Reply to: Wireless problem

[blacjac]

Most IT professionals will set up encryption.


Most end users do not (talking from personal experience).


As for weather or not it will form one network, I doubt it.

I can imagine another router broadcasting on the same channel, with the same IP address offering DHCP could well cause problems for a windows laptop.

However that is just speculation.....

[VectraMan]

That would depend on if the router is secured and encrypted (WEP /WPA).

Most routers out of the box aren't.

I think it's fair to assume that most people setup encryption.

Are you saying that if you have two wireless ADSL routers without encryption near each other they'll join together and form one network? Because I don't think that's true (unless you make it true). And if it's not true, then DHCP setup can't matter.

[blacjac]

Sorry Nick, but is that remotely true? The low level network gubbins should be keeping the networks entirely seperate, so no DHCP request could get to your neighbours' router even if they wanted to. And two unconnected networks don't conflict with each other.

That would depend on if the router is secured and encrypted (WEP /WPA).

Most routers out of the box aren't.

[VectraMan]

One point: most of these wireless routers are set up to use the 192.168.1.x range, IIRC.

The problem then is that all your neighbours' routers are trying to be DHCP servers on the same subnet, which confuses the heck out of the network kit.

Sorry Nick, but is that remotely true? The low level network gubbins should be keeping the networks entirely seperate, so no DHCP request could get to your neighbours' router even if they wanted to. And two unconnected networks don't conflict with each other.

[Cowboy Bob]

http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?.../06/07/1727240

[NickFitz]

One point: most of these wireless routers are set up to use the 192.168.1.x range, IIRC.

The problem then is that all your neighbours' routers are trying to be DHCP servers on the same subnet, which confuses the heck out of the network kit.

Try configuring your router to use another value between 2 and 254 in the next-to-last place - for example, 192.168.153.x, where the "153"can be anything you like between 2 and 254. The router config will almost certainly be on http://192.168.1.1/ or http://192.168.0.1 - TBH it's so long since I had one with the factory defaults that I can't remember what they are

Important point: do this from a machine with a wired Ethernet connection to the router, otherwise you'll have disconnected yourself from the wireless connection when the router switches to the new subnet - I did this once and had to get up off the couch and step over to the desk where the wired machine was, literally two paces away, to finish up. You don't need that kind of pain in your life

Additional important point: If you're using Windows (as you probably are, in which case please accept my commiserations) then you should be able to get away with using a wireless connection to do this if, after changing the router to use a different subnet, you open a command line (Start menu -> Run... -> type "cmd" and hit "OK") then type (IIRC) "ipconfig /renew" then hit return/enter/wotever it's called these days.

[Wilmslow]

My guess is another local wifi operating on the same channel.

Download a channel detecting software - can't recall the name, but there are good free ones.

However, why not just try a couple of different channels and see if that cures?

[dmini]

Just a thought - is your wireless router running with the default config? In which case - change default name and reconfig laptop to point to new name. Silly - but its so common M$ even have test questions based around this on Vista
There are also known issues if laptops can pick up from more than one wireless point onto the same network.
Could either of these be the case?

[beeker]

i'd not have thought the internal wi-fi in a Vaio would have "quality" issues. Sounds more likely to be dodgy driver install than anything else!

[lilelvis2000]

I had some problems with Vista with the connection being dropped and then having to reboot! Perhaps a driver issue? See if there are any updates on the manufacturer's website.

[blacjac]

For the router, it depends on the make & model.

For the lappy, if it's windows XP then i think it is in the wireless setup in control panel, not sure about Vista but it will be somewhere in the Network & Sharing center device list at a guess.
Any other OS and I have no idea, sorry.

[Mustang]

Thanks for the advice.

(the cheapest one )

The card was in the laptop (Sony VAIO) when I bought it.

However before splashin out on any new kit it may be worth changing the channel on the laptop & router in case you are getting some interference

How do I go about doing this?

[blacjac]

I agree with BJ. I've had exactly these sorts of problems with a cheap WiFi card when the laptop sat next to it was working fine. Swapped for better card, worked perfectly.

Never been called that before.
Not sure I like it.
Might have to think up a new name......

[VectraMan]

I agree with BJ. I've had exactly these sorts of problems with a cheap WiFi card when the laptop sat next to it was working fine. Swapped for better card, worked perfectly.

[scooterscot]

Is the router near anything that might cause static build-up?

I once had a problem with the bt-hub tripping out because of this...