Wireless connection breaks every few mins

[admin_exported]

Wonder if anyone can help with this? I have a desktop based laptop which is connected to Broadband via Virgin Media. Last Monday I decided to take the plunge and buy a Belkin N1 Router from Argos (as it was on discount) and go wireless - partly just for the hell of it, partly so I could use my Ipod Touch round the rest of the house and partly as I'd just set my girlfriend's Orange wireless up and it got me thinking maybe I should do it as well!

The Wi-Fi connection is WPA2 protected and the Belkin router itself 'seems' to be functioning okay - most of the time I can use the connection via my ipod and most of the time the 'wireless' light is 'on' on the router. Though sometimes the ipod won't connect and sometimes the router light isn't on - but bafflingly these things don't always co-incide! Often the ipod won't connect even when the router light is saying the wireless is fine!

The bigger frustration is that on my laptop the wireless connection keeps breaking every few minutes and I have to go through all the process of re-connecting it (at the moment I've just stuck the ethernet cable back in as I can't be bothered with it any more!). Again this is even though the wireless light on the router is on and the laptop and router are sitting next to each other - and this is after all supposed to be a fast, long range router - god knows what the slower ones are like!

So, is there something buried in some menu somewhere which is logically causing this break to occur? Is it a problem with the router and it should go back and be changed? Is it a problem with the laptop? And how would you know which it is?

I love technology but it also tees me off like nothing else!

 

[Ravey Gravey Davy]

Is it near a cordless phone?

and have you tried changing the channel on the router?

 

[Anonymous]

Which operating system?

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the replies.

No, not near a cordless phone, nor anything else I can see which would interfere with the connection (unless connecting up your ipod via the USB would affect it??!). OS is XP Home SP3. How would you change the channel on the router?

 

[Sc00bied00]

you need to log on to the router using a web browser and typing in the IP address of the router e.g. 192.168.1.1, you can check this by pressing the windows key and R, then type ipconfig into the cmd box that has opened, the router address will be shown as the default gateway, once you type it in you will most likely be prompted for log on details user name and password. Under the wireless settings there should be box indicating the wireless channel being used. should have a drop down to select a different one. make sure you apply the change, you could also try using a different encryption method such as WEP or none at all until you can establish a reliable connection. Once you have this then add an encryption method, try it and test for a while. Also any changes to the router are best performed using a PC connected via a cable. HTH sc00bie

 

[Ravey Gravey Davy]

As Scoobie says .I believe the Belkin standard is 192.168.2.1 as default with a blank password as default. You should also change password to logon for added security. You will also have to change any other devices set up to recognise the channel you change to.

 

[Anonymous]

Cross fingers, may have solved this one. Got a contact for a guy who comes out to fix PCs etc. Spoke to him over the phone for about 15 mins (this wasn't the only thing we covered off) and he said to take the battery out of the laptop for 10 mins to let all the chips 'drain' as it sounded like it was my wireless card and it kind of needed 're-starting'. Did this and so far I've had a perfect and quick wireless connection. Great guy - gave me a load of advice for free over the phone when he could have come out and charged £15/hour!

 

[Sc00bied00]

gd to here - sc00bie