Author Topic: wireless question (Read 466 times)

Gunslinger · « **on:** September 12, 2004, 06:06:41 PM »

I had to make the switch today to a wireless router and pci card.

The one I got was the linksys "b" type.

Why the heck is it so slow? I'm not getting a very good signal strenght yet I'm only about 20ft away. The freq range is like 2.4Ghz so I don't see how walls or my desk is going to affect it??

Anyone have any advice? Does encrypting the sygnal decrease its strength?

ALF · « **Reply #1 on:** September 12, 2004, 06:47:32 PM »

Barring anything like a metal mesh around your computer, Id try changing the channel on the router....at 20 feet you shouldnt even think about signal strength. Youve either got a damaged router or some real nastey interference. One thing that has been reported is that the new G band routers wreak havock on users of B band routers signals.

You dont happen to live in an appartment with some bozo above/below/beside you corrupting the airwaves do you?

Gunslinger · « **Reply #2 on:** September 12, 2004, 07:24:18 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by ALF
Barring anything like a metal mesh around your computer, Id try changing the channel on the router....at 20 feet you shouldnt even think about signal strength. Youve either got a damaged router or some real nastey interference. One thing that has been reported is that the new G band routers wreak havock on users of B band routers signals.

You dont happen to live in an appartment with some bozo above/below/beside you corrupting the airwaves do you?

nope I live in a regular house probably built in the 50s and remodled several times since then. Maybe 20ft was lowballing a bit its probably more like 40-50 direct line of site but I thaught these things could go alot farther than that even. When the puter was in the living room I was picking up four other signals at 20-40%.

The only other thing I can think of maybe is there is a bathroom close by IE metal pipes and such but it shouldnt interfere that much.

Also my "signal quality" keeps jumping from 20%-65% than back down again.

I'll try switching channels.

EDIT:

Ok that helped out but I'm not sure for how long.

Sig 87%
quality 87%

Reschke · « **Reply #3 on:** September 13, 2004, 03:16:27 PM »

What tye of cordless phones do you have in the house? I have a DLink Airlink XtremeG router with a PCI card in the system upstairs and it only gets about 65%-70% signal strength. The thing is they are separated by about 20 feet between where the computer sits upstairs and the router downstairs. Although I do have 2 2.4Ghz cordless phones in the house and when you get near either the router or the PCI card you hear a popping on the phone. Did I mention that I hate cordless phones.

Gunslinger · « **Reply #4 on:** September 15, 2004, 10:39:52 PM »

OK I've about had it.....I'm seriously thinking about taking this new system and chucking it for 200ft of Cat5.

Now I can't even keep it connected. I'm trying to download something big and every 5 minutes it disconnects itself.

Does anyone have any Ideas.....router settings......

Right now I'm using the Wireless B PCE utility.

I was using the windows connection ute. but that had similar results.

IF anyone can help me please do I'm pulling my hair out.

bloom25 · « **Reply #5 on:** September 15, 2004, 11:20:44 PM »

I've had very bad luck with a couple of the newer Linksys wireless routers. This is unfortunate, because they used to produce consistantly good equipment. (Specifically, the I routinely encounter the inability to hold a connection to them when 128 bit WEP is enabled.)

Just some general tips:

1. 2.4 GHz cordless phones and many microwave ovens (microwaves work on a 2.4 GHz frequency as well) can/will/do interfere with 802.11b and g devices.

2. Other active 802.11b and g networks in the area will reduce throughput and can cause connection problems.

Be aware that a higher frequency does not give greater range to a wireless device. On the contrary, higher frequencies are absorbed and scattered more easily than lower frequencies.

If you are only attempting to cover a single room and your problem is that other 802.11b or g networks are present you can switch to 802.11a. 802.11a runs at 5.8 GHz. The problem with 802.11a is that does not penetrate walls very well and is more expensive than more common 802.11b and g devices. (By law an 802.11a device also cannot have a removable antenna.)

Gunslinger · « **Reply #6 on:** September 15, 2004, 11:53:52 PM »

I feel stupid but it is true ignorence here.

I noticed I lost my connection COMPLETLY when my wifes computer was turned off.

Then I rememberd to set up the router with our DSL name/pw and set it at PPPoE.

IIRC this is what I had the last router set at.

I took networking I in college but there was this really hot girl at my table and all we did was flirt. So this is all completly foreign to me.

seriously 300ft of CAT5 run outside the house sounds pretty good to me.

