netbook wireless card Kaput!

dori2o

The wireless card in my daughters netbook no longer works.

Can I replace it with any brand of card or do I have to replace it with another Atheros AR5B95 which I am told are notorious for lasting no longer than a few months.

bob_a_builder

A usb dongle likely cheaper and much easier to fit

LINK

dori2o

bob_a_builder wrote: »

A usb dongle likely cheaper and much easier to fit

LINK

I agree.

When the card first started dropping the signal I bought her one. She lost it.

I'm just thinking if I put a new card in she can't lose it.

closed

sure it's not a software problem, or switched off?

dori2o

closed wrote: »

sure it's not a software problem, or switched off?

positive.

uninstalled and reinstalled the driver, checked all the connections.

It was just dropping the signal, even when sat within a couple of feet of the router. replaced the antenna so it's not that.

buglawton

Have you tried a battery pull power down? Leave batteries out for an hour. Sometimes this resets the firmware.

debitcardmayhem

Daft question , but does it work with someone elses router successfully? Try it on someone else's network first....Since you say it drops connection ergo it must be connecting.

flashg67

Any make will do if you replace - I've changed a few and just bought whatever was cheapest on ebay.

kwikbreaks

In theory any make should do but I've had a problem in the past when not making an exact replacement - a non-standard card wasn't recognised by the software used to switch them on and off and it refused to turn on.

I've had that on a netbook and also on this HP laptop which won't recognise a dual band card I'd been using in my previous laptop.

If it does turn out to be a duff card, and from the evidence I'm not convinced it is, look for an exact replacement. It will save any hassles with drivers too.

buglawton

You havent said if the signal meter in Windows is showing lower number of bars than expected. If yes, suspect the hardware or internal connections (some laptops put antennae in the lid...) and also try a battery pull.
If not, could be the brand of router you have is falling out with the wireless card. You could then try assigning a fixed IP address, might hold better, first prove out if its a compatibilty thing with another WiFi as suggested above.

S0litaire

they should be easy to replace! just uninstall the old one before you install the new mini card and the netbook should sort itself out after the first boot.

make sure you have the drivers and install on a USB stick.