OT: Trouble w/ Wireless Router

[ctmason]

Using a Linksys WRT54G wireless router with my laptop. Using a Broadcom 802.11g wireless card. Running XP with Service pack 2 and just downloaded a patch titled KB884020 that I was told to download by Linksys technical support to solve this problem.

After installing the router cleanly and having the wired desktop connect A-OK through the router, this wireless laptop is having serious trouble. I continually am kicked offline, and quite often (in fact most of the time), my systray displays that I am NOT connected to the network when I clearly am able to get online and browse. When I am kicked off (about every 5 minutes) I simply have to repair the connection and am back online.

Suspect this is a Windows based issue but it is possible that I've messed up the configuration somehow. Any suggestions on what to do, or has anyone (hopefully) come across this problem in your travels?

If it helps, we set up the router to WEP 64, and used key encryption, of course. Also, I believe that I wasn't able to get online until I shut down my Windows firewall.

Many thanks, very frustrating as I have never had a problem connecting to numerous wireless networks.

[gottimd]

I am having a similar issue, and was wondering if anyone resolved this.

I have a work laptop with Centrino mobile, Windows XP, everything pretty much new as it is only a few months old, and my wireless internet service keeps kicking me off. On my laptop at home, the connection remains constant and it never get kicked off, but for some reason when I use my work laptop at home, I can log into the internet for about 5 minutes, then it loses the connection and I have to right click on it and use the "repair" option. Sometimes that works after a few tries. It is a Linksys router on my cable modem. Why does it constantly kick me off on my work laptop, but yet remains constantly connected to my home laptop. I didn't start having this problem until recently.

[sovereignstar]

I haven't seen Router Help for quite some time. It's a damn shame.

[Router Help]

Hmmm, I actually fix this stuff for a living and I hate wireless connections. There are 9000 different variables that come into play and everyone's environment is different.

Here is what I think is happening in your situation gottmid: You probably have router that does both 802.11 b and g, and one of your laptops probably works on the b frequency while the other one works on the g frequency. Normally this is fine and everything should work together, but it looks like you are getting interference from something else in the house that works on a similar frequency as your work laptop. The could be anything from a cordless phone, microwave, a neighbor's cordless phone, a neighbor's wireless network, steel studs in the walls...a billion different things.

Here is what I would do to try and fix it. Log in into the wireless router and look for the page that has the wireless settings. On that screen will be a channel selection option. Normally Linksys is set to 6 by default. I would change it to channel 1 and see if that improves things. If it doesn't, try changing the channels moving up 2 at a time so the next one to try wouold be 3. Hopefully you'll find a channel that works better for you.

Hope this works!

[MacroGuru]

Channels work...but one thing I had to do at my house was the following due to SP2.

I had to enable the Windows Firewall on the laptop, and of course, as usual, run a secure network.

This solved my issues which were exactly as yours. Oh, and I tend to run on a different channel than 6, I picked up several WAP's in the neighborhood being on 6.

[terpkristin]

I too have found switching channels to be quite helpful in my WiFi setup. Being in an an apartment, most others around me seem to run their WiFi networks on channel 6 because they don't know how to change it. I flipped mine up to channel 11, and have had no problems. Oddly enough, I've got SP 2 and haven't had the problems you've described, but this might be because I have turned on the firewall immediately...

Also, I use 128 bit encryption with my router. My roommate has a "b" only card and we have a b/g router, whereas my card is a "g" specific card (though is backwards compatible in theory). Since I fixed things yesterday, neither of us have had any problems..

/tk

[sterlingice]

Learn a new thing every day. Now I'm running on a different channel :) Thanks, Router Help.

Why an odd numbered channel?

SI

[JeeberD]

My cat likes to sleep on my wireless router. In fact, he's doing it right now.

I think my cat has some issues...

[sterlingice]

My cat likes to sleep on my wireless router. In fact, he's doing it right now.

I think my cat has some issues...
So this is how you get 13K posts ;)

You sure he just doesn't like being warm?

SI

[JeeberD]

We have sunny windowsills for warmth...

[Router Help]

Learn a new thing every day. Now I'm running on a different channel :) Thanks, Router Help.

Why an odd numbered channel?

SI

It doesn't have to be odd, but when trying different channels you should try them in increments of 2. Consecutive channels share half of their frequency range, so to get a totally new frequency you need to go 2 away from where you started.

[Router Help]

By logging into the router I mean going to the IP address of your router. I think your linksys defaults to 192.168.1.1

[gottimd]

Here is what I would do to try and fix it. Log in into the wireless router and look for the page that has the wireless settings. On that screen will be a channel selection option. Normally Linksys is set to 6 by default. I would change it to channel 1 and see if that improves things. If it doesn't, try changing the channels moving up 2 at a time so the next one to try wouold be 3. Hopefully you'll find a channel that works better for you.

Hope this works!

I'm at work right now so I can't test this out just yet to see if that is the problem, but thanks for the info. Quick question, by logging in my router, do you mean checking the properties on my Network Connections for this router?

[terpkristin]

I think the Linksys default is 192.168.0.1

That's what mine is...

/tk

[gottimd]

yes, it worked so far, mine was 1.1, and I switched it and have been on for a solid 10 minutes, WOOHOO! Thanks everyone for the help.

[Eaglesfan27]

My linksys default is 192.168.1.1. Perhaps, it is different settings for slightly different products? In any case, I found switching channels to be very helpful in the past as well.

[HomerJSimpson]

This is so funny, because I was having the exact same problems, and just yesterday thought of changing the channel setting. No problems so far at all today. :)

[yabanci]

I have a question that's a little off topic, but maybe somebody can answer it.

I have a Netgear MR814 wireless router. My desktop computer is wired into the router with a cable. My notebook computer has a wireless card but I very rarely access the internet with the notebook.

Is there someway I can disable the wireless signal so I don't have to worry about security issues and just use it as a regular router? Then on the occasions when I need to use the notebook to access the net, somehow temporarily turn the wireless signal back on. Is this possible? Thanks.

[HomerJSimpson]

I have a question that's a little off topic, but maybe somebody can answer it.

I have a Netgear MR814 wireless router. My desktop computer is wired into the router with a cable. My notebook computer has a wireless card but I very rarely access the internet with the notebook.

Is there someway I can disable the wireless signal so I don't have to worry about security issues and just use it as a regular router? Then on the occasions when I need to use the notebook to access the net, somehow temporarily turn the wireless signal back on. Is this possible? Thanks.

Yes, just go into the routers set-up. There is an option in there to turn of the wireless signal. On a Linksys, it is in the "Basic Wireless" tab where you select what type of wireless connections you want. Yours might be in a different place, but I'm sure it is there.

[MikeVic]

Since there is a wireless thread on page 1, I'll ask my question here...

I recently got a wireless laptop, and am now looking to buy a wireless router for the house. I'm going to assume "g" is the way to go right now, and that a wireless router will still have ethernet ports in the back? I don't want to have to buy 4 wireless cards for the computers around the house just because of my laptop...

Am I right?

[HomerJSimpson]

Since there is a wireless thread on page 1, I'll ask my question here...

I recently got a wireless laptop, and am now looking to buy a wireless router for the house. I'm going to assume "g" is the way to go right now, and that a wireless router will still have ethernet ports in the back? I don't want to have to buy 4 wireless cards for the computers around the house just because of my laptop...

Am I right?

Yes, and yes.

[MikeVic]

Would there be a reason why I can't change the channel on the wireless settings on my router?