Connection problems with MN-500

I've had my MN-500 for 2 years now and it has been
working fine for me until a few days ago.

I have 3 computers at home that's connected wireless to
my MN-500 but I've noticed that connection to the MN-500
is on and off. The deterioration has gotten worse over
the few days where all of my computers can get connected
for about 15 to 30 minutes before all of them get
disconnected for a few hours. I've tried everything
that's been suggested in the manual as well as
Microsoft's website but the problem persists.

Here's what I'm working with:
- I've been using the most up-to-date firmware for my MN-
500 before the problem occurred.
- All computers (wire or wireless) are stationary and
hasn't been moved around the house.
- My MN-500 has stayed in the same location for these two
years and it hasn't moved at all.
- I have 2 wireless computers running WinXP SP2 and one
running Win98SE. Wire computer also runs WinXP SP2.
- The wire computer works with no problem.
- None of the computers (wire or wireless) had any
updates of any kind before my connection problems.

So why all of a sudden the connection problem? Any help
is much appreciated!!

Chris

A new source of interference. Such as a 2.4 Ghz phone or a 5.8 Ghz
phone that still uses the 2.4 Ghz frequency for starters.

Here is a quote from someone else who detailed more information about
wireless interference.

Posted 6/7/2004 2:03 PM By ken

The majority of cordless phones in use today are 2.4GHz models. These
phones reap devastating effects on 802.11b/g WLANs. Some 802.11b WLANs
have even been totally shut down by somebody simply answering a 2.4GHz
cordless phone. Why? The answer lies in the technology.

Most 2.4GHz phones use frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS)
technology that operates within the 2.4GHz spectrum. FHSS hops from
frequency-to-frequency across the entire 2.4GHz spectrum. 802.11b/g
WLANs, on the other hand, use direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS),
which transmits within approximately one third of the 2.4 GHz spectrum.
Because FHSS jumps across the entire spectrum while DSSS stays in only
one portion, a FHSS 2.4GHz will clobber an 802.11b/g network, causing
interference or even failure.

The jury is still out on whether 5GHz cordless phones have any
detrimental effects on 802.11a WLANs. If interference issues do arise,
however, they will most likely be easier to correct than with 802.11b/g.
802.11a uses more non-conflicting channels within the 5GHz spectrum as
compared to 802.11b/g in the 2.4GHz spectrum. 802.11a enjoys the luxury
of 12 independent, non-overlapping channels. 802.11b/g has 11 channels
in the U.S., but only three don't overlap (channels 1, 6, and 11).

What can you do to eliminate the effects a cordless phone has on your
WLAN? There are a number of solutions, some of which are guaranteed to
work and others that may significantly lower the interference level. The
fail-safe solutions all consist of replacing equipment.

If your interference is coming from a 2.4GHz phone, the sure fire
solution is to switch the WLAN to 802.11a. This solution is the most
effective, but also the most expensive.

Before spending lots of money on new hardware, consider the following
less expensive (but possibly less effective) approaches:

With 802.11b/g systems, try changing the channel on the access point (at
least try 1, 6, and 11). Anecdotally, people have found that they have
the least interference on channel 11.

With 802.11a systems, change to any one of the channels that are not in
use by the cordless phone.

Change the location of the access point or the cordless phone base.
Maximize the distance between the cordless phones and WLAN devices,
especially WLAN users operating at the fringes of access point range.

If you have the option, use an external, remote antenna on your
computer. This will let you place the antenna as far away as possible
from a cordless phone.

Operate the cordless phone with the antenna in the lowered position if
possible. This will dampen the RF signal coming from the cordless phone
and reduce the amount of interference.

Finally, transmitted signal are POLARIZED in the direction of the
antenna. Since most cordless phones have the antenna VERTICAL to the
user, place your antennae (adapters and base station) HORIZONTAL.

================================================== ================================================== ===================

Posted 6/10/2004 9:25 PM By ken

If you mean cordless (not wireless) phone. There are a few things you
can do. One, of ocurse, is to get a 900 MHz or 5 GHz phone.

