Wireless LAN
 

Why does my wireless connection occasionally drop when I'm on the laptop? Belkin router and card, inside of 30 feet with just normal walls.

Wireless NIC on PC in room upstairs, 50+ feet, always has a good signal. Is it just the nature of the PCMCIA technology?

New Dell laptop running XP Pro.

Thanks for the input.

Because you're running XP. It's flaky. Turn off "Let windows manage my wireless networking" once you get connected. That helps some.

Concur with the above and suggest you set fixed IP for wireless devices.

If it's dropping at regular times (about every 3 minutes), then the problem is what's mentioned above. Use the software that came with your card to handle the connection, not win XP.

Also try other channels. My neighbor runs his AP smack-dab in the middle of the spectrum, on channel 6, so I run channel 1. Try changing the channel to see if you get an improvement.

Also check for new firmware for your AP and wireless cards. I have a Linksys PCI card in one of my machines that got a lousy connection until I updated its firmware.

BTW, I'm running DHCP on everything, and I don't see any reliability differences over static addresses. It shouldn't anyway, since all of the wireless functions occur on data link layer, which is lower level than the transport (IP).

my connection via wireless is just as solid as my wired laptop connection... not a dropped packet... slower than the wire... but it's solid as a rock.

Exactly where do I find this option?

There might be interference if u have digital cable or a cordless phone, or if ur next to a shit load of electronics, like a home theater system or something like that.

I have all the above.. still have not a single dropped packet.

Check for interference with a cordless phone and sometimes a microwave.

If you are running 802.11b or .11g, then any thing in the 2.4 gig fequence range will affect your wireless networking. For example If you have a wireless phone that runs at 2.4 gig, then the wireless networking will most likely not work at all. Also anything with a Analog to digital converter (Ie a Dolby digital surround sound reciever) that is close to your AP then that might also be causing a problem. Microwaves and large motors will also hurt wireless lan performance.
Hope this Helps.

Thanks for all the input. Tonight, I've been on for about 2.5 hrs and its only kicked off once. Go figure.

Also, your laptops wireless card will only have an antenna with 1dBi gain, which is much. Also, the connection can be affected by pretty much any intereference, including power points and your CD-Rom spinning.

I have a wireless modem hookep with my dads computer it's run like crap. Seriously im quit angry about it, this guy was selling me it wont drop anytime. It has got nothing to do with windows xp running it.

Example , i tried to hook my dad up with some mp3's i mostly have to restart my computer or refresh the network a couple times before it works. Heh as funny as it may sound ive tried to play ut2003 on my dads computer a couple times but its impossible to play a game online with a wirless lan. Seriously it skipped out every damn 10 seconds. So i figured lets try it with a normal wire hookup ( his pc got a standard build in port for a 56 k modem and a modular connection to plug in the connection for a cable modem ) it worked nice and smooth with both options.

We paid a little fortune to buy those things you know, and my dad doesnt know much about computers anyways so he was ok with it, i warned him tho. Wireless modem connections are evil!:crazy:


Oh btw i dont know a lot about computers but maybe someone could help me with it. Is it a stupid thing to play games online through a wireless network the modem never seems to continue sending information, just packages of information its seems. No microwave just a phone connection in the other room but i dont think it has got to do anything with it it..im clueless.:(