Hogfan2502 wrote:
- Windows version - Windows 7
- Wireless adapter make & model - How do i locate this?? My wireless router, if thats what you mean, is a D-Link DIR-655, pretty old i guess, but has done its job.
- Distance between the router and the pc(s)/laptops(s) - Well the main router is setup on my desktop in the far corner of the house, 2200sf, I have an 2 xbox 360's and ps3's all in the same room, BIG play room, so they are not far away. I have a TV in the master bedroom thats wireless, has wifi to stream, etc. It is approx. 30 to 40 ft. away going through walls, etc. I have a laptop thats usually 30ft away. I really have no problem with stuff connecting, my wireless router i use which is also with my desktop, drops its signal a lot, seems its gotten worse the last few months. Prob does it once an hour or so give or take. It always connects back within a min or two, but its just frustrating when watching a movie or even when using my desktop to browse the web and it goes down and u have to wait.
- Are the interior walls concrete? NO, walls are not concrete, well the wall going from the playroom, where the routers are to the living room and other rooms is brick, remodeled and added the playroom and put drywall over the brick, so i guess it could be but there is 2 open doorways and a huge window opening with no window, but all the other walls in the house are not concrete.
- Have you tried changing the channels? Have no idea how to do this, i'm sure its simple, but i dont know.
- When you search for wireless networks, how many do you see and are there many with high signal strength? There are usually 3 to 6 that pop up but mine is always the strongest and at full bars.
- have you tried updating the firmware on the router? I have no idea how i would go about this.
Thanks for the help.
- Check wireless adapter - r-click "Computer" on start menu and goto "manage" then click "device manager" on the left
You'll see "network adapters", click on the + beside it and it will show you
- Distance is your problem here
- Changing the channel the router transmits on might help.
In your browser open the following links -
http://192.168.0.1 or
http://192.168.1.1
One of those should have brought you to a webpage built into the modem?
By default D-Link username is "admin" and password is blank
You should see "SETUP" at the top, click this then click "Wireless settings" on the left
Untick "enable auto channel scan" (this only makes it hop from channels 1, 4 & 11 ignoring the rest)
Below that there's an option to set the channel.
It's best doing this on a pc connected via cable or at least one thats very close to the router in case you loose connectivity.
First try channels 1, 6 & 11 and see which are better for you.
You could try use the "inSSIDer" tool to check which channel might get the best signal.
http://www.metageek.net/products/inssider/
Install this on a laptop or pc and run it when beside the router, in fact it might be worth turning off your router when doing it.
- Updating the firmware is done via this webpage on the modem too. Firmware is just the software / os on the router.
You could download it from d-links website and then load it through the
http://192.168.0.1 page - if you do this, the router will loose all changes and go back to defaults, so you may need to change the channel back to whichever worked best.
- Since the strongest signal you see is your own network, updating the firmware might be your only option.
Mike has a valid point. Wireless is never going to complete with a cable connection, not unless you invest a lot of money.
If possible, run as many devices via cable and for those that can only use wifi, you could look into buying a wireless access point and locating this in the middle of the house. The access point could connect via cable or wireless to the broadband router, cable is preferred and the AP would be cheaper.
Ken