The majority of cordless phones in use today are 2.4GHz models. These
phones reap devastating effects on 802.11b/g WLANs. Some 802.11b WLANs
have even been totally shut down by somebody simply answering a 2.4GHz
cordless phone. Why? The answer lies in the technology.

Most 2.4GHz phones use frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS)
technology that operates within the 2.4GHz spectrum. FHSS hops from
frequency-to-frequency across the entire 2.4GHz spectrum. 802.11b/g
WLANs, on the other hand, use direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS),
which transmits within approximately one third of the 2.4 GHz spectrum.
Because FHSS jumps across the entire spectrum while DSSS stays in only
one portion, a FHSS 2.4GHz will clobber an 802.11b/g network, causing
interference or even failure.

The jury is still out on whether 5GHz cordless phones have any
detrimental effects on 802.11a WLANs. If interference issues do arise,
however, they will most likely be easier to correct than with 802.11b/g.
802.11a uses more non-conflicting channels within the 5GHz spectrum as
compared to 802.11b/g in the 2.4GHz spectrum. 802.11a enjoys the luxury
of 12 independent, non-overlapping channels. 802.11b/g has 11 channels
in the U.S., but only three don't overlap (channels 1, 6, and 11).

What can you do to eliminate the effects a cordless phone has on your
WLAN? There are a number of solutions, some of which are guaranteed to
work and others that may significantly lower the interference level. The
fail-safe solutions all consist of replacing equipment.

If your interference is coming from a 2.4GHz phone, the sure fire
solution is to switch the WLAN to 802.11a. This solution is the most
effective, but also the most expensive.

Before spending lots of money on new hardware, consider the following
less expensive (but possibly less effective) approaches:

With 802.11b/g systems, try changing the channel on the access point (at
least try 1, 6, and 11). Anecdotally, people have found that they have
the least interference on channel 11.

With 802.11a systems, change to any one of the channels that are not in
use by the cordless phone.

Change the location of the access point or the cordless phone base.
Maximize the distance between the cordless phones and WLAN devices,
especially WLAN users operating at the fringes of access point range.

If you have the option, use an external, remote antenna on your
computer. This will let you place the antenna as far away as possible
from a cordless phone.

Operate the cordless phone with the antenna in the lowered position if
possible. This will dampen the RF signal coming from the cordless phone
and reduce the amount of interference.

Finally, transmitted signals are POLARIZED in the direction of the
antenna. Since most cordless phones have the antenna VERTICAL to the
user, place the antennae of your wirels-B station network (adapters and
base station) HORIZONTAL.

Chris N wrote:

> I've had my MN-500 for 2 years now and it has been
> working fine for me until a few days ago.
>
> I have 3 computers at home that's connected wireless to
> my MN-500 but I've noticed that connection to the MN-500
> is on and off. The deterioration has gotten worse over
> the few days where all of my computers can get connected
> for about 15 to 30 minutes before all of them get
> disconnected for a few hours. I've tried everything
> that's been suggested in the manual as well as
> Microsoft's website but the problem persists.
>
> Here's what I'm working with:
> - I've been using the most up-to-date firmware for my MN-
> 500 before the problem occurred.
> - All computers (wire or wireless) are stationary and
> hasn't been moved around the house.
> - My MN-500 has stayed in the same location for these two
> years and it hasn't moved at all.
> - I have 2 wireless computers running WinXP SP2 and one
> running Win98SE. Wire computer also runs WinXP SP2.
> - The wire computer works with no problem.
> - None of the computers (wire or wireless) had any
> updates of any kind before my connection problems.
>
> So why all of a sudden the connection problem? Any help
> is much appreciated!!
>
> Chris

--
Please do not contact me directly or ask me to contact you directly for
assistance.

If your question is worth asking, it's worth posting.

