Wireless connection problem

[sara1880]

Hi i am running a Dell D820, i use a 3comm router.

In the last two weeks or so i have been having frequent internet connection problems. I keep loosing my internet connection, when this happens i check my router lights are all as they should be and they are.

 

I have noticed that my little wireless icon on the laptop is not illuminated when the connection drops.

 

If i try to access my network connections when the connection drops it wont allow me to, i manually turn on and off my wireless and it make no difference, but upon restart the connection comes back. This can happen 4 or 5 times in a row with maybe ten minutes in between each time, be fine for a few hours then start doing it again

 

Now at first i thought this might be a problem with my on board wireless card ( given the fact that a restart always fixes it) but then after monitoring it i have noticed it happens at pretty much the same times everyday give or take five or ten minutes and i never ever have an issue with it in the evenings.

 

 

Any ideas??

I'm not great on technical terms so go easy on me, but i know my way round comps pretty well.

 

Thanks

[Guest Wolfeymole]

Hi Sara

 

Have you rang your isp to see if they have been having any service issues at all?

[Dalo Harkin]

Agreed,

 

especially as you are saying that it happens at the same time everyday - you can normally check with your ISP in terms of what they are doing on their home page - chances are that they run a diagnostic at this time everyday.

[Tony D]

Connect your machine directly to the router to rule out a wireless issue.

 

Alternately, borrow another wireless computer and see if it exhibits the same symptoms. This will be of great help if it's a wireless issue because it will tell you if it's the wireless radio on the computer or on the router.

[Poconos]

Sara,

Don't know where you're located but here in the US the 2.4 GHz band used by wireless G, if that's what you're using, is shared with, or close to, frequencies used by other services like cordless phones, wireless control devices and even microwave ovens. You can try moving the laptop physically close to the router when it's misbehaving to maximize the signal strength between the two. See if the problem continues. By close I mean as close as possible, like a few feet. If the problem goes away then you may have interference from some other device and we'll take it to the next step of troubleshooting.

Al

Edit: Thought of something else to try. Most wireless routers default to channel-6 and if you're in a densly populated area you may have a bunch of channel-6 access points active. They should all work without interference but.....you never know. Try changing channels on your router. Also, I don't know anything about the 3com routers but they are all basically the same just with different bells and whistles.

Edited October 7, 2008 by Poconos