"rusty" <(E-Mail Removed)> hath wroth:
>Hi
>
>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.
>
>Any suggestions would be appreciated.
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:
|
http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi#Interference
|
http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Fast_...9_interference
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.
Probably not related but worth considering:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=910387
--
Jeff Liebermann
(E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D
http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060
http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558
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