Wireless adapter loses connection frequently

Wireless adapter loses connection frequently

Re: Wireless adapter loses connection frequently Posted by satchmo on Mon Aug 22nd 2005 at 3:52pm
satchmo
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Posted 2005-08-22 3:52pm
satchmo
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2077 posts 1809 snarkmarks Registered: Nov 24th 2004 Occupation: pediatrician Location: Los Angeles, U.S.
I have a Netgear g wireless router and a b adapter (receiver) for my desktop. The adapter loses its connection to the router at sporadic intervals. There isn't any pattern to the connection loss.

Once the connection is lost, there are several ways to bring it back. One way is to open the Network panel and disable the wireless connection and then re-enable it. The other is to pull the USB wireless receiver from the port and re-inserting it. Another way is to restart the computer.

Does anyone else experience the same problem? I've asked tons of people, and many people have the same problem, but no one knows how to stop it from happening.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return." -- Toulouse-Lautre, Moulin Rouge
Re: Wireless adapter loses connection frequently Posted by Nickelplate on Mon Aug 22nd 2005 at 4:33pm
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Posted 2005-08-22 4:33pm
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hey, how far away is the router from the adapter?

If it's too close, you'll overmodulate and error out all the time. If its through some walls, you'll need a high-gain antenna on your router.
I tried sniffing coke, but the ice cubes kept getting stuck in my nose.
http://www.dimebowl.com
Re: Wireless adapter loses connection frequently Posted by satchmo on Mon Aug 22nd 2005 at 5:08pm
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Posted 2005-08-22 5:08pm
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It's about twenty feet (six meters) away, and only through one wall. I didn't have this problem with my old computer with the same setup, but once I connected the adapter to my new computer, the problem starts.

Sometimes I don't have any disconnect the entire day, but sometimes I get it a few times a day. It's not a grave problem, but it's annoying enough.

I may have to just live and cope with it.
"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return." -- Toulouse-Lautre, Moulin Rouge
Re: Wireless adapter loses connection frequently Posted by azelito on Mon Aug 22nd 2005 at 6:17pm
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Posted 2005-08-22 6:17pm
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I didn't read all of what you said but it sounds like the best solution would be hitting it with a stick.
"Azelito, stop being a f**king bitch. All I see you do is complain and insult people in your recent posts. We don't care, go find a razor you emo pansy..." -Windows98
Re: Wireless adapter loses connection frequently Posted by satchmo on Mon Aug 22nd 2005 at 6:19pm
satchmo
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Posted 2005-08-22 6:19pm
satchmo
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2077 posts 1809 snarkmarks Registered: Nov 24th 2004 Occupation: pediatrician Location: Los Angeles, U.S.
hitting it with a stick
I didn't try that, but I did liberally utilize profanity. It didn't work though.

Perhaps I should curse in a different language.
"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return." -- Toulouse-Lautre, Moulin Rouge
Re: Wireless adapter loses connection frequently Posted by ReNo on Mon Aug 22nd 2005 at 6:22pm
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Posted 2005-08-22 6:22pm
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5457 posts 1991 snarkmarks Registered: Aug 22nd 2001 Occupation: Level Designer Location: Scotland
My wireless connection spikes regularly (and I mean regular - 2 minute
intervals roughly I guess) and causes pretty awful lag during games,
but at all other times its been great. I've never had any dropped
connections. I've also read that this is a common problem but have yet
to find a fix.
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Designer @ Haiku Interactive | ReNo-vation.net
Re: Wireless adapter loses connection frequently Posted by satchmo on Mon Aug 22nd 2005 at 6:24pm
satchmo
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Posted 2005-08-22 6:24pm
satchmo
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2077 posts 1809 snarkmarks Registered: Nov 24th 2004 Occupation: pediatrician Location: Los Angeles, U.S.
Yeah, a real pain in the butt (kinda like anal warts...not that I got any).
"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return." -- Toulouse-Lautre, Moulin Rouge
Re: Wireless adapter loses connection frequently Posted by Loco on Mon Aug 22nd 2005 at 6:27pm
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Posted 2005-08-22 6:27pm
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A quicker method rather than disabling/re-enabling is to just right
click and then click repair (I think it does the same thing). Not much
of a solution I'm afraid.

This worries me a little as I've just ordered a Netgear modem/router - namely the DG834G. Which router have you got?
My site
Re: Wireless adapter loses connection frequently Posted by Crono on Mon Aug 22nd 2005 at 6:28pm
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Posted 2005-08-22 6:28pm
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Well, to fix it, it really depends on what the problem is.

It sounds like you just have a weak signal, for whatever reason. And no, signals aren't constant, so it doesn't matter if it never happened before. Although, it could be a software issue, but I doubt that if it works at all.

You can strengthen the signal by buying signal enhancers, which will pick up the signal from the router and boost it ... like a cell phone tower, if you want to think of it like that.

The downside of that is, someone could sit outside your place and tap your signal.

