Intermittent wireless connection

Hi All
I'm back again about my wifes wireless connection.

Her laptop (HP) is set up to connect to my ActionTec DSL modem, No router just straight from her laptop to modem.
It's about 40 feet away with two walls in between, (sheetrock).

Sometimes she has a connection, sometimes she doesn't. This is not my area of expertise and I am at a loss as to why she loses the connection?

Even if ActionTec shows in the network connection window she will not have a connection (sometimes it shows, sometimes it don't).

Could the wireless signal in her laptop be weak?

Any ideas?

Thanks
Geri

 

Geri: It isn't my area of expertise, either, but I had a somewhat similar problem fairly recently and some of the more knowledgeable members here did help. Until someone else comes to your rescue, you might do a Search for that thread or others dealing with the same issue.

My wife's laptop is a Dell, and I do have a router (Linksys), so our equipment is different. One thing that worked for me was reconfiguring some settings in the router. That won't help you, though.

My wife's laptop has a signal strength meter. Does yours? Is the laptop anywhere near a microwave oven or a TV or anything else that might emit interference?

Hope this has been a little helpful.

 

Hi BOBBO
Thanks for the reply, I'll look for the posts.

I'm not sure, haven't seen one, don't know where to even look?

No not really, there is a TV in the room but I don't think thats a problem.

Geri

 

Geri:

With my wife's laptop, there's a small icon down by the clock that indicates whether the unit is on-line or not. When it is, holding the cursor over that icon causes a bubble to open that says what the signal strength is and the connection speed. The strength indicator is pretty crude (Excellent, Very Good, etc.), and as I recall it's not instanteneous in its response to changes such as moving from one room to another, but it's useful enough for how we use it. Does yours give you anything like that?

P.S. I just noticed that you and I have submitted exactly the same number of posts to this BBS. What are the odds of that?

 

Hi BOBBO
OK I checked and at the time of writing this she has a connection,
strength indicator - Excellent
Speed - 54.0 Mbs < I beleive that is the limit on her laptop.

I seen that yesterday

BTW, If it wasn't for you I would be way behind in AdAware and SB updates, So keep it up. and being a malware fighter that is a big shame-on-me

Geri

 

Geri: You seem to have hit one of the good times. The trick will be to try the same thing during a bad time. When we have that problem, one of us will move the laptop to a room closer to the router. That seems to get the unit on-line, and usually it will stay on when we carry the laptop back to where it's normally used. The signal strength indicator may slip some, but the connection usually holds on. None of this explains why the connection intermittently fails in the first place, though, and I've never figured that out.

 

Hi
Well this evening she has no connection.

I even brought the lap top into the same room as the modem, did not make any difference, would still not connect even when in the same room.

Don't have a clue on what the problem is??

Geri

 

Geri: Don't you just love these intermittent problems?

I'm almost out of ideas. For some reason my wife's laptop sometimes loses a connection and won't "re-engage" even when moved closer to the router. What sometimes works is to shut her laptop off, then turn it back on. I don't know why, but it often works. Try that.

I'm assuming you have another computer, like I have my desktop. Is your computer connected and on-line at the same time the laptop won't connect?

 

First step is try changing the channel from the default channel 6.
There are 12 channels - 1 and 11 are the two next distinct channels ( others overlap).
However in the end it is a matter of trial and error.
If there is another router nearby it may be on an automatic channel setting and change fromt time to time as well.
Ensure router is in a high unobstructed place.
Moving the router or laptop a few feet may help as well.
It does not take much of a rogue signal that you may not be even able to detect to cause problems.
Netstumbler may help to find the signal.
You may try to change the ssid although you do not have a standard ssid so this is probably not the problem.
Had a situation on the weekend.
Three neighbours- all open Linksys routers.
SSID Linksys.
Put encryption on the one router.
The poor wireless was confused - could not get a fix.
Changed to Linksysa
Now it is fine

 

Hi visionof
Thanks.
I don't have a router. (No router just straight from her laptop to modem.) see my first post.
I believe I changed the channel once before, I'll look and see.

The ssid is ActionTec, same as the modem, is that correct?

Also, the network window always shows a Clarion connection present, (tho it is not connecting to it) is this her laptop wireless connecter?

Thanks
--------------------
BOBBO
My PC is wired to the modem, ethernet connection.
also makes no difference if I'm on-line or not with her connection.

Geri

 

If you have the ActionTec Wireless DSL Gateway (Model GT704-WG, see the underside), it's a modem, a router, a switch, and a wireless access-point in one box. You can configure it from your web browser, including changing channels. Here's a link to the manual for it. Even if it's not the same model, you can probably log into it the same way, and, at least this one's menu system is pretty straight forward and easy to follow. Probably their other products' menus are, as well.

We have one near a 3d floor window and can connect to it from anywhere in the house and from several neighbors' houses. House structure shouldn't be much of a problem as long as you don't have a lot of metal in the walls, such as wire lath and plaster walls, e.g. Two sheetrock walls should be transparent enough for 40 feet. I'd still try visionof's suggestions and see if you can't get a more solid connection.

-jeff-

 

Geri: I don't know if you've solved your problem yet or not, but if it's true that misery loves company, I have some "good" news for you. My wife's laptop wouldn't connect this morning. The last 2 or 3 weeks it had been working fine. Carrying it to another room today got it connected, but a few minutes later back in its usual place it failed again. Did that 3 times. Right now it's connected but my wife is not happy. How about yours?

 

Hi BOBBO

Nope, not yet.

In the same boat. She doesn't understand how I can fix other peoples problems and not hers

I told her to get a virus and I would be glad to help her out.


Geri

 

What a confusing thread.
Networking is difficult enough without making it more complex.