Gateway FX P-6860 - Packet Loss/Wireless Connection Probs

I've had this laptop for a while now, brand new not refurb, and for months now, the same issue keeps happening. I'll be playing an online game, namely Warcraft III TFT, and then my wireless will lose connection with the router. I'll drop packets, and maybe reconnect, but more often than not, lose the connection entirely for about 20 seconds.

This laptop comes with the Intel(R) Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN, and personally, I think this wireless card sucks monkey b@lls. I have the May 09 driver installed, which is the most recent.

Heres a little more information regarding my setup. I don't know if all of it is relevant, but maybe for you networking gurus, you can help put a fix to this:

-Laptop (running windows vista 64 Bit) is in my bedroom which is about 10-15 feet walking distance from the router. The router is a Linksys WRT54G and its sitting on top of a desk in the living room.
-I have a Dell M1330 with the exact same WiFi card running windows Vista 32 bit in my bedroom as well which is connected simultaneously, and it was occasionally losing connection with the router before. But recently, there has been seemingly no issues with this laptop. My sister and I play warcraft III together, and I'm the only one thats disconnecting from the router recently.
-My ping to google.com for instance, running continuously through Command prompt runs consistent (like 15-20ms) but then it will spike to 100ms for 1 or two intervals, and then back to normal. This has ALWAYS happened. And when Im regularly surfing the net, I do not experience severe packet loss. Only when Im involved in an online game of Warcraft III.
- If I watch my connection strength through the network and sharing center, it fluctuates between Very good and Excellent. Back and forth non stop. And the bars go from 3-5 green bars.

I dont know why the signal seems weak. The dell does the same thing.


Hmm thats about all the information I can think of. I don't know if theres a possible conflict between both laptops having the same card through the same router.

If you can help me, major props. You'd be a life saver

Thanks for reading. If you need any more information, please ask away.

 

Ever give the router a power cycle? Meaning unplug it for a minute or two, then plug it back in. I know for some routers, you gotta do that every once in a while if/when it starts acting up.

If that doesn't do anything... then it could be the router dying.

 

Thanks for the reply. However, I dont know why the dell wouldnt have a problem, but this one does. So i dont kow how it could be related to the router being the issue =\

 

the same thing would happen to me sometimes, but i just had to reboot my router and it was fine. Have you tried looking in your router settings? or updating the firmware?

I used to get the problems once a month, but since i updated the router firmware it never acts up.

or try an older driver for the card, i'm using Version 11.1.1.22 from August '07 and it works great.

 

As someone who has gone through four routers trying to find the "best" solution (for me at least), I feel your pain. I would also suggest it's time to look at a new router. Your FX is 802.11n capable; you may wish to use it! And once you are using it, you will want to fully utilize it. That means keeping anything less than an N connection off of it. As you are sharing the router with 802.11g connections, this means a simultaneous dual-channel solution (or a second router just for you). That way the G users get their own channel at their best speed/security level and you get your own N channel.

Just my $0.02 YMMV