Starbird · « **Reply #7 on:** September 15, 2004, 11:56:51 PM »

I had a linksys .11b hub thingy. Not a router. I always had problems with it. Could barely get a connection across the house. After about a year it finally wouldn't produce any signal. Not to mention that I couldn't get a connection when a microwave was running.

To replace it I got a netgear 11g. I'm getting a much better signal strength with it. No more loosing connections when a microwave fires up. I can even go outside around the house and get a decent connection.

Edbert · « **Reply #8 on:** September 16, 2004, 09:00:26 AM »

One thing to think about is the walls. One modern wall is about 2 inches thick (the atual material) when hit from a 90 degree angle. Old houses did not tend to use angled walls as much as newer ones, but that same wall at a 45 degree angle is MUCH thicker. Once your signal is going through 3 or 4 walls you get some serious degradation.

802.11b is the slowest of em all, 802.11a was very buggy. 802.11g is the only way to go IMHO. My access point is only about 50 feet away from my laptop, but I get a stronger signal from my neighbor whose outer wall of his house is about 40 feet away, go figure.

Gunslinger · « **Reply #9 on:** September 16, 2004, 10:15:47 AM »

well now I cannot even get the thing to connect. It stops at "aquiring network address".

Then it connects but says "little or no connectivity"

My old linksys router worked great. Not a problem with it at all. This POS is really irritating me.

I don't think signal strength is the problem cause I'm getting a good signal. urrrggghhhh.

The worst part about working on a wirless router is you cannot configure it from a wireless computer. As soon as you change on of the settings you lose your connection and have to reconfigure your card. I thaught this was the solution but this is mostly confusion

acetnt367th · « **Reply #10 on:** September 16, 2004, 01:17:35 PM »

Ok, missed most of the report, but was watching a tech show a couple of weeks ago - think it was screensavers. Anyway, they were talking about modified software versions of Linksys routers that will allow you to change / boost the signal output of the router. Unfortunately the guy mentioned the "g" router. You can probably search techtv's website for the article and a link to the software

Acetnt

AKS\/\/ulfe · « **Reply #11 on:** September 16, 2004, 03:05:49 PM »

I just bought the Linksys-f (802.11b support) a few weeks ago to setup between my PC and a friend's MAC. I had problems setting it up because I'd set something on the router, fudge around on the MAC (completely foreign to me, so that amplified the problems), and forget what I did or needed to do, but finally got it working.

My PC is hooked up to the router with CAT-5e cable, but the MAC is about 20ft away from the router with doors, walls and other crap between it... and theres a microwave too. No cordless phones.

I setup the router to broadcast the SSID (name), and named it a unique name (every other wireless connection I got was either default or the name of the router - none of them were secured). It broadcasted the name, I selected the network from the Mac's airport (setup to automatically recieve DHCP on both my PC and the Mac) and added the Mac's MAC address (confused?) to be trusted so he could gain access to the router (its a setting under wireless settigns). I also turned on 128bit WEP, the number/letter sequence I had to put in as 128bit HEX for the Mac to join the network.

I leave it on broadcast SSID, with allowing only trusted members allowed in, in addition to 128bit WEP, to secure it as much as possible.

Only problem since I got it up and running was that the connection for the Mac drops when it goes into sleep mode and the computer has to be restarted to regain ANY wireless connection.

I don't know if it matters, but I setup the router using my PC which was connected directly to it via Cat5e.
-SW

Starbird · « **Reply #12 on:** September 16, 2004, 05:31:17 PM »

My powerbook reconnects when it comes out of sleep without a problem.

Gunslinger · « **Reply #13 on:** September 16, 2004, 05:42:11 PM »

Holey crap....I just don't get it....not one bit.

I read a bunch of articles online today during my lunch break about this particular unit and alot of problems stemmed around SP2 and such.

Well today I stole the DSL modem and router and moved it right next to the computer.....It works...fine.

So, it sounds like RF issues, wich is weird cause I'm getting the same kind of signal I was when it was on the other side of the house.

The only other difference is my wife's computer is now disconnected all together, so I am at a loss.

DAVENRINO · « **Reply #14 on:** September 16, 2004, 10:13:06 PM »

Have you checked for new firmware? My Linksys WRT54G works great wirelessly to my PDA and laptop.