If it’s not worth posting you should have done a search on
http://www.google.com/ http://www.google.com/grphp?hl=en&tab=wg&q= or
http://news.google.com/froogle?hl=en&tab=nf&ned=us&q= before wasting our
time.

Thanks for the reply.

Yes, I do have 2.4GHz cordless phones at home but I've
had them for almost a year and they didn't gave me grief
before. The base station for my cordless phones hasn't
moved around at all. Neither did my base station. I
have my Sony Vaio sitting an inch away from the MN-500
and it's still not picking up on my network. Every once
in a while, I can pick up signals from my neighbor's
networks but never my own.

I haven't checked the logs while the base station was
functioning but I notice a lot of "Connection attempt to
base station from WAN blocked". Is this normal?

I also realize that my wired connection gets kicked off
the network every once in while but reconnects just as
quickly.

Is it time to replace my base station?

Thanks.


>-----Original Message-----
>A new source of interference. Such as a 2.4 Ghz phone
or a 5.8 Ghz
>phone that still uses the 2.4 Ghz frequency for starters.
>
>Here is a quote from someone else who detailed more
information about
>wireless interference.
>
>Posted 6/7/2004 2:03 PM By ken
>
>The majority of cordless phones in use today are 2.4GHz
models. These
>phones reap devastating effects on 802.11b/g WLANs. Some
802.11b WLANs
>have even been totally shut down by somebody simply
answering a 2.4GHz
>cordless phone. Why? The answer lies in the technology.
>
>Most 2.4GHz phones use frequency hopping spread spectrum
(FHSS)
>technology that operates within the 2.4GHz spectrum.
FHSS hops from
>frequency-to-frequency across the entire 2.4GHz
spectrum. 802.11b/g
>WLANs, on the other hand, use direct sequence spread
spectrum (DSSS),
>which transmits within approximately one third of the
2.4 GHz spectrum.
>Because FHSS jumps across the entire spectrum while DSSS
stays in only
>one portion, a FHSS 2.4GHz will clobber an 802.11b/g
network, causing
>interference or even failure.
>
>The jury is still out on whether 5GHz cordless phones
have any
>detrimental effects on 802.11a WLANs. If interference
issues do arise,
>however, they will most likely be easier to correct than
with 802.11b/g.
>802.11a uses more non-conflicting channels within the
5GHz spectrum as
>compared to 802.11b/g in the 2.4GHz spectrum. 802.11a
enjoys the luxury
>of 12 independent, non-overlapping channels. 802.11b/g
has 11 channels
>in the U.S., but only three don't overlap (channels 1,
6, and 11).
>
>What can you do to eliminate the effects a cordless
phone has on your
>WLAN? There are a number of solutions, some of which are
guaranteed to
>work and others that may significantly lower the
interference level. The
>fail-safe solutions all consist of replacing equipment.
>
>If your interference is coming from a 2.4GHz phone, the
sure fire
>solution is to switch the WLAN to 802.11a. This solution
is the most
>effective, but also the most expensive.
>
>Before spending lots of money on new hardware, consider
the following
>less expensive (but possibly less effective) approaches:
>
>With 802.11b/g systems, try changing the channel on the
access point (at
>least try 1, 6, and 11). Anecdotally, people have found
that they have
>the least interference on channel 11.
>
>With 802.11a systems, change to any one of the channels
that are not in
>use by the cordless phone.
>
>Change the location of the access point or the cordless
phone base.
>Maximize the distance between the cordless phones and
WLAN devices,
>especially WLAN users operating at the fringes of access
point range.
>
>If you have the option, use an external, remote antenna
on your
>computer. This will let you place the antenna as far
away as possible
>from a cordless phone.
>
>Operate the cordless phone with the antenna in the
lowered position if
>possible. This will dampen the RF signal coming from the
cordless phone
>and reduce the amount of interference.
>
>Finally, transmitted signal are POLARIZED in the
direction of the
>antenna. Since most cordless phones have the antenna
VERTICAL to the
>user, place your antennae (adapters and base station)
HORIZONTAL.
>
>================================================= ========
================================================== ========
====
>
>Posted 6/10/2004 9:25 PM By ken
>
>If you mean cordless (not wireless) phone. There are a
few things you
>can do. One, of ocurse, is to get a 900 MHz or 5 GHz
phone.
>
>The majority of cordless phones in use today are 2.4GHz
