Need help with possesed wireless routers!?

Question

I have recently been having a problem with a home network that I have set up for a friend.

Before we installed anything to the existing network this was the set up. The cable modem was directly connected to a dell desktop using a standard Ethernet cable.

When the time came that my friend bought a laptop that had wireless capability she wanted to have the freedom of a wireless network in her home. So we went to best buy to purchase a wireless router. We ended up purchasing a Linksys WRT54G Wireless Router. The reason for purchasing this model was that I had recently installed another friends wireless network which is still working to this day without a problem.

I installed the router with laptop being the only computer on the wireless side, The dell desktop I just connected using a standard Ethernet cable.

Everything seemed to work fine until about a week later my friend called my over because her inter net was not working on either computer. I have had a lot of experience in home networking so I found the problem pretty fast. After trying to communicate to the router through the web based utility I knew the router had to be the problem, after taking a look at the router itself I noticed that some of the lights on the router that normally blink or stay steady were not operating as they should. Knowing that sometimes the router screws up sometimes when the power goes out, I just pulled the power and reset the router. As guessed when power was applied the router fired back up and began well … routing. I thought that I had won that battle, but no, not this time. After several weeks of repeating the same steps we decided to return the router and get a new exact router to replace it, thinking that sometimes you get a lemon. We replace it in the same configuration as before. Everything worked perfectly and then a week or so after came the same problem. However a new problem had arised, her next-door neighbor started to have wireless connection problems with her wireless router (I installed this router, the same model router, about a year and a half before installing this router). I chalked her neighbor’s wireless problem up to having the same model router and the routers where having a conflict with each other.

Back to Best Buy we went to return the second router and purchase a different brand wireless router. We purchased a D-link WBR2310 Wireless router. Now after installing this router we had a little more success. The router seemed to work for a little longer but still would have to be reset about once every week and a half. The router indicator lights that indicate the wireless activity was dark, all 4 of the wired port activity lights were lit up solid, even though only port 1 was occupied. Once again I removed power from the router to reset it. Once power was restored everything fired up and began working like normal.

I got to thinking what could cause such a problem in two different brands on routers? I came up with that a sometime during the day power was somehow lost to the router and quickly restored causing the router to “trip” and hang with the weird lights to light up. I came up with an idea to put the router and the modem on a UPS Backup (uninterruptible power supply). This too worked for about a week and a half and then caused the same problem.

I have just about exhausted all ideas of solving this problem. SOMEBODY HELP PLEASE!

Answer 1

Its really not too unusual to have to reboot home routers. Some times the ISP might change network settings and without a reboot the router does not pick up the changes properly. If it happens every week at about the same time you may never find a fix other than a reboot.

Since you know the "fix" just reboot.

you may also want to be sure that the router is not accessable from the WAN side.. someone could be remotely causing the problem if remote management is on!

Answer 2

change the channel - from the default 6 to whatever you like.
1 and 11 are the two other distinct channels and are first best bets
Change the ssid from defaults
It is not out of the realm of possibilities that someone ( your neighbour ?) or someone else could be causing havoc .
Change the admin password of the router.
Try to detect any ohter rogue signals.
Netstumbler ( www.netstumbler.com) may well detect signals that you have not noticied .. It is much more sensitive than the scaled down , vanilla windows wireless utlity which has not even told you the channel of the neighbour.
Most new routers set up with the beacon turned off. The windows wireless utlity does not see them. Netstumbler detects they are there and will show you the mac address and channel ( not the ssid)
As well you can ensure that the laptop only connects to your router. Set up an "ad hoc" network with your router so it locks onto your router and channel and nothing else.
Turn on encryption and make sure you have changed the ssid even if you have added a single digit after the ssid of default .
You have quite a long plea for help which is too long to read.

My suspicion would be that you and the neighbour or even another neighbour are set to the default channel 6.
Change the channel.

secondly a program called network magic may be of great help to you in diagnosing , setting up and maintaining you network

Lastly if you have trouble reset the router by presssing the reset button on the back with a pin and start from scratch to eliminate any other variables

Answer 3

you are able to only run one router on the relationship, you're able to be able to desire to objective a on the spot repeater upstairs, this needs to be in variety of the router and although you utilize one hundred fifty ft is with reference to the wonderful variety you will get, and at that the antenna will could desire to be at a window.

Answer 4

ya if there on the same channel you might have problems
make sure there 5 ranges apart
1,6,11
those 3 dont over lap
dont have cordless phones 2.4Ghz close either
there on the same frequency.