I am administering a small wireless network using 4 DLink DWL2700 access points and 3 client machines using DWL-G510 wireless cards. The problem is that the clients continually lose access to the network. Using either the DLink utility or Windows XP wireless tool, they connect up but some time later, network access is lost.
The DLink tool shows connection is still made, IP address information is set, but pinging network devices fails. The client MAC address still appears in the Access Point client list though. Repairing the connection fixes the problem temporarily, but the problem re-occurs.
This network has been working fine for a month or so, then this problem started, with no apparent cause. All AP's and wireless cards have the latest drivers/firmware. Signal strength is shown as excellent, connection speeds of 54Mbs.
Well, assuming there were no changes to your network when things started to fail, it kinda sounds like interference. Shopping list of possible sources from the FAQ: |
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Umm.... why do you need 4 access points to service 3 client machines? At least 2 of these 4 access points will end up on the same channel. If they are in the same airspace (i.e. can hear each other), then you have generated your own source of mutual interference. The problem will not be too horrible if there's no data moving, but if there's data moving on both the access points on the same channel, it will certainly cause slowdowns. Try turning off a few of your access points (at least long enough to determine if they're the problem).
However, disconnects usually are the result of non-802.11 interference. 802.11 is fairly resilient to other 802.11 networks. These will cause slowdowns, but should not cause disconnect unless the interference is severe. However, a microwave oven will block the signal long enough to initiate a disconnect. Hard to tell from here.
Also, with 4 access points, it's possible for a client laptop to connect to a given laptop and stay with after moving even if the signal from another access point is better. If all the SSID's are the same, it should switch access points automatically. However, it might also do something unexpected like stick with a weak access point. You might check how well roaming is working.
I've also had problems with such networks with multiple AP's when one AP gets sick or partially fails. I had this happen on a hotel network. One AP was really weird. Although the others were working just fine, this one was a loser. To the users, it looked like the whole network was flaky. Their laptops would switch to this AP and from that point on act intermittent. I couldn't decode the complaints until I noticed that all the complaints came from a specific area of the hotel. You might want to turn off one of the access points at a time to see if one of them is a problem.
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