models. These
>phones reap devastating effects on 802.11b/g WLANs. Some
802.11b WLANs
>have even been totally shut down by somebody simply
answering a 2.4GHz
>cordless phone. Why? The answer lies in the technology.
>
>Most 2.4GHz phones use frequency hopping spread spectrum
(FHSS)
>technology that operates within the 2.4GHz spectrum.
FHSS hops from
>frequency-to-frequency across the entire 2.4GHz
spectrum. 802.11b/g
>WLANs, on the other hand, use direct sequence spread
spectrum (DSSS),
>which transmits within approximately one third of the
2.4 GHz spectrum.
>Because FHSS jumps across the entire spectrum while DSSS
stays in only
>one portion, a FHSS 2.4GHz will clobber an 802.11b/g
network, causing
>interference or even failure.
>
>The jury is still out on whether 5GHz cordless phones
have any
>detrimental effects on 802.11a WLANs. If interference
issues do arise,
>however, they will most likely be easier to correct than
with 802.11b/g.
>802.11a uses more non-conflicting channels within the
5GHz spectrum as
>compared to 802.11b/g in the 2.4GHz spectrum. 802.11a
enjoys the luxury
>of 12 independent, non-overlapping channels. 802.11b/g
has 11 channels
>in the U.S., but only three don't overlap (channels 1,
6, and 11).
>
>What can you do to eliminate the effects a cordless
phone has on your
>WLAN? There are a number of solutions, some of which are
guaranteed to
>work and others that may significantly lower the
interference level. The
>fail-safe solutions all consist of replacing equipment.
>
>If your interference is coming from a 2.4GHz phone, the
sure fire
>solution is to switch the WLAN to 802.11a. This solution
is the most
>effective, but also the most expensive.
>
>Before spending lots of money on new hardware, consider
the following
>less expensive (but possibly less effective) approaches:
>
>With 802.11b/g systems, try changing the channel on the
access point (at
>least try 1, 6, and 11). Anecdotally, people have found
that they have
>the least interference on channel 11.
>
>With 802.11a systems, change to any one of the channels
that are not in
>use by the cordless phone.
>
>Change the location of the access point or the cordless
phone base.
>Maximize the distance between the cordless phones and
WLAN devices,
>especially WLAN users operating at the fringes of access
point range.
>
>If you have the option, use an external, remote antenna
on your
>computer. This will let you place the antenna as far
away as possible
>from a cordless phone.
>
>Operate the cordless phone with the antenna in the
lowered position if
>possible. This will dampen the RF signal coming from the
cordless phone
>and reduce the amount of interference.
>
>Finally, transmitted signals are POLARIZED in the
direction of the
>antenna. Since most cordless phones have the antenna
VERTICAL to the
>user, place the antennae of your wirels-B station
network (adapters and
>base station) HORIZONTAL.
>
>Chris N wrote:
>
>> I've had my MN-500 for 2 years now and it has been
>> working fine for me until a few days ago.
>>
>> I have 3 computers at home that's connected wireless
to
>> my MN-500 but I've noticed that connection to the MN-
500
>> is on and off. The deterioration has gotten worse
over
>> the few days where all of my computers can get
connected
>> for about 15 to 30 minutes before all of them get
>> disconnected for a few hours. I've tried everything
>> that's been suggested in the manual as well as
>> Microsoft's website but the problem persists.
>>
>> Here's what I'm working with:
>> - I've been using the most up-to-date firmware for my
MN-
>> 500 before the problem occurred.
>> - All computers (wire or wireless) are stationary and
>> hasn't been moved around the house.
>> - My MN-500 has stayed in the same location for these
two
>> years and it hasn't moved at all.
>> - I have 2 wireless computers running WinXP SP2 and
one
>> running Win98SE. Wire computer also runs WinXP SP2.
>> - The wire computer works with no problem.
>> - None of the computers (wire or wireless) had any
>> updates of any kind before my connection problems.
>>
>> So why all of a sudden the connection problem? Any
help
>> is much appreciated!!
>>
>> Chris
>
>--
>Please do not contact me directly or ask me to contact
you directly for
>assistance.
>
>If your question is worth asking, it's worth posting.
>
>If it's not worth posting you should have done a search
on
>http://www.google.com/ http://www.google.com/grphp?
hl=en&tab=wg&q= or
>http://news.google.com/froogle?hl=en&tab=nf&ned=us&q=
before wasting our
>time.
>.
>

