Intel Wifi card hotkey disable...

[Sirbendy]

Can anyone suggest anything here...

 

We have a laptop here on eval..a Stone unit. It's basic, dull, and one of 24 we'll have in a wireless laptop trolley.

 

It works great...my only misgiving is it has one of those wifi on/off buttons at the top by the screen. Now, I don't want kiddies diddling...it's a press key, not a flickswitch. I'm guessing it all comes down to driver control..

 

So..question for you all...has anyone ever successfully disabled these "hotkey" buttons? Software hack preferably..? It's an Intel a/b/g card if it helps...

[plexer]

dremmel it.

 

Ben

[AngryTechnician]

On Dell laptops the hotkey can be disabled in the BIOS. Nothing there on this unit?

[Oops_my_bad]

Sorry can't help, but if the wireless hotkey can't be disabled (in the bios or by other means) then I do not buy the laptops. We would have teachers constantly banging our door down because "the wireless network is down on x laptop", all because some damn kid thinks it's amusing to switch off the wireless.

 

If you have to get these laptops, check the driver or bios for a hotkey setting. as the previous poster said, dell's (certainly Latitudes - not sure about their cheaper models) can have the wireless button disabled in the bios.

[Jackd]

dremmel it.

 

Ben

 

Whats that?

 

Jack

[User3204]

Dremel: Dremel Multi Pro 3950 - reviews, compare UK prices, buy online

 

Or glue..

[Oops_my_bad]

it now seems Dell only ship laptops with a hardware switch (ie not a hot key) that CANNOT be disabled.

 

This now leaves us in a predicament because I do not know of any other laptop manufacturer who uses a wireless hot key that can be disabled, and I am reluctant to buy any laptop without this functionality.

 

Come on - physically removing/gluing/drilling/C4'ing the wireless button isn't really acceptable is it? Not very useful in the even of a warranty claim!

[PeterW]

You would think there should be a BIOS setting for this surely? Something like

Wireless Control

[by Switch/Hot Key]

[Always Enabled]

[Always Disabled]

 

I'm sure RM have this in thier ASUS based notebooks, there is no reason why the others can't so it.

[SYNACK]

One thing that you could try is tapeing over the wireless disable pin on the mini pci card. I think that the intel ones are 11 and/or 13. Simple crack the laptop open pull the wifi card and put a little bit of cellotape over the pin. The wireless disable key no longer works given that it is no longer connected all without causing damage to the laptop. The input pins should be standard as otherwise you would be limited to only certain minipci wifi cards in laptops which does not seem to be the case.

 

Toshiba Satellite 1135-S1552 WiFi Networking Problem - TechSpot Troubleshooting

After completing this, the hardware (and Fn key) seem to have no effect on the state of the wireless. (the LED doesn't light up either, so don't get discouraged if you don't see a green glow) at least the card finally does, it seems to have something to do with how Toshiba uses pins 11 and 13, i wonder if there is a jumper inside the laptop that could be switched insead of covering those? Right now i'm just glad it works. Pass this on to as many people as possible, perhaps we can save a few man-hours.

 

Solution: Cover pins 11 and 13 on your m-pci wireless card (even pins are on the bottom side, the odd are on the top. For orientation, the "top" of the card is where you plug the two antenna in.

 

While facing the "top" of the card count to pin 11 and 13. (from the "cut" in the card over, don't forget to count the lone pin as well "1,2") cover both pins 11 and 13 with tape (or as suggested in the post, finger nail polish) Place card back, start laptop, and you should be able to configure it from there.

 

| |||||||||||||~<- (pin 11,13 bold)

Edited November 23, 2008 by SYNACK