Wireless connection keeps disconnecting

SBC DSL, Windows XP Home with Service Pack 2, Linksys WRT54GS v1.1
wireless router with SpeedBooster

I am in an office with a few Windows XP PCs with wireless cards talking
to a wireless Linksys connected to an SBC modem. The connection from the
PCs to the Linksys keeps dropping and will not reconnect again, even if
you reboot. Certain PCs at certain times of the day talk to the Linksys
and other don't. It seems to be random as to which PC can talk to the
Linksys at a certain time. It isn't signal strength since this happens
on a PC one foot from the Linksys and all the signal strengths come in
as Excellent.

It also isn't a DHCP problem with the Linksys and the SBC modem since if
I connect a wire to the back of the Linksys it always works.

It isn't the cards in the PCs because it fails using both the PCI
wireless cards in the PCs and a laptop with a wireless PCMCIA card.

I also think it isn't collision with another wireless device in the
building since there is only one other wireless device and it is on a
different channel (it is on channel 10 and I'm on 1).

I've tried changing the channel and turning off WEP and that didn't have
any effect. Also, I ran Network Stumbler and got the following numbers:

Chan Speed Vendor Type Enc Signal+ Noise- SNR+
1 54Mbps (Fake) AP WEP -40 -100 60

Do these numbers look OK?

Thanks for any help.
Scott

Scott Simpson <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>I also think it isn't collision with another wireless device in
>the building since there is only one other wireless device and
>it is on a different channel (it is on channel 10 and I'm on 1).

RF interference other than another wifi device is possible too.
You won't necessarily be able to detect it. However, I doubt
that is the problem.

>I've tried changing the channel and turning off WEP and that
>didn't have any effect. Also, I ran Network Stumbler and got the
>following numbers:
>
>Chan Speed Vendor Type Enc Signal+ Noise- SNR+
>1 54Mbps (Fake) AP WEP -40 -100 60
>
>Do these numbers look OK?

The -40 dBm signal is great, and so is the 60 dB SNR.

If you were experiencing RF interference we could presume that
the SNR would be significantly reduced. Also, since this
happens to a client that is sitting "one foot" away, and is
random as to which client is affected, it just does not appear
that RF interference is a likely cause.

Are the PC's getting IP addresses via DHCP? Try a couple of
static address assignments and see if that changes anything.

Has this network configuration worked previously? If it did,
and suddenly changed... think about purchasing a spare WRT54GS
as a backup. (And swap it with the currently used unit just to
make sure that isn't where the problem is.)

--
Floyd L. Davidson <http://web.newsguy.com/floyd_davidson>
Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska) (E-Mail Removed)

Scott Simpson wrote:
> SBC DSL, Windows XP Home with Service Pack 2, Linksys WRT54GS v1.1
> wireless router with SpeedBooster
>

Yup.. go to
http://www.linksys.com/products/prod...id=35&prid=610
and on the right hand side of the page click "firmware"

you will get a page that says:
Firmware Upgrade For

WRT54GS - Wireless-G Broadband Router with SpeedBooster v1.0

Firmware Date : 1/3/2005
Firmware File Size : 3.43MB
Firmware Version : 3.37.6
Click here to download the firmware file.

Click here to download the version information.


-------------------------------------------------------------------
go there and click on the download firmware file.. an upgrader will be
downloaded along with the new firmware....

-------------------------------------------
Do the above... Then try it again.... If you still have probs then post
again.. But until you have a current version (firmware is 3.37.6, your post
said 1.1) it's hard to tell if your problem may not have already been
fixed...

"Scott Simpson" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:kmMVd.92697$bu.61015@fed1read06...
> SBC DSL, Windows XP Home with Service Pack 2, Linksys WRT54GS v1.1
> wireless router with SpeedBooster
>
> I am in an office with a few Windows XP PCs with wireless cards talking
> to a wireless Linksys connected to an SBC modem. The connection from the
> PCs to the Linksys keeps dropping and will not reconnect again, even if
> you reboot. Certain PCs at certain times of the day talk to the Linksys
> and other don't. It seems to be random as to which PC can talk to the
> Linksys at a certain time. It isn't signal strength since this happens
> on a PC one foot from the Linksys and all the signal strengths come in
> as Excellent.
>
> It also isn't a DHCP problem with the Linksys and the SBC modem since if
> I connect a wire to the back of the Linksys it always works.
>
> It isn't the cards in the PCs because it fails using both the PCI
> wireless cards in the PCs and a laptop with a wireless PCMCIA card.
>
> I also think it isn't collision with another wireless device in the
> building since there is only one other wireless device and it is on a
> different channel (it is on channel 10 and I'm on 1).

