Wireless not stable

[madcat]

Hi
I have:
- GBPVR running on a laptop (yes, I had a spare one, and it fits nicely in cabinets... ) - IBM Thinkpad T42.
- Windows XP Pro
- Hauppauge WinTV PVR USB2
- Wireless G
- Wireless router - Netgear NG6214v6
- No keyboard/mouse (except the ones on the laptop of course, but it's tucked away).

Problem:
This shity wireless-router disconnects every so often. Not a serious problem, as it comes back to life in less than a minute usually. But sometimes the XP won't re-establish the connection, and I have to actually open the laptop and play with it to make it reconnect.

Anyone has a solution or idea for this kind of issue?

(At one point, I was using the original IBM/Lenovo wireless admin software instead of the XP built-in one, and was trying to establish a scheduled task that will check network connectivity and if it fails, run the connection shortcut. But it wasn't a stable solution as well).

[Torque]

Does it only do it while it's in the cabinet? If so, obviously signal strength/quality is an issue. If not, then it could be you have a bunch of other wireless APs in your area that are using the same channel as your AP and your laptop gets a whiff of the other AP and drops the connection to yours.

I had the same issue with mine till I set the AP to a different channel and all is now perfect.

[elite]

Yeah, you can try different channels...

I had a similar experience with two belkin routers, both would drop their wireless connection every once in a while and would need a reboot. I exchanged them for a Netgear (strangley enough) and a lynksys and haven't dropped a connection since

If the changing channels doesn't work and it is still under warranty maybe try exhanging for different manufacturer (IMHO don't get a belkin!)

[madcat]

No, it doesn't happen in the cabinet only, it also happens to another laptop (i'm using now to type this), in different locations.
I did the channel switching just a day ago, still under investigation... (I used NetStumbler to make sure nothing is on that new channel)

However, even with a better router, and a clear channel, and whatever - wireless is still less stable than a wired connection (not an option - don't go there).
Like I said, I did before a script (using AutoIt - great tool for automation - must have for these boxes!) that will ping my router, and if fails, will execute the IBM application ("Access Connections") that manages all the profile. However, this solution was also flaky, and now I switched back to the original XP wireless admin.
It does try to reconnect by itself, but sometimes it gives up.

What happens if you have a power outage for 20-30 minutes? The laptop will survive, no doubt, but the wireless will be gone (the UPS holds two PCs and the wireless, it will hold for 10-15 minutes tops).
If the XP will not retry after it comes back, that means getting the laptop out the cabinet, using the KB, etc...

I'm really trying to make this into a set-it-and-forget-it, kind of appliance (that is also compatible with WIFE1.0).

[dinki]

I'm having a somewhat similar situation with my two wireless desktops. After an unknown amount of time after booting of the wireless desktops, the other two wired desktops can't see the wireless desktops, and the wireless desktops can't see each other. The wireless desktops can see the internet and can see the wired desktops. Once a wireless desktop accesses (or pings) a wired desktop, then that wired desktop can see that wireless desktop for some unknown amount of time and then loses that ability. The wireless desktop has to access the internet first before being able to ping the wired desktop.

I recently wrote a batch file that pings google, then pings the two wired desktops and then waits for 5 minutes before doing it all again. So far I have not had trouble accessing that wireless desktop. It's very much a kludge, but no one seems to know why I am having so much trouble.

I am using a DLink DI-524 with Hawking PCI Wireless G cards.

[Torque]

I'm using a Linksys wireless G USB adapter for my PVR with a Linksys G Access Point w/ 4 port switch. I've had many power outages and the network connection always sorts itself out now.

I was this |<-- -->| close to running some cat5 from upstairs to wire up my PVR because i was fed up with network disconnects and manually having to reconnect it all the time. Once I got the new G speed USB adapter (and set the channel to something that wasn't being abused), it's been great.

[ejeffers]

Do a firmware upgrade on all the wireless devices that you own. And, WAP's arent too expensive these days, so if you can, buy a new and put it on the same settings, and chances are that theyll never be down at the same time, and windows will always see them as one AP if they have the same SSID.

[stu8080]

I was looking at 'Homeplug' devices, as i have a very unstable wireless connection.

They are expensive (£35 per adapter) and the better ones give 35Mbps, but stable, i never bothered because im moving house soon so can put ethernet sockets in rooms.

Another thing i read (which ive never verified) is that wireless b can travel further (and tolerate more obstructions) than wireless g. Is this true?

[madcat]

ejeffers - the router is at the latest firmware, so is the laptop.

It's been third day with the different channel. Looking better. Checking the Event Viewer seems that there are still TCPIP events (reconnects), but less than before.

[ricklous]

I'm having a somewhat similar situation with my two wireless desktops. After an unknown amount of time after booting of the wireless desktops, the other two wired desktops can't see the wireless desktops, and the wireless desktops can't see each other. The wireless desktops can see the internet and can see the wired desktops. Once a wireless desktop accesses (or pings) a wired desktop, then that wired desktop can see that wireless desktop for some unknown amount of time and then loses that ability. The wireless desktop has to access the internet first before being able to ping the wired desktop.

I recently wrote a batch file that pings google, then pings the two wired desktops and then waits for 5 minutes before doing it all again. So far I have not had trouble accessing that wireless desktop. It's very much a kludge, but no one seems to know why I am having so much trouble.

I am using a DLink DI-524 with Hawking PCI Wireless G cards.

Shot in the dark here, but could this be down to power management powering off your wireless card? mine has an option 'allow the computer to turn off this device to save power'. Maybe this is kicking in after a period of time with no wireless network traffic?