Airplane Mode

[LizzieW]

Why does my laptop keep switching randomly to Airplane Mode?  Is there a shortcut key that I keep hitting by mistake, or is there some other reason?  I should have said that I run my laptop via Wi-Fi because if I have it wire-free to the router, it keeps freezing.

[Mart 'n' Al]

Is it possible that you have accidentally set a schedule to keep putting it into aeroplane mode at a specific time? There are also additional programs, such as one called "if this then that" which can be configured to automatically do certain tasks when certain situations arise.

Martin

[LizzieW]

Not as far as I know.  My laptop is permanently plugged in to electric socket (unless I take it on holiday with me), so no reason to set anything really.  I did check but couldn't see anything untoward.  It's not set to close down after 15 minutes if no action, or anything like that, which is why I wonder if there is a shortcut key that I'm hitting by accident.

[greenrig]

I'm puzzled. You say you run on WiFi becuase the laptop freezes if you run wire-free.   Surely WiFi and wire-free mean the same?

You don't say the make/model of laptop - any help here....

https://www.techwalla.com/articles/how-to-put-a-laptop-in-airplane-mode

[LizzieW]

You say you run on WiFi becuase the laptop freezes if you run wire-free.   Surely WiFi and wire-free mean the same?

I don't understand it, what I mean is that my laptop is connected to the router by a cable (and my husband tells me it's Wi-Fi and that's what shows when I check on Settings as opposed to being connected by Ethernet  .  The router is about 7 feet away from my laptop, sitting on top of my husband's desk but when I'm connected wirelessly (i.e. without the cable connecting the router and laptop) then my laptop freezes, or just shuts down.  I have no idea why.  At the previous house before we got a new router, the old router was upstairs and my laptop downstairs and I never had a problem connecting wirelessly.

So, it's because I'm connected by Wi-Fi that my laptop jumps into Flight Mode - it didn't do that when I was connected wirelessly.

Does any of that make sense?  I don't know how these things work, it's magic to me that I can sit at my desk typing, push a button and people all round the world (well Rootschatters) can read what I've just typed.

[Mart 'n' Al]

For a long time I have used my desktop PC connecting to the router using Wi-Fi, but recently I read that ethernet is faster, so I connected an Ethernet cable from the router to the PC. I am making a comparison of the two. If yours is connected to the router with a cable that suggests that it is an Ethernet cable but you would need to check the settings on the PC to find out whether you are actually using ethernet or Wi-Fi.

Martin

[LizzieW]

Martin - I'm definitely using WiFi, although when I check both WiFi and Ethernet are connected, but it defaults to WiFi.  I'll see what happens if I start using Ethernet again.

[greenrig]

So you have a laptop that  freezes or shuts-down when you use WiFi.  Given this fault, I think that randomly going into Airplane mode is the least of your issues.   It sounds like there is a problem with Windows/WiFi hardware/WiFi drivers.    Take the machine to a competent, local repairer with this symptom.    If they fix the WiFi issue, I'm sure the Airplane mode problem will be fixed too.

If you don't want to do this, then completely disable WifFi on the machine (see manufacturers documentation to do this) , and continue to use the Ethernet cable to your router.

[LizzieW]

I've realised why my laptop keeps going into Flight Mode, in the F keys, F12 is Flight Mode!!  When I'm trying to type in the dark - well not exactly dark but using the light from the next room I sometimes hit the wrong keys, especially if I'm trying to use +/=.  Unfortunately, although it's so easy to do, to take it out of Flight Mode, I have to go into Settings.

greenrig - Laptop doesn't freeze or shut-down just when I use WiFi, it does it when I'm using the router wirelessly.  I don't think it's the laptop, more the way the router is connected.  Our grandson who works for Openreach tried to fix it, he knew the problem was in a cable under the road but, obviously couldn't start fixing that without permission and it took another 2-3 visits from different Openreach engineers before one found out the problem was exactly as our grandson had said.  The outside cable was fixed but now we think it's probably the router, as the same thing (not the flight mode) happens to my husband's tablet which is only inches from the router.  So one day my laptop will be fine and his tablet is playing up, another day it will be my laptop playing up and his tablet is fine.

We are just waiting for Virgin to lay cables down our road, they've done the majority of our town, then we'll probably switch to them.  I know some people don't like the company, but we used to have them at a previous address and never had any problems.  My daughter is on Virgin cable too and in 15+ years has never had a problem.