that appears next to On battery, click Maximum Performance, and then click OK.

Method 3: Use the "High performance" power plan

If the computer is running on a power plan other than the High performance power plan when you connect to a wireless network, manually change the power plan to High performance. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, type Power Options in the Start Search box, and then click Power Options in the Programs list.
If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type your password or click Continue.
Note You can also right-click the battery icon in the notification area to access the Power Options command.
2. Click High performance.

More information are available at the official Microsoft Knowledgebase article.

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