HP Pavilion 17 laptop drops wi-fi connection randomly

The Wi-Fi adapter is a Realtek RTL8188EE 802.11bgn. This laptop (Windows 8) drops the wi-fi connection seemingly at random. It will work fine for hours, then at the most inconvenient time, it will lose connection. This can happen after watching ¾ of a streaming movie or even after it has not been used for hours. Often the laptop must be rebooted to regain the connection, as the troubleshooting feature does not seem to resolve the problem. No other device in the house has this issue. The old Toshiba laptop (Windows 7), the “Frankencomputer” made from Asus and Lenovo parts (Windows 8), the Wii system, Nintendo 2DS, and the Android smart phone all stay connected indefinitely. I am very disappointed in this HP. Most other features are good, but rendered useless when the primary functions of this laptop involve being connected to the Internet. I rolled the driver back, and that reduced the frequency of the connection drops, but has not eliminated it. What is the solution?
Settings:
Driver date is 7/11/2013
Driver version: 2010.3.610.2013
802.11d is disabled
Connection Network type: Access Point
Connection Network availability: all users
Checked: connect automatically when this network is in range
Checked: connect even if network is not broadcasting its name (SSID)
Not checked: look for other wireless networks while connected to this network
Not checked: allow the computer to turn off this device to save power
Security type: WPA2-Personal
Encryption type: AES

 

Open up a command window, and type the following in it, without the quotes: "netsh wlan show all". Then post the results from that on here. Note which Wifi Access Point is yours that you are trying to use.

 

If you are using HP Wireless Assistant, get rid of it (uninstall program) and let Windows Wireless Zero do the job.

 

Thanks for the response. I will check the settings tonight and HP Wireless Assistant if it is running.

 

Thanks for your response. Here are the results in the attached pdf files.

 

After I uninstall HP Wireless Assistant, will Windows Wireless Zero start automatically, or is it something that must be downloaded and/or activated?

 

I did a system restore to a point one week ago and the problem has been solved...for one day. Now it has dropped connection again. Before I did the system restore, I had allowed Java to update. Then steaming video came through as audio only, no picture. After I did the system restore, the streaming video worked and temporarily, the wi-fi stayed connected. This is very frustrating.

 

My wife just tried to uninstall HP Wireless Assistant, but it was not listed in the programs list.

 

If you don't, we need to start looking elsewhere for issues.

HP is a bit infamous for poor solder quality on more than one of it's models. Which model do you have? We should find out if it has any known issues...

 

Here is some model info:
Model No.: 17-e049wm
Processor Type: AMD Elite Quad-Core A10-5750M Accelerated Processor
Processor Speed: 1.70 GHz, with a Max Turbo Speed of 2.70 GHz
System Ram: 8 GB
Maximum Memory Expansion: 8 GB
Hard Drive Size: 750 GB
Laptop Screen Size: 17.3 inch
Screen Type: LED Backlight, HD+ TruBrite Display
Resolution: 1600 x 900
Graphics Card: AMD Radeon HD 8650G with 4206MB
Network Connection: 10/100 Fast Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n Wireless LAN
Operating System: Windows 8
Bus Speed: 1866MHz

Still dropping the wi-fi at the most inconvenient times. Unpredictable and none of the other devices have the same issue. The wi-fi went out for the entire household once during the weekend. Rebooted the modem and all was fine again. Later, this laptop dropped connection again. Frustrating in the extreme!

 

Posted the results of "netsh wlan show all" in pdf's, but I can paste the results directly into another reply if the pdf's are not helpful.

I am trying to get help on HP's site, without much success. I did receive this comment:

"If there is no hardware problem you have to check network connectivity performance. You can do it on: netscan.co - just push the green button to start. Once tests are finished a unique url will be created which you can share with us to get your connectivity problem diagnosed."

I am not familiar with netscan.co, so I have not tried this yet. Is it a legitimate site, or is someone trying to phish my data? Thanks for everyone's help.

 

The whole house dropping is something of a red flag. How old is this router, and what is it?

 

I will check the model and update later tonight. It was received new when I set up service through Verizon in November, 2013. It is a DSL modem. The service has gone down about once every other month since we signed up. Everything else seems to stay connected, just this laptop the persistently drops the connection at least once a day.

 

DSL Modem from Verizon
Actiontec Model GT784WNV
H/W: 5A
F/W: GT784WN-VZ-1.1.6

Laptop stays connected while Ethernet cable is plugged in. Removed the cable and the wi-fi connection dropped after 30 minutes of use streaming a movie. Ready to smash this thing! It has the most RAM, newest hardware, yet none of that is useful if it will not stay consistently connected to the wi-fi. As my wife pointed out, if a cable is required, it would have been better to get a desktop pc and be done.

 

Do you have a spare WiFi adapter?

You can disable the onboard card, and try connecting with it instead to see if the issue persists.

 

I do not have an external/USB adapter available. I do have a Lenovo laptop with a cracked screen that from which I could salvage a wi-fi adapter. I had considered this before, but it irritates me that the adapter in the "new" laptop is not working consistently. I still do not know for certain if it is hardware, software, or voodoo curse.

 

Thanks for your response. Not really making any progress so far with this issue.

I have not upgraded to Windows 8.1. Frankly, Windows "upgrades" have caused so many problems for me in the past, I am leery of doing any. Is this driver you mentioned only valid if running Windows 8.1?

 

Late update, but wanted to close the loop in case anyone else found this thread useful.
The final solution was to send the laptop to HP for warranty repair. The keyboard and the wifi card were both replaced. The hardware replacement resolved the problem. Still an occasional drop in wifi, but that has been traced to my provider and the dodgy wiring in my neighborhood. Wish I did not have to rely on DSL for internet service.

 

The RaLink cards that come in many HPs are pretty much useless in most cases. I replaced one recently with an Atheros card I had from a junker.

Solved that HP's issue and it ended the weak reception, and dropped connection.

 

I am disappointed in my latest HP hardware. I have an all-in-one ink jet that is falling apart and absolutely guzzles ink cartridges. Multiple issues with this laptop. Bought HP expecting better quality than the cheapest options and I have been disappointed.