I dont understand...wireless internet...?

Question

I've been trying to fix this problem with limited connectivity but i keep running into new stuff. First, you should know:I have a Compaq laptop with a built in wireless card. Sometimes I stay connected for a while and other times I get kicked off. then when I try to reconnect, I get the "limited or no connectivity". Or "acquiring network address" (which never does.) Sometimes I get a good signal and sometimes none. I always connect to the Linksys and when I get a signal, its okay. I have no antenna or routers outside of my laptop. Also, our phone service is off, so is there still any need for our modem?
Now:
1) Is the problem the card?
2) Is the router something ELSE that is built in? (if not, then I must
not have one)
3) Is it necessary?
3) Could wrong settings be the problem?
4) How do you reinstall the card if needed?
5) Is there any easier low cost way to guarentee wireless internet?
6) What is WPA encription and details?
7) Wheres the change channel option?
I

Answer 1

Sounds to me like you are using someone elses access point! What do you mean by wireless card? Your provider is wireless or do you have a modem in your home? Do you have a wireless modem or a wireless router connected to a modem?

Answer 2

G'day,

With wireless connection, it is quite tricky. Signal strength can be affected by the distance, what are electrical things exist between the access point to your laptop (eg. fridge, computer, TV, cooking mixer etc) and how strong is your access point.
Now I dun really understand your last statement abt phone service is off... what sort of broadband do you use? What brand and model of wireless access point do you use?

OK... let's answer your questions:
1. Could be. Most of the time, built-in wireless network cards do not have the signal reception strength as an PCMCIA wireless network card. You may want to ask your friends to borrow the PCMCIA wireless network card (usually the one with earlier model laptops), install it in your computer and see if the signal reception is more stable and better. If it does, then you will need to buy the network card, preferably the same brand with your access point hardware.
2. Router is usually the device between the modem and the computer. It's job is to distribute/share internet connection from one connection to several computers. It is not part of your computer. It may be part of the modem in some models.
3. Hmmm... not clear on the question. I take it that you are asking about the router. Yes... it is necessary if you want to share the internet to several computers by ethernet cable or wireless.
3a. Very unlikely since there are times that you can connect to it. For another test (apart from the one suggested in point 1), just use your laptop right next to the wireless access point for a few days and see if the reception signal strength and stability get better. If they do, this means that you will need to change the placement of your access point to make signal reception better. It they dont, then it's either your card, or the access point faulty. Back to point no. 1, if connection still bad, then the access point faulty for sure.
4. Go to Start-Setting-Control Panel-System-Hardware-Device Manager. Click + next to 'Network Adapters', right-click the wireless card, click 'Uninstall'. MAKE sure you have your Compaq setup CD ready just in case it is asking for one when you are reinstalling it.
5. This is the part that I am going to say "You get what you pay". Some access point models and brands are promoted as having a very strong signal broadcast, however you will pay quite a high price for it. I am including the page from Linksys webpage for a range expander products. This will boosting the signal so hopefully the reception gets better.
6. I have answered this question for someone else recently. Just go to this link: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=1006052901283&s=-date and this link: http://ca.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061109205453AAOqyZ3 hopefully it helps you in filling in the gaps.
7. It is usually inside your access point as well, same place where you are setting up the WPA.

Hope this helps. Good Luck!

Answer 3

well, there might be a problem with access point you are connecting for..but in many case there may be problem your card also
of course the wrong setting will also be problem while connecting to your network always set the computer on DHCP
May be there are more than one access points on your networks may causes this problem

To reinstall the card go to the properties of my computer-Hardware-Device manager-click on network card-then reinstall

To be more frank the wireless internet is less secure then wired may be there are some securities procedures in it but they can easily breakable

WPA (Wi-fi protected access)
it is the security mechanism provided in-built by most of the Access Points. Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA and WPA2) is a class of systems to secure wireless (Wi-Fi) computer networks. It was created in response to several serious weaknesses researchers had found in the previous system, Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP). WPA implements the majority of the IEEE 802.11i standard, and was intended as an intermediate measure to take the place of WEP while 802.11i was prepared. WPA is designed to work with all wireless network interface cards, but not necessarily with first generation wireless access points. WPA2 implements the full standard, but will not work with some older network cards. Both provide good security, with two significant issues:

* either WPA or WPA2 must be enabled and chosen in preference to WEP. WEP is usually presented as the first security choice in most installation instructions.

Answer 4

a router is the device you are connecting to. are you doing this at home? if you have no router, then you are connecting to a neighbors router, the signal is weak and that's why its working intermittently. you need to hook up a router to your cable or dsl modem, then your laptop will start talking to your modem instead of the neighbors and then it will work much better.
WEP encryption is a password protection system that you can put on your router so the neighbors can't use it.

Answer 5

Looks like you have more than one Wireless router in your vicinity. Try to set your own Linksys as priority in your Wireless profile.

Answer 6

Its because of tower problem