What causes wireless connectivity problems?

[koster]

I have cable broadband and a wireless router. The router and laptop are in the same room, with a line of sight between them.

Sometimes the wireless connectivity is lost for no apparent reason, and reconnects a little later without me having done or changed anything.

The speed (as shown by hovering over the icon in the notification area) varies erratically - sometimes 6 Mbps, sometimes 24, sometimes 36, sometimes 100 I think.

What's the reason for this?

Thanks for any insight.

[Ethel]

I have cable broadband too - my router is in the loft and the laptop is two floors below and my speed is a pretty constant 54.

What router do you have? Is your laptop wifi enabled or do you have a usb dongle?

Do you check the Virgin status page to see if there is any problems in your area?

Is your wifi secure? I can access my neighbour's router admin page, change the settings and disconnect him.

Are you accidentally disconnecting the wifi by hitting a switch on the laptop?

Are the lights on the router stable?

[koster]

Thanks for your answer.

At the moment it says 54 Mbps.

The router is a Linksys Wireless-G broadband router. The wireless on the laptop is built in.

I did check the Virgin status page, and although there were many local issues listed, there was nothing for my postcode.

The wireless network was secure with a password I had chosen, but the router password was still "admin", so I've changed that now.

As far as I know there's no wireless switch on my laptop (an IBM ThinkPad R50e). It has a wireless indicator between the keyboard and screen, which is not steady but blinking.

On the route the WLAN indicators blinks, as does the Internet indicator.

[Ethel]

You have the same router as me.

I suggest a simple thing first. Switch everything off at the mains. Wait at least one minute before switching on in this EXACT order:

Modem - wait for lights to settle down, at least a minute
Router - as above
PCs and laptops.

Hopefully this will reset everything (your security will not change) and improve your connection.

Your laptop will have a switch somewhere to disconnect the wifi - mine is cunningly disguised as an orange light next to the headphone sockets. Just where my thumb rests. :(

[koster]

Thanks Ethel, your advice is good - I did that yesterday and since then have not lost connectivity.

The speed has been 54Mbps and has just slipped down to 48Mbps since I started writing this message - could this be because my housemate is also connected?

You're right, my laptop has a wireless symbol on the F5 key, so F5+Fn together work as a wireless switch. However, you can configure this so that it either brings up a menu or it switches wireless on or off. The default is to bring up the menu, which prevents you from switching it off accidentally.

I do wonder, as we're all told that leaving a TV on standby uses X amount of electricity, how much it costs to leave a modem and router on. Since you need to wait a minute for the modem and again for the router is not really practical to switch them off each time.

[koster]

By the way, why did you put the router in the loft? Just to hide it away? I suppose all those cables can look unsightly in a minimalist house!

[Bob A Job]

many things can affect connectivity, near by cordless or mobile phones, other wireless products. use of microwave ovens nearby. the list goes on and on..
my computer backs onto a room where the washing machine is, and when its going full spin my connection level drops by about 20%.
Try getting a higher decibel ariel for the router (about �3-�5) from ebay. that may improve things for you.

[pug100]

I used to have no end of problems with my system, even when I changed ISPs and got a different router. I tried most of the solutions, moving nearer to the router, moving the nearby DECT phone but nothing really improved the situation.
Then I found a program called Network Magic which has sorted out nearly all the connection problems for me. The link is here if you want to see what they offer

http://www.networkmagic.com/

btw the program is free

[Ethel]

Koster - glad you seem to be sorted. I have to do that every three months or so, but why that is so I don't know.

Occasionally my speed drops and it is rectified simply by disconnecting from the internet and reconnecting again a second later - using my switch. It doesn't interfere with internet browsing - I don't have to sign in again for example. When that stops working, time to switch everything off as you have just done. :)

My router is in the loft with my desktop, printer, filing cabinet, scanner. So now you know. :)

[koster]

Can TVs cause interference?