Chosen Solution
Not sure if this helps you. The original Apple 802.11a/b AirPort card (PC card) and the current 802.11n AirPort card (PCI-E 450M) are both Atheros cards. They have had a good track record and the current version of BootCamp supports Windows 8 and has been stable over WiFi. I wonder if the system is up to running Windows 8, as this system only has an Intel i3 chip. Could the dropouts be more a hardware/OS issue (or driver) Vs a bad WiFi card? Try running Windows PerfMon service to see if the interface is being Interrupt starved. Does having less things running concurrently (loaded) do better than when you have a lot running as the same time? I would go back to Acer as others have likewise made note of having problems looking through google.
Before you do anything, try this: Go to device manager (Windows key + X is the quickest way there) Under network adapters, find your wifi device and get properties (right click it) Go to the “Power Management” tab and uncheck “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power”. What kept happening to me was windows would turn off wifi to save power when the laptop was idle, but wouldn’t turn it back on. This workaround solved the issue for me.
I replaced the WLAN card with the Intel 7260 HMW to get 802.11AC without any issues. Just open it from the bottom instead of the top like the service manual shows and it’s a <15 minute installation. I don’t know what all the fuss is about with this series laptop, it is thin but really not that hard to open up. Also replaced with a Samsung 840 Pro SSD which was a breeze as well. There is practically no way to screw it up since the bottom easily pops off without any ribbons or cables to unhook.
all NIC cards are replaceable. you just have to obtain the right one. if you go to your device manager and look whether it is Atheros or reltech for example. once you get that you can obtain it from their website or a part supplier.
I have the same problem with my Acer v3-571g. In my case the network card deactivates itself even when im connected via ethernet cable (at first i thought maybe its just a wifi problem). And it’s so frustrating because I have to restart in order to make it work again… I tried a lot of solutions, seems nothing is working. Did you manage to fix your problem?
