Wireless Products
WiFi Products
Wireless radio remains inactive and cannot be enabled from software

Symptom(s):

Many laptops have a hardware switch to enable or disable the wireless radio. If this switch is disabled, Intel® Centrino® Mobile Technology users may experience one or more of the following issues:

  • No wireless connectivity
  • Wireless radio cannot be activated from Intel® PROSet/Wireless WiFi Connection Utility or other applications
  • Wireless adapter cannot detect or connect with any other wireless device in the environment

Cause:

These symptoms may occur when the hardware manufacturer has implemented a hardware switch to enable or disable the wireless radio. This functionality is usually added to allow the use of the laptop in radio sensitive environments such as an airplane, where the user would want to switch off the wireless radio before using the laptop.

Solution:

This hardware switch can be implemented in many ways, but the most frequent implementations are as follows:

  • Hardware switch at the side of the laptop
  • Button around the keyboard area
  • Key combination such as pressing SHIFT and F2 at the same time


Users will need to refer to their hardware documentation to identify the specific solution implemented by their hardware vendor.

Note: This information is provided as a convenience to our customers. Intel does not control the implementation of hardware radio control switches. Please contact your computer manufacturer for the latest system specific updates and technical support information.

This applies to:
Intel® PRO/Wireless 2100 Network Connection
Intel® PRO/Wireless 2100A Network Connection
Intel® PRO/Wireless 2200BG Network Connection
Intel® PRO/Wireless 2915ABG Network Connection
Intel® PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection
Intel® WiFi Link 5100
Intel® Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN

Solution ID: CS-020275
Date Created: 24-Jan-2005
Last Modified: 07-Jul-2008
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