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Wireless Network Disappears - Normal?

I recently set up a simple wireless network in our home. It is two Dell/Vista laptops (both with Intel 4965AGN Wireless controllers), a Netgear WNR834B wireless router (802.11n-draft level), and a cable modem for internet access. After a false start with a defective wireless card in one of the laptops, things have been working pretty well.

But I have seen some unusual behavior on two separate occasions, both lasting 5-7 minutes where the wireless network simply disappears - it just isn't there. The second time this happened was "perfect" in that I had time to try to debug the situation. The story ...

1) Neither laptop could see the router's wireless network, but could see another wireless network in the neighborhood. SSID broadcasting is NOT turned off. Neither laptop was more than 30' from the router (one was in the same room).

2) The wired connections to the router were working fine (including internet access)

3) Things were working properly per the indicator lights on the router

4) You could log into the router (using wired connections) and the router seemed to be very happy

5) In both cases the mysterious disappearing network happened simultaneously with re-establishing connectivity after bringing back one (or both) of the laptops from "sleep mode" (could have been dead before - no way to know)

After about 6 minutes into the last time this happened, I was ready to do a power on/off cycle on the router when suddenly the wireless network came alive.

This is rare enough to be close to a non-problem in my mind, but is this just the nature of wireless networks?

Thanks.

dave

Reply to
Dave Lee
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This shouldn't be happening.

I suspect your wireless router is temporarily going into never never land, perhaps due to load (e.g., peer-to-peer filesharing), and then spontaneously restarts. If the wireless router is still new, I'd try to get it replaced, ideally with a different brand and model.

On Mon, 4 Feb 2008 18:30:39 -0500, "Dave Lee" wrote in :

Reply to
John Navas

You might well be right here about a defective router. But at the time of the apparent "failure" there was nothing going on other than a single laptop trying to connect. But failures can come in many forms.

Thanks.

dave

Reply to
Dave Lee

Well, think about it. What lasts about 6 minutes and belches huge amounts of 2.4GHz RF? Hint: It's in your kitchen (or your neighbors kitchen).

Yep. Biggest signal rules. Here's a list of other sources of interference to worry about:

Most well built microwave ovens will not leak much RF. It's only the ones with damaged door seals, bent hinges, and ossified food stuck between the door and frame, that leak. I had a leakage problem that was easily fixed by beating the hell out of the hinge until it roughly resembled the correct position.

Reply to
Jeff Liebermann

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