Hp 250 DfE devices - wi-fi issues

[Scifigirl]

Hi all, we have finally gotten around to putting some of these in circulation however they seem to take ages connecting to the Wi-fi even when right next to the point.

 

Has anyone else had this? any solutions out there?

 

going to try default profiles , but is this just the norm?

[CHiLL]

We have a whole bunch of the HP 250 DfE devices, and those that went home to students generally don't have Wi-Fi issues. Some are currently being used by a department and they did mention this morning that there are some connectivity issues, Wi-Fi dropping out, slow etc. I could put some of that down to the AP being overloaded and trying to serve 24 devices at the same time on a 1Gb link. Though I also think some of it is down to the general cheapness of the laptop and having a poor Wi-Fi cards.

[Scifigirl]

Advice given to teachers last time:

 

Some of the laptops had been incorrectly shut down or left logged in with the lids closed. Incorrectly shutting down laptops can cause the network cards to get “stuck” and so refuse to connect to a network. Always shut the laptops completely down and wait for at least 10 seconds after the screen backlight has gone off to close the lid, this will ensure that the laptop is closed down correctly.

 

Other laptops did have issues with the network which we have sorted out. These laptops are new but slow on startup to connect to the network, they can take up to 30 seconds to connect to the wi-fi and therefore if you try to log on when the screen first comes on you will not be successful. If the laptop is not connected to the Wi-Fi you will see a globe, if it is you will see the usual Wi-Fi signal logo Please sign in to the machines but wait for the usual Wi-Fi signal before logging in on the login screen.

[StevieM]

I don't know if it's relevant, but I've had several 240s brought to my attention this week that were either not connecting or showing limited connection. Either way, they weren't allowing users to log in using domain credentials.

 

I found that simply logging in as local administrator was usually enough for the WiFi to kick in properly. Once or twice I had to turn WiFi off and on, too.

[Scifigirl]

I don't know if it's relevant, but I've had several 240s brought to my attention this week that were either not connecting or showing limited connection. Either way, they weren't allowing users to log in using domain credentials.

 

I found that simply logging in as local administrator was usually enough for the WiFi to kick in properly. Once or twice I had to turn WiFi off and on, too.

 

Problem is this is what happens if the leave them on--- i dont trust the teachers enough to give them a local login to fix it.

[StevieM]

Problem is this is what happens if the leave them on--- i dont trust the teachers enough to give them a local login to fix it.

Neither do I! I logged in as a local admin, checked that WiFi had fixed itself, then logged straight back out again. Rebooted several times since and WiFi is working without any problems...for now, at least.

 

Edit: Actually, I also made sure that any overdue updates were installed before logging out.

Edited September 28, 2022 by StevieM

[round2it]

same here i advise to reboot before each lesson, not ideal but that reduces the connectivity issues.

 

its like the wifi gets stuck and nothing you do will resurrect it unless you reboot.

 

tried turning off powersave on the card but makes no difference, they are garbage but were free

[robintech]

For troublesome laptops we tend to put a mini USB Wi-Fi adapter in the side, the cheap £10 or under ones, and disable the internal Wi-Fi. Not a proper fix but have surprisingly few problems with them.

[round2it]

plenty of superglue would be need for us they would steal them

[dobbyit]

I have been having the same issues,thinking it was a controller issue.Will try a USB wifi adapter

[Scifigirl]

plenty of superglue would be need for us they would steal them

 

steal, eat, lose.... you name it --

 

Quick look on ebuyer showed me these....https://www.ebuyer.com/387679-tp-link-tl-wn725n-150mbps-wireless-n-nano-usb-adapter-tl-wn725n i think they may do the trick

Edited September 30, 2022 by Scifigirl