Wireless deterioration

Hi All,

I have a Netgear DG834G v1 ADSL wireless router which has been working fine
since I first bought it 2 years ago. However, recently I've notice that the
wireless speed does not go above 11Mbps whereas before it wouldn't drop
below 36Mbps. The router is located in the downstairs hallway but the signal
varies between very low to low on a desktop PC (4m away in lounge) and low
to good on my laptop (2m away in dining room). I've tried changing channels
but there's no change on any of the 13 ones available. I've also upgraded
the router to the latest firmware but no difference.

Having searched on Google for answers I've discovered that I'm not alone in
experiencing this issue. In fact, I'm quite fortunate in getting 2 years
service out of it rather than a few weeks to 12 months for some poor souls!
I'm slowly resigning to the fact that the wireless component is slowly dying
and may have to look at buying a replacement.

My question is whether it's feasible for the internal wireless module to be
replaced/upgraded as I don't really want to trash it since everything else
works fine. If not, my other option is to buy an access point for the
wireless function. Any recommendations which won't cost the earth (i.e. less
than £100)?

Thanks

Mehbs

This is almost similar to my D-Link wifi router problem. I get about 2
years of good functionality, and the last few months, the signal
strength goes form Excellent to non-existent (no green bar) every few
seconds. Replacing the router with a new one (another brand) solved the
problem. I wonder if any wifi hardware experts in this group can
explain what is causing this failure? Note that the wifi clients and
setups have not changed significantly to cause the transient
connectivity.

You might try changing from whatever channel the router is currently on
to see if it might be interference from an outside (or possibly inside)
source. Keep in mind that you are sharing the radio spectrum with a lot
of other devices, so that might be the first thing to try.

"Cmdr Data" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed) oups.com...
> This is almost similar to my D-Link wifi router problem. I get about 2
> years of good functionality, and the last few months, the signal
> strength goes form Excellent to non-existent (no green bar) every few
> seconds. Replacing the router with a new one (another brand) solved the
> problem. I wonder if any wifi hardware experts in this group can
> explain what is causing this failure? Note that the wifi clients and
> setups have not changed significantly to cause the transient
> connectivity.
>

Although the router is placed in a well ventilated area (i.e. hallway) and
left switched on all the time, I can only assume the heat generated from
within the case has somehow cause the wireless components to deteriorate
over time?

"bretk" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed) ups.com...
> You might try changing from whatever channel the router is currently on
> to see if it might be interference from an outside (or possibly inside)
> source. Keep in mind that you are sharing the radio spectrum with a lot
> of other devices, so that might be the first thing to try.
>

I did (as mentioned in my original post) and no change for any of the 13
channels available.

If the wireless access point is configured in Mixed mode then I *think*
that it will operate at (up to) 54Mbps if all clients are 802.11g
devices, and (up to) 11Mbps if any client is an 802.11b device. So...
are you set up to operate in mixed mode, and... has an 11b device
connected to your network?
Col

Mehbs wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> I have a Netgear DG834G v1 ADSL wireless router which has been working fine
> since I first bought it 2 years ago. However, recently I've notice that the
> wireless speed does not go above 11Mbps whereas before it wouldn't drop
> below 36Mbps. The router is located in the downstairs hallway but the signal
> varies between very low to low on a desktop PC (4m away in lounge) and low
> to good on my laptop (2m away in dining room). I've tried changing channels
> but there's no change on any of the 13 ones available. I've also upgraded
> the router to the latest firmware but no difference.
>
> Having searched on Google for answers I've discovered that I'm not alone in
> experiencing this issue. In fact, I'm quite fortunate in getting 2 years
> service out of it rather than a few weeks to 12 months for some poor souls!
> I'm slowly resigning to the fact that the wireless component is slowly dying
> and may have to look at buying a replacement.
>
> My question is whether it's feasible for the internal wireless module to be
> replaced/upgraded as I don't really want to trash it since everything else
> works fine. If not, my other option is to buy an access point for the
> wireless function. Any recommendations which won't cost the earth (i.e. less
> than £100)?
>
> Thanks
>
> Mehbs
>
>

"a" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> If the wireless access point is configured in Mixed mode then I *think*
> that it will operate at (up to) 54Mbps if all clients are 802.11g devices,
> and (up to) 11Mbps if any client is an 802.11b device. So... are you set
> up to operate in mixed mode, and... has an 11b device connected to your
> network?
> Col
>
All clients are 11g devices. I've tried running in both mixed mode and 11g
only but no difference. I borrowed my brother-in-laws wireless router (which
is identical to mine) and configured it with my backed up settings. All my
11g devices reported speeds of 36Mbps and higher so I know the access point
in my router is definitely on it's way out.

Thanks for the thought anyway.