We have a wireless network issue. Help!?

Question

We have a wireless network setup in our house. Over the past several weeks it constantly has problems connecting or dropping. If it is running most of the time it is slower than dial up. We have Vonage phone service and they basically keep saying it is not their fault. We have a Belkin router. Can a particular computer or someone's wireless card cause the problems? Could it be someones individual computer or firewall settings causing the problem? We have one computer hooked directly to the router, one desktop has an adapter that plugs into the usb port and two laptops that have wireless cards. I would very much appeciate any help at all and any suggestions. Thanks so much!

P.S. Sometimes one computer may work but not another. For instance my husband and I can be using our laptops in our room and one will connect but one will not. Sometimes the other will not even show our network in the connections. Thanks again!

Answer 1

Do you have any of the following items : microwave oven, cordless phone, baby monitor, walkie talkies, wireless video monitoring system? Any or all of these can cause interference to your wireless network.

Answer 2

Do the hard-wired computers have connection problems, or just the laptops that are wireless? There are a number of things that can interfere with wireless networks: aside from distance and intervening objects, 2.4GHz cordless phones, other wireless networks, and microwave ovens are frequent culprits. Try using different channels for your network: most routers use channel 6 or 11 as a default; cordless phones usually start at channel 1 and adjust the channel if the signal is bad; microwave ovens create static mostly on channels 7-11. Look for a pattern in the drops and slow speed: does the signal drop when the phone rings, or when someone uses the microwave? Experiment with different channels to see if you can get one that works better. You can also turn off power save features on the laptop wireless cards, turn off turbo-speed, turn off 802.11b support if the laptops are both using g, etc.

Answer 3

You should try using all computers close to the router, just as a test to check if all connects, and all works fine. Also the computer thats connected to the wireless rounter via LAN is most likely majority of the speed. Check in the manufactures manual for a setup i.p address. Once you get that, then you can go through setup to specify how you want it shared.
Also sometimes i find laptops dont connect to the internet properly because of all the infrustructures eg. wires, tv, microwave. That might be the cause of not connecting.
OR you can try switching everything off, and isolating the power to router and modem, wait about 10 min, and then connect and try on one computer, then switch on one at a time ensuring the connection has established.

Answer 4

Okay first I would subjest dropping your belkin router and getting a linksys. As a Wifi tech Linksys always out proforms belkin if you can't do that. Then reset the router by holding down the reset or restart button for 30 to 35 seconds then unplug the router while still holding the reset button wait another 30 seconds and the plug it back in hold the button for 10 more seconds then release it and reprogram it.

Answer 5

It's possible that one of the computers may have a network or wifi interface that's "going bad"... generating a lot of errors, and running slow. It most versions of 802.11, the entire network will slow down the "lowest common denominator"...


The simple, but time-consuming, way to test this is to run just one computer at a time, for a long enough period to see if it is having problems.

Rebooting everything, right back to your company interface, may also help... turn everything off, wait two minutes, power up the ISP's modem, wait two minutes, power up the router, wait two minutes, power up one computer, wait two min... well, you get the idea :-)

Turn the Vonage adaptor on last.

Answer 6

Do the stressful-under pressure desktops have connection issues, or purely the laptops that are instantaneous? there are various things that could intervene with instantaneous networks: apart from distance and intervening products, 2.4GHz cordless telephones, different instantaneous networks, and microwave ovens are popular culprits. attempt employing distinctive channels on your community: maximum routers use channel 6 or 11 as a default; cordless telephones often initiate at channel a million and alter the channel if the sign is undesirable; microwave ovens create static completely on channels 7-11. seem for a development interior the drops and sluggish velocity: does the sign drop whilst the telephone rings, or whilst somebody makes use of the microwave? test with distinctive channels to verify in case you may get one that works better. you additionally can turn off potential save effective properties on the computer instantaneous enjoying cards, turn off quicker-velocity, turn off 802.11b help if the laptops are the two employing g, and so on.

Answer 7

I have a wired/wireless network in my home also, it is a linksys system however. I occasionally have similar problems.

I have found that if i shutdown the entire system, all items connected to it, wait a few min. the restart it usually resets and corrects the problem.