The other option, which is more complicated, is to read up on your router and figure out how to use a lower channel. Like 1 or 2, I think. I know all wireless is default on channel 11. You can also set up your computer to not search for a signal. That would mean you have to connect manually (clicking an icon). But, what that will do is stop your card from disconnecting from your router and connecting to a stronger signal ... which is someone else's. (This happens a lot)

I'm pretty sure it's the signal, because it can be reinitialized manually (restarting any of the functionalities does this)

As for the specifics of how to do all these things: you have to research your router ... it will tell you how, most likely, in the manual. Just trying to point you in the right direction. Hope it helps.
Blame it on Microsoft, God does.
Re: Wireless adapter loses connection frequently Posted by satchmo on Mon Aug 22nd 2005 at 6:36pm
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Posted 2005-08-22 6:36pm
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2077 posts 1809 snarkmarks Registered: Nov 24th 2004 Occupation: pediatrician Location: Los Angeles, U.S.
Thanks Crono. I've tried all that. The router is set to use channel 6 (because one of my neighbors is using channel 11, and another is set to channel 1).

It's quite frustrating, because I actually have a PCI receiver card installed in my desktop, but I can't use it because it can never connect to the router. It's just dead weight in my computer right now.
"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return." -- Toulouse-Lautre, Moulin Rouge
Re: Wireless adapter loses connection frequently Posted by Crono on Mon Aug 22nd 2005 at 6:52pm
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Posted 2005-08-22 6:52pm
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Yeah, I personally don't see the point of having a wireless connection to a desktop, to be honest. For a laptop makes sense. But, even then you have tremendous problems and that's a mostly unblocked signal. With your desktop ... well, your computer's size doesn't help.

I guess a way to check would be to move the computer out so the receiver can be "pointed" directly in the direction of the router.

Some other things are just em signals ... does the wall have many wires in it? Is it next to a tv? Another computer?

If it's none of these. I'm not sure. Look for issues with the card.
Blame it on Microsoft, God does.
Re: Wireless adapter loses connection frequently Posted by ReNo on Mon Aug 22nd 2005 at 7:23pm
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Posted 2005-08-22 7:23pm
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Loco, thats the same router I've got and it was easy to set up and for
the most part works a charm. The only problem I have is the one I
mentioned about the regular lag spikes, but it only lasts about 2
seconds and then returns to normal. Can be very annoying if its badly
timed (just as you spot somebody in CS:S, or just as you need to turn
your jeep to stop it falling off a cliff in BF2), but games are still
playable even if you do have the same problem.
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Re: Wireless adapter loses connection frequently Posted by Nickelplate on Mon Aug 22nd 2005 at 7:52pm
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Posted 2005-08-22 7:52pm
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my brother had the same prob with his linksys. I ran a cable to his computer and plugged it in the NIC and it never lost signal! lol
I tried sniffing coke, but the ice cubes kept getting stuck in my nose.
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Re: Wireless adapter loses connection frequently Posted by Tracer Bullet on Mon Aug 22nd 2005 at 8:14pm
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Posted 2005-08-22 8:14pm
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I have both a linksys router and adapter for my laptop. The only problem I have ever had is that about once every two months the router needs to be reset.

Do you have multiple computers in the house? it is possible that the DHCP table is getting confused and assigning the same IP to two computers. I've seen this happen, but usualy only when a new computer is entering the network. You might try using static routing and see if that helps.
Some people are like slinkys...

They aren?t really good for anything, but you can't help but laugh when one tumbles down the stairs.
Re: Wireless adapter loses connection frequently Posted by satchmo on Mon Aug 22nd 2005 at 8:25pm
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Posted 2005-08-22 8:25pm
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2077 posts 1809 snarkmarks Registered: Nov 24th 2004 Occupation: pediatrician Location: Los Angeles, U.S.
Thanks, TB. I'll give that a try.
"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return." -- Toulouse-Lautre, Moulin Rouge
Re: Wireless adapter loses connection frequently Posted by Dred_furst on Tue Aug 23rd 2005 at 11:16pm
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Posted 2005-08-23 11:16pm
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I use a wired LAN myself, purely because i feel its a bajillion times
more secure, its faster than wireless, and its 100% reliable! :biggrin:
I need a new sig
Re: Wireless adapter loses connection frequently Posted by Myrk- on Tue Aug 23rd 2005 at 11:23pm
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Posted 2005-08-23 11:23pm
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I think we use static IP's at our house connection. Lep will know, I'll ask him sometime.
-[Better to be Honest than Kind]-
Re: Wireless adapter loses connection frequently Posted by wil5on on Wed Aug 24th 2005 at 6:12am
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Posted 2005-08-24 6:12am
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A cable and card cost less than a wireless card as far as I'm aware (most boards have the card inbuilt anyway nowadays). A 10/100 switch costs far less than a wireless router. Guess what I use. Even if I had a laptop I wouldnt go wireless.
"If you talk at all during this lesson, you have detention. Do you understand?"
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Re: Wireless adapter loses connection frequently Posted by Junkyard God on Wed Aug 24th 2005 at 8:42am
Junkyard God
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Posted 2005-08-24 8:42am
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sure it's wireless and not just 'wire not included in the box' ??

we had that -_- :biggrin: spent aages tryign to figure out wtf to do! :smile:
Hell, is an half-filled auditorium
Re: Wireless adapter loses connection frequently Posted by satchmo on Wed Aug 24th 2005 at 4:20pm
satchmo
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Posted 2005-08-24 4:20pm
satchmo
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2077 posts 1809 snarkmarks Registered: Nov 24th 2004 Occupation: pediatrician Location: Los Angeles, U.S.
I made the switch. We moved the router into my room, and she uses the laptop with a built-in wireless card for work.

It works great. And now I can deathmatch without lag.

It's the little things that make life so worth living.
"The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return." -- Toulouse-Lautre, Moulin Rouge