Wireless Lan Shenanigans

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danwilkie
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Wireless Lan Shenanigans

Post by danwilkie »

Hi everybody!

Basically, the setup I have at home is my gaming machines are connected together on a 100MB switch, but due to my other half not letting me run cables downstairs to where the phone is, my ADSL is on a wireless router and each machine has a Wireless Nic which it connects to the internet through.

This setup works fine, except for one thing. My laptop which has a Netgear MA521 card will periodically drop the connection for about 10 secs then get it back. Disabled the WinXP Zero Config service so its just using the netgear software. That helped a bit. Then I specified it to only connect to that specified access point and specified the SSID. That made a heck of a difference, but its still not perfect. One second I'll have an excellent connection, then it'll disconnect, then I'll have an excellent connection again.

It wouldn't normally bother me that much, but its really annoying when I'm using the laptop for Eve and it disconnects.

The other machines using Netgear wireless PCI cards are fine. Its a cardbus card, and its a Compaq Evo n620 laptop.

I also disabled the option that said allow windows to turn off this device to conserve power too, and neither the router or the card are using encryption.
Dan Wilkie
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Post by mid_gen »

I had the same problem with a Netgear PCI card, and an Intel Pro PC-card adapter.

Not solved it for either of em, just took back the Netgear 802.11b and got a D-link 802.11g card for the same price, and just don't use the Intel card :/
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Post by mid_gen »

Only have this problem connection to Netgear APs btw, me 3com one is all fine and dandy with any adapter I've tried :)
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Post by LemonSHARK »

when you said
Disabled the WinXP Zero Config service so its just using the netgear software. That helped a bit.
did you mean that you had both the netgear software running and windows zero config?

I've always found win zero config fine as long as no other software is running. Although if you both had this problem, it's probably just a shite card.
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Post by mid_gen »

It's not the same card...just same manufacturer, although I'm pretty sure the PCI card is simply a PC card on an adapter...well, I'm sure of it in fact.
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Post by rib? »

i get this problem on my lappy too running an 11b card and im only feet away from the netgear WEP, i run 128bit key too.
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danwilkie
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Post by danwilkie »

So it seems to be netgear cards then... The AP I use is a Belkin one. My Ebuyer own brand PCI card upstairs is absolutely fine. Might just buy another PCMCIA jobby then :0
Dan Wilkie
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