This is not a good evaluation, there is such a thing as all channel (band)
interference.
There could be a FHSS system nearby or as I found out a very noisy garage
door opener
that kills about 5 channels even when its idle (which I still dont
understand)


>
> I've tried changing the channel and turning off WEP and that didn't have
> any effect. Also, I ran Network Stumbler and got the following numbers:
>
> Chan Speed Vendor Type Enc Signal+ Noise- SNR+
> 1 54Mbps (Fake) AP WEP -40 -100 60
>
> Do these numbers look OK?

..
There are known heat problems with linksys (and others)
especially if they have something sitting ontop of them.
Make sure the ventilation is good. Set it on its side where
both top and bottom can get air and give it a try.

I also was having constant problems with wireless links dropping with a
variety of Linksys Wireless Routers and Access Points.

Last week, I replaced 3 separate Linksys routers and access points at
different offices with Netgrear WGR614 Wireless routers. Everything is now
working perfectly.

I'm completely convinced that these Linksys products are really flakey.
Note: All had been upgraded to the latest firmware.

Mike Schumann

"Scott Simpson" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:kmMVd.92697$bu.61015@fed1read06...
> SBC DSL, Windows XP Home with Service Pack 2, Linksys WRT54GS v1.1
> wireless router with SpeedBooster
>
> I am in an office with a few Windows XP PCs with wireless cards talking to
> a wireless Linksys connected to an SBC modem. The connection from the PCs
> to the Linksys keeps dropping and will not reconnect again, even if you
> reboot. Certain PCs at certain times of the day talk to the Linksys and
> other don't. It seems to be random as to which PC can talk to the Linksys
> at a certain time. It isn't signal strength since this happens on a PC one
> foot from the Linksys and all the signal strengths come in as Excellent.
>
> It also isn't a DHCP problem with the Linksys and the SBC modem since if I
> connect a wire to the back of the Linksys it always works.
>
> It isn't the cards in the PCs because it fails using both the PCI wireless
> cards in the PCs and a laptop with a wireless PCMCIA card.
>
> I also think it isn't collision with another wireless device in the
> building since there is only one other wireless device and it is on a
> different channel (it is on channel 10 and I'm on 1).
>
> I've tried changing the channel and turning off WEP and that didn't have
> any effect. Also, I ran Network Stumbler and got the following numbers:
>
> Chan Speed Vendor Type Enc Signal+ Noise- SNR+
> 1 54Mbps (Fake) AP WEP -40 -100 60
>
> Do these numbers look OK?
>
> Thanks for any help.
> Scott

Peter Pan wrote:


> WRT54GS - Wireless-G Broadband Router with SpeedBooster v1.0
>
> Firmware Date : 1/3/2005
> Firmware File Size : 3.43MB
> Firmware Version : 3.37.6

I already have the latest firmware 3.37.6 but am still having the problem.
Also, I swapped out the Linksys with another Linksys (that only speaks
802.11b and has the latest firmware) and still have the problem. The only
thing I can think of that there is interference with an alarm system or
wireless phone or something. We gave up and ran wires. Sigh...
Scott

Scott Simpson wrote:
> Peter Pan wrote:
>
>
>> WRT54GS - Wireless-G Broadband Router with SpeedBooster v1.0
>>
>> Firmware Date : 1/3/2005
>> Firmware File Size : 3.43MB
>> Firmware Version : 3.37.6
>
> I already have the latest firmware 3.37.6 but am still having the
> problem. Also, I swapped out the Linksys with another Linksys (that
> only speaks 802.11b and has the latest firmware) and still have the
> problem. The only thing I can think of that there is interference
> with an alarm system or wireless phone or something. We gave up and
> ran wires. Sigh... Scott

Had to do that myself a few times (go back to wired).. I picked up one of
those wifi finder things (I live in an apartment) and it turns out it was a
neighbors baby monitor (and I didn't think they were gonna get rid of the
kid... Luckily, they moved)