Well it is most likely either problems caused by a new source if that is
possible or failing hardware.

The connection from the WAN blocked is very normal if you are running
1.09.* or higher for the firmware version. When I was running 1.09.* I
would see only about 3 hours of that & almost nothing else. THis really
annoyed me because it made the log useless to me. You might try
contacting Microsoft & insist on them giving you the 1.08.003 firmware
Unless you have a copy sitting around. I have seen times where
downgrading the firmware will solve problems like this.

The following link has more information about reading the log.

http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/br..._log_file.mspx

(E-Mail Removed) wrote:
> Thanks for the reply.
>
> Yes, I do have 2.4GHz cordless phones at home but I've
> had them for almost a year and they didn't gave me grief
> before. The base station for my cordless phones hasn't
> moved around at all. Neither did my base station. I
> have my Sony Vaio sitting an inch away from the MN-500
> and it's still not picking up on my network. Every once
> in a while, I can pick up signals from my neighbor's
> networks but never my own.
>
> I haven't checked the logs while the base station was
> functioning but I notice a lot of "Connection attempt to
> base station from WAN blocked". Is this normal?
>
> I also realize that my wired connection gets kicked off
> the network every once in while but reconnects just as
> quickly.
>
> Is it time to replace my base station?
>
> Thanks.


--
Please do not contact me directly or ask me to contact you directly for
assistance.

If your question is worth asking, it's worth posting.

If it’s not worth posting you should have done a search on
http://www.google.com/ http://www.google.com/grphp?hl=en&tab=wg&q= or
http://news.google.com/froogle?hl=en&tab=nf&ned=us&q= before wasting our
time.

I cleared this problem up by getting rid of my 2.4 Ghz
cordless telephone. If you do not have one, a nearby
neighbor could. Also try switching channels on you
wireless network, try 6 or 11 I have heard. In any event I
have heard some channels work better with household
interferance.
If you have DSL another option is to have the phone
company in to check things out.
>-----Original Message-----
>I've had my MN-500 for 2 years now and it has been
>working fine for me until a few days ago.
>
>I have 3 computers at home that's connected wireless to
>my MN-500 but I've noticed that connection to the MN-500
>is on and off. The deterioration has gotten worse over
>the few days where all of my computers can get connected
>for about 15 to 30 minutes before all of them get
>disconnected for a few hours. I've tried everything
>that's been suggested in the manual as well as
>Microsoft's website but the problem persists.
>
>Here's what I'm working with:
>- I've been using the most up-to-date firmware for my MN-
>500 before the problem occurred.
>- All computers (wire or wireless) are stationary and
>hasn't been moved around the house.
>- My MN-500 has stayed in the same location for these two
>years and it hasn't moved at all.
>- I have 2 wireless computers running WinXP SP2 and one
>running Win98SE. Wire computer also runs WinXP SP2.
>- The wire computer works with no problem.
>- None of the computers (wire or wireless) had any
>updates of any kind before my connection problems.
>
>So why all of a sudden the connection problem? Any help
>is much appreciated!!
>
>Chris
>.
>