Netgear Modem/Router problem

[chamois]

We recently decided to go wireless on Tiscali Broadband and bought a Netear Wireless Modem/Router complete with USB dongle.
One of the reasons for this was that although the PC was in the living room, the main BT socket (which the modem router was plugged into) was in the hall and the ethernet cable supplied with original modem/router was simply too short to cover the distance between the PC and the modem/router.
Initially, the installed network card in the PC picked up the wireless signal from the netgear modem/router with no problem. However, the system was obviously unlocked and needed locking down using WEP etc. This was when our problems started.
We discovered that we could not set the security protocols from the living room ie wirelessly. We then took the PC and all the attached keyboard, mouse etc into the hall and tried to set up the security protocols from there using the ethernet cable. It worked like a dream and within minutes, the security settings had been enabled and we had internet access. The ethernet cable was then disconnected and the PC worked via the wireless connection.
We then switched off the PC and returned it to the living room. On rebooting, the web browser showed "page not found" on trying to access the web and the modem/router signal was not detectable.
I would be very grateful if someone could suggest a possible cause for this problem as we did nothing but move the PC from one place to another.

Many thanks

[ACtheTROLL]

ahhh ... I love wireless .... you'd be a lot better drilling a hole through the wall and running a cable!

walls are funny things ... sort of all solid and that ...
as are PCs ... have you got the dongle plugged in at the back with the box and wall between it and the router?

did the dongle come with an extension lead?

you should actually be able to carry the router to the PC ... and use the cable to connect and check your settings - even though it's not connected to the internet.

open a command prompt and type
ping 192.168.x.x (could be 192.168.254.254 or .0.1 - whatever you used) the router should reply4 times ... and all's well

then pull the cable and shift to wireless and ping again....

then ......

if all's well you should be able to ping the router wirelessly ... then ... move back to the hall

[chamois]

Thanks ACtheTROLL

We got so cheesed off with this in the end that we bought a 10m ethernet cable for �1.99 at my local Buyology store. Drilled a hole in the wall to pass the cable from the PC to the BT socket, tacking the cable around the hall as we went as you suggested..

The connection was up and running in no time. It just goes to show that the aggro involved with something like this just isn't worth it.

Thanks again.