VERY strange issue

Have you used a program such as netstumbler

Adair

all my phones are 5.8ghz.... I'm upstairs and so is the router... there is a microwave dowstairs... but should that stuff also kill my signal (meaning it wouldn't show Excellent strength) - I still see a signal, just can't ping anymore....

while I was away from my house, I tried different channels.... didn't help, while my dad's laptop didn't have any issues (IBM T41 with built in wireless).

could it be some compatibility issues between Linksys&Netgear... i kinda doubt it.... I also spent an hour with Linksys support and they had no idea.

I will try netstumbler, never heard of it before u mentioned. Thx!

I would not trust windows to tell me anything about how I am connected. Can you use the utility that came with the linksys card to make the connection and see if that makes any difference?

while I was away from my house, I tried different channels.... didn't help, while my dad's laptop didn't have any issues (IBM T41 with built in wireless).

could it be some compatibility issues between Linksys&Netgear... i kinda doubt it.... I also spent an hour with Linksys support and they had no idea.

I doubt it, unless you are trying to use some special speedbooter like mumbojumbo.

I will try netstumbler, never heard of it before u mentioned. Thx!

Handly program to have.

Also if after all you've tried I'd look for there to be something going on within the laptop causing the pcmcia card to screw up. Try a different slot if you have one. Also is the computer going idle when this happens, could it be trying to standby or go to sleep or something? Just curious Adair

Ben hath wroth:

OK. You managed to supply the PCMCIA card maker and model (WPC55AG v1.1). Perhaps you can do the same for the Netgear wireless router?

What else is happening? Power save on the wireless card? Suspend on the laptop? Hibernate? Any timed protection programs such as Norton Internet Security or Zone Alarm?

How about local interference? Other systems nearby? Microwave oven? Other source?

How about power management? Duz it stay up when connected to AC power but not when running on battery? If so, then it's the power management settings.

Ugh. Software, driver, or firmware bug on either the WPC55AG or the unspecified Netgear router.

Position of moon? Any other users with similar problems?

Oh-oh. I've had problems with that version. I'm not sure what's going on but I just did battle with a WPC55AG v1.2. Strangely, there's no driver download from v1.2. Calling Linksys resulted in a useless suggestion of installing v1.1 software, which didn't work. There's also a v1.3 which does work. I never could get v1.1 to work reliably. It did something like what you describe except that it wouldn't stay connected after a WPA encryption key update. My guess is a buggy driver, but it was easier to return the card, and get a different model. There's also a v1.0 but I have no experience with that mutation.

Sigh. Microsoft: What do you want to reinstall today?

Ok, what happened? Did it disconnect in the same way? If so, then it's the WPC55AG v1.1. If it worked just fine, then it's probably the unspecified model Netgear router.

Ok, It's an IBM T30. Check the power management settings. It can power down the card in order to save battery power.

That's a possible, but unlikely.

That just means you haven't had an irate customer pound you over the head with their laptop.

Yep. Netgear WGR614 v3 and v4. Buggy firmware in the router.

Many phones that say they are 5.8, are actually ALSO 2.4 (ie they transmit on one frequency and receive on another)

it's free.... go to

You could a high level of ambient noise and still show "excellent strength".

Are you using the "Linksys Utility" to manage the card or the Win XP one? See the post by jnv11 ref memory leak, he also says it is possible to use the v1.3 drivers so that may be worth trying.

To answer some of the questions: no the laptop isn't in power-save, i'm plugged in and using the latop as this happens suddenly...in fact, it seems to happen more if i have high net activity such as downloading a file, but not necessarily. Also, the things I've listed that i tried didn't fix the issue (to the person that asked what happened). I'm using the WinXP tool to manage it, but also tried disabling that and just using the Linksys tool and the same issue occurred.

I tried the latest firmware on the routers I've messed with. The one I have at home is a Netgear WGT624 (when I was away from my house it was a Netgear Rangemax, don't remember the model).

Yesterday it was really bad, a lot of disconnects, and that Netstumbler tool confirmed I still have a strong signal (~35) when I stop being able to ping anything. At times, my 'fix' of pulling the card would last about 5 pings before timing out again. Eventually I rebooted the router, which helped get it solid for longer again. That starts indicating a problem with the router, but remember i tried a brand new Netgear Rangemax with the same issues.

Last nite I picked up a Linksys router (WRT54G)... so far so good... but a few more days of use will be the real test. It's a bigger device, not as slick-looking as the netgear... but the netgear felt really hot to the touch after some use, while this Linksys has stayed cool overnite. I wonder if it's over-heating issues.... but then again, my dad didn't have any issues though his laptop when we used the Rangemax.

LR, thanks for that article, I didn't think to try the v1.3 drivers, but definitley will be my next try if it fails using the new router as well...

Thanks for all the responses and good ideas, it's really appreciated !!!

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Ben,

I had a problem with a netgear 614 model that had another switch stacked on top of it. The netgear would get hot and I'd loose the connection to the router. I'd unplug the netgear, let it cool off and it would be ok until it got hot again. I finally had the client leave the netgear in the open and the problem never came back, solid connections all the time. just a thought. overheating??

Bob Smith Robert Smith Consulting NA6T

I've had the same trouble with a Linksys wireless adapter (WUSB54Gv.2) and Linksys router (WRT54Gv.8) using the Linksys wireless adapter utility.

If you're using the Linksys software (or any other third-party utility), try WZC instead. Anecdotal evidence has it that some recent Windows update(s) have wreaked havoc on these utilities. Worked for me. YMMW.

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So it happened while using the Linksys router as well.

I updated the driver to the v1.3 version, went back to my old Netgear router, and so far so good... thanks LR, I think that might of fixed it (it's been running good for 2 days). Pretty sad Linksys support couldn't of told me that :)