Wireless keeps disconnecting?

Question

I'm usually pretty knowledgeable with computers and all, but this has me stumped. My husband has a PC hooked directly into the router, I believe it's a LinkSys RangePlus, and I have a HP laptop with a wireless N card that I use. Our network is secured using WPA-2 or something like that. I use my laptop in the same room, about 5-10 feet away. Always says signal is excellent, but I get terrible download speeds and it keeps disconnecting and reconnecting over and over. And sometimes I completely lose the internet connection through it and am "local only". The weird thing is, my laptop detects 3 other networks besides ours and I NEVER get disconnected from them. But I don't want to use someone else's I want to use MINE. Any advice? I would think it has to do with the router settings somehow, but I am not familiar with what they are and what to do. I don't want to break anything lol

Answer 1

I have seen this happen before also, but only with secured connections. I have never been able to nail down the actual cause, only the surrounding conditions. I had a wireless connection using Windows 2000 and my son was using XP. After applying SP2, it started acting like yours, yet mine didn't have any problems whatsoever. I tried rebuilding his, and it would work OK for awhile, but whenever it got "fixed" with the latest SP and hardware fixes, it would start acting like that. If the network was unsecured, there was no problem.



The only thing I can think of is that he got to some point where the computer could not calculate the encryption fast enough, or respond fast enough to the router and it would get forced off. Or possibly there was an error in the encryption algorithm that did not show up all the time.



You might try using a less robust algorithm and see if that improves things, or just go unsecure. You might try unsecuring the wireless but suppress the SSI broadcast. That might discourage others from piggy backing on your wireless.



I know this isn't much help, but it is about all I can suggest at this point. My son's problems went away when he got a faster computer, but unfortunately it runs Vista, so saying faster is what fixed it is not a sure thing since the OS is another variable in the mix.

Answer 2

Needs to be done from the computer router is connected to: If you can access your router's configuration page, type 192.168.1.1 into your browser's address bar and input your user name and password, default is a blank user name and a password "admin". Look for the wireless tab and if your laptop is the only thing connecting to the router then change Network Mode to Wireless-N only. If that doesn't work try power cycling the router or if all else fails reset it.

Answer 3

4 possible problems... 3 possible solutions



avista has issues with wireless n cards and has been known to cause sudden disconnections

bno solution. get xp back.





asomeone is hacking your wpska type connection and using and abusing it. wich results in slow download speeds.



bdont use wpsk. use the top line version there or simply ban all other people from using the network. eg name of your computer gets access to router ONLY



ayour connection is set to automatiaclly find networks and connect to them. one of the other networks gets a magicall network high ping time and your card drops the connection and attemps to go for this magical connection.. only to find its now in the red again.



bdisable connect to non preferred networks/remove other networks from the autoconnect list.



ayou have some gigantic microwave oven or 6 or 7 wireless phones in your house. depending on angle voltage and time of day they kick on and cause interference.



bbuy new appliances.

Answer 4

Don't know if this is the problem but it's always my router that causes the disconnection and freezing and other numerous problems with mine....it could be what the problem is with yours too. A good way to find out would be pass over the router and directly connect to your tower and see if it stops doing it.....my router is a linksys and a lot of people I hear have this same problem with them.

Answer 5

"I'm usually pretty knowledgeable with computers and all"



"Our network is secured using WPA-2 or something like that"



MILD CONTRADICTION THERE.