Strange wireless problem...

I have a Sony VAIO FW450J/B running Vista home premium 64 bit. I have a linksys WRT54G V.6 router. It seems like I can only connect for a few minutes at a time before I get "Local access only." Funny thing is, if I change the wireless channel from 6 to 11 it will start working for a while. After a while, no internet again. Change from 11 to 6, working for a little while again. Cycle repeats. Thoughts?

 

Do you have a lot of other networks in the area? They might all be effectively cycling through the available channels as they bump into each other, and since you don't have yours set to choose the channel automatically, at some point you get a crest of interference that causes your system to lose it's lock on the network - that's speculation on my part, but it might be the source if you have a lot of other networks around you.

 

Thanks for the reply. I only have 1 other visible network. Only two bars and security enabled. I also unchecked the box that has the computer look for other available networks.

 

Do you know what the make and model of your internal wireless card is? Also, how old is the router? Finally, does this system exhibit similar behaviour with other routers on other networks?

 

Have you tried to leave it alone to see if internet comes back all by itself?

 

The card is an Intel WiFi Link 5100 AGN, router is about two years old, and it only does it on this network. If I wait, it never goes back online. Hmm.. IP conflict?

 

Why do you think it might be an IP conflict? Do you have any log entries in your Event logs where the service entry is "DHCP", and if so, do they reflect any problems obtaining an IP?

If I recall, there have been problems with some of the 5100s being a little flakey, but, there's no reason to go down that road yet.

 

We have to think what else get reset when we change the channels, that will give us the solution.

BTW, which network are you talking about?

 

I just mean my home network. My girlfriend has the same router at her APT. No issues.

 

Just grasping at straws!

 

I asked the question because you could be using a network where you don't have permission to connect to, and it takes some time for the network to kick you off.

 

Oh, good thinking. Along the same lines, I thought it was maybe a security app problem, but I ran the Norton removal tool in order to be sure. (Laptop came with norton.) Now I am running Sophos without an issue. I am using WEP on the router.

 

Are you saying that now it works properly?

 

No. Sorry, I just meant that its not a security issue. I had the same problem when I uninstalled norton and before installing Sophos. I have to be careful choosing my words.

 

Don't worry, is late and perhaps is my brain that is not decoding well the messages

I'll go to bed now, I'll think about your problem tomorrow and come back to you again.

 

Thanks for all your help.

 

The one thing you haven't mentioned is whether or not you're matching / changing your adapter settings to match your Router settings. Everyone changes their Router's wireless settings, but always fail to consider that the adapter must match the Router's setup for optimum performance. Even a single setting will cause the kind of problem you're seeing, or a massive change in speed.

What you're describing is consistent with a low signal problem - you're able to connect for a brief period, then it disconnects. You can monitor this by opening your Network/Sharing window and clicking on the View Status link under the current connection - it will give you your true signal level. I've seen programs report false/incorrect signal levels from what the Network monitor shows.

If you have Broadband Cable, and have more than 2 cable boxes, or your home is a good distance from the cable junction, you might have a low signal to begin with. The more devices you have on your cable system, the more voltage drop (signal loss) you have - basic electonics theory. In those cases, you need a line booster which fits right on the cable inline. Get one that's AC powered if you need one - the static ones are useless as they rely on the cable's voltage. If it's low to begin with......

If you're sure your incoming signal is good enough, it could very well be simple setting mismatch between your Router and Adapter, or something you've put into the room where your Router is, or where you Notebook is that is causing enough interference to interfere with the signal. Cordless phone bases are a big culprit - I recently saw a support case where the owner determined his neighbor's cordless phone was causing his network to disconnect every time he got a call. Though it would have been easier to setup his network channels to avoid the interference, his neighbor got a new phone. No report on whether the guy paid for it or not.

Access your Adapter's settings by going to the Device Manager, finding the adapter, right clicking then selecting Properties. Or you can use the Manage Wireless Network Window in Network and Sharing and select Adapter Properties there. Click on the Advanced tab of the adapter, and it'll open up the adapter settings.

Match the Wireless Mode settings, set Roaming to Aggressive, Power to Highest, N mode to Disabled. Make sure that your Standard Channel and Radio Band settings match the Router.

FYI - Though I have an Intel 4965AGN card, I also use a Linksys WUSB600N USB adapter since the AGN won't access the Dual-Band features of my Router, which I use a lot. I've never seen the AGN get more than 130mbps, where the USB will consistently get 270mbps when used on the 5ghz band. Just a thought - it never hurts to have an extra adapter.

 

Hey bubblehead ...what's up? Long time no see.

Anyway, not wanting to derail thread, but I'm curious about the 4965 statement. I get 270-300 regularly using either D-link DIR-855 or Linksys WRT610n. And I'm not clear on the not able to use dual-band features. Can you elaborate? Cheers.

 

The 4965 can only utilize A, G, or N bands. Yes, A is 5ghz, but to use the N 5ghz band, the adapter must be set to N Enabled, which turns off the A and G bands. So the 4965 will access the 2.4ghz N band, but not the 5ghz band on a Dual-Band N Router. It will access the 5ghz band if the Router is set to Mixed, but only as a Wireless A connection. Since my Network is Dual-Band for the speed, an A connection is useless, which is what I meant by my statement in that the 4965 doesn't have DBN capability that I can use.

My understanding is that the 5300 will though, and I've discussed with 2.0 swapping out my 4965 for a 5300.

They must have done something to fix the 610N - it got a bad review last year during a Dual-Band Router test. In fact there's a Linksys Beta going on right now for the new 610N's latest firmware update.

Will PM you with other stuff.

 

Thanks for the info. I tried all of the above with no success. Additionally, it turns out that the router at my GFs house has started to act the same way. Must be a setting on the computer...

EDIT: Have very strong signal (10 feet away), no cordless phone bases near the routers.

 

Just out of curiosity, did either of you get a new cell phone recently, or change service (cell or broadband), add a wireless card, etc.?

Hardware doesn't just "change" - while it's possible it could be a setting on your system, if it started occurring without you making any changes to your settings, that's an unlikely probability. The more likely case is that you've introduced something new into your environment that's causing interference - if it's following you, that means it's something portable.

Don't leave anything out - have either you or your GF gotten anything new that's electronic, or has someone in either house gotten something new? Have you purchased a new peripheral for your system?

Anything can cause interference - you just have to narrow it down.

 

I wish I could say that we've picked up a new device of any kind. Sadly, the only new device is the computer itself. I also use a Zalman ZM-NC2000 notebook cooler. My HP DV9000 series still connects without issue, however, the Vaio seems to stumble. Is it possible that the WiFi card is bad or has compatibility issues with this specific router? I really do appreciate the help.

 

Went to Intel's website, updated the driver. Flawless. I updated the driver from the device manager before, but apparently that's not the same driver. All is well now.