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Why-Fi?

Rhaomi — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 13:17:19 -0800

What's killing my wi-fi connection? The last few days I've been having some odd problems with my wireless network. I'll be browsing on my laptop when all of a sudden things get really slow, as if I lost the connection. But instead of being sent to "This page is not available" or "server not found" pages like when there really is no connection, I just get stuck loading forever. So if I open a tab and go to Google, it will sit and load saying "Waiting for www.google.com" in the status bar for a minute or two, then eventually say "Done" -- even though the only thing that has loaded is a completely blank tab (even the source code of the page is empty) with the raw URL in the title bar.

But throughout all this, there's no indication that I've lost my connection. The wifi icon in the system tray doesn't change, and says I'm connected if I hover over it. When I open up the Command Prompt and enter ipconfig /all, it says all my internet connection stats are normal. The subnet mask, DHCP server, DNS, etc. are all there. The IP address doesn't start with 169. It's all okay.

Weirdest of all, despite the fact that I can see that all the connection info is normal, if I enter my router's IP address into the address bar (which usually takes me to the router's settings page), it just does the same thing. Load... load... load... blank tab. I understand not being able to connect to the internet, but if I can see all my connection and router info in Command Prompt, why can't I connect to the same router with my browser?

The only way to fix it, I've found, is to disconnect from the wireless network and reconnect. It'll then work fine for anywhere from one minute to fifteen, at which point the connection drops again. This is only affecting my laptop, by the way -- iPods and other laptops connect fine.

I've tried restarting my computer, restarting the router, and repairing the connection -- nothing works. It seems that getting closer to the router improves things, but I'm not sure since the problem comes and goes randomly. And besides, the router is in the same place as it's always been, so unless it's suddenly lost broadcasting power I don't see what would cause the problem. And in the "View Wireless Networks" window, it says the network has an Excellent signal when I'm not connected (though that decreases a bar or two once I do).

The only incident I can think of is that a power surge recently burnt out the power supply, and I had to buy a universal one with an adapter to get the router up and running again. But this was a week or two before the trouble started, so that's probably not the source.

Is there anything that would cause a wireless router to lose signal strength like that? Is there something I can do to fix it, or should I just spring for a new one?

Details: I have a Dell laptop running Windows XP SP3. I have a Bellsouth Fast Access DSL internet connection. The router is a 2Wire HomePortal 1700HW. The loading problem happens on Firefox, Chrome, and IE7.

One more detail I remembered: For awhile when the problem first started, ipconfig /all was giving me some weird info. For instance, it said that the "lease" for the connection expired one second after it was obtained. But it's not doing that anymore.

How do I manage security on my AT&T DSL using a 2WIRE wireless router?

MeetMegan — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 18:10:22 -0800

How do I manage security on my AT&T DSL using a 2WIRE wireless router...when I don't have the software or cords? I have a 2WIRE wireless router (I think it's a router. It's a little x-shaped thing that connects to my phone cord - I may be using the wrong term). I use it for my awesome AT&T DSL plan.

The problem is...I think someone else is using my connection too.

There are three lights on this router - the bottom one shows when a computer is connected to the network. In the past, when my computer was turned off, the bottom light was off too. For the last month or so, the light is on all the time - even when my computer is off. This makes me think someone else is connected. I only have one computer in my house so only one computer SHOULD be connecting to the network - ever.

I want to know how I can figure out whether someone else is connected to my network. This is complicated, however, by the fact that I no longer have the cords to connect my laptop to the wirelss router to allow me to edit the properties on the network. I am also using a different laptop now than I was using when I set up the network three years ago. I am still able to connect to the network to use the internet and such but I can't edit properties on the router.

I do have WEP enabled on the router - I did it a long time ago - and I used the router's serial number as the password - so I would think it would be difficult to guess the password. What am I missing here?

To sum, my question is three-fold:
1) How do I figure out if someone else is connecting to my network?
2) How can I change security settings on the router without the cords it came with?
3) If I can't do #2 without the cords, do you have any suggestions on which cords to purchase? I am clueless here, as you can tell.

DSL basics. What hardware do I need?

vacapinta — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 15:06:12 -0800

SanFranciscoWiFi: I currently have DSL service with AT&T. It came with a DSL modem/wireless router thingy from 2WIRE. Can I replace the 2Wire? If so, what are my options? Please speak to me as if I were a child because in the area of networking, I am.