Internet constantly disconnecting

[kdh]

I have been having trouble with keeping my wireless internet connected.  We recently switched from dialup to wireless broadband.  However, my computer keeps kicking me off internet occasionally.  My husband has a laptop also that he is not having any problems with.  In order to reconnect, I have to completely turn off my antenna and turn it back on in order to get it to reconnect.  Usually, it will, but sometimes I have to try a couple of times.  If anyone would help, I would greatly appreciate it.  Here are some things about my computer:

Compaq cq50-215NR

Windows Vista

Atheros AR5007 802,11b/g WiFi Adapter

We are running a Belkin router, but I do not think that is the problem since my husband is not having any trouble.

Thanks for any help you can offer.

[CyberVisions]

There are many things that affect a wireless connection, but random drops usually are due to improper adapter wireless and power settings which result in a weak signal. You can check your connection strength by opening the Network and Sharing window. Your adapter's  Power Settings need to be set at 100% to alleviate connection problems, and its settings need to match your Router's Wireless Mode settings. If the adapter is either dropping a connection or turning off seemingly without any reason, it's possible that it may be set to be turned off by the system to conserve power when it doesn't need to be. You should also verify that your system isn't sitting next to any transformers (move your AC adapter as far away from your system as the cable will allow if possible, as well as any others) or cordless phone bases to rule out interference.  A/V software and firewalls can also have an adverse effect on wireless connections.

Your adapter's Power Settings need to be set at 100% to alleviate connection problems, and its settings need to match your Router's Wireless Mode settings. If the adapter is either dropping a connection randomly, it's likely the adapter's power settings aren't set to their highest levels. You should also verify that your Router's Transmission Power is set to Highest.

1. First, check your current Power Plan Advanced Settings. Click on Control Panel - Power - Change Plan Settings - Change Advanced Power Settings, then navigate to the Wireless Adapter + and open it out.

2. Under Power Saving Mode for the Wireless Adapter, set it to Maximum Performance.

Verify that the WLAN Adapter power settings are correct

Internal wireless networking adapters or PCMCIA cards may have problems connecting to a wireless network if the

Power Output settings are not set to 100%. Follow the steps below to verify the correct settings:

1.Click Start and then right-click the Computer icon.
2.Select Properties from the menu list. The System window appears.
3.Select the Device Manager from the left panel of the System window. Accept any prompts that may appear.
4.Click the plus sign (+) next to Network Adapters.
5.Right-click on the WLAN adapter in the list and select Properties.
6.On the Advanced tab select Power Output from the Properties list. The value should be 100%.
If the value is set any number lower than 100% change the value to 100% and then click OK.

7. Under the Power Management tab, if the Allow Computer to turn off this device is checked, uncheck it.

8 .Close the Device Manager, restart the notebook PC and attempt to reconnect to the wireless network.

The Performance Information and Tools window will also show any information pertaining to Adapter shutdown by the system or connection issues.

1. Go to Control Panel, click on Performance Information and Tools.

2. On the left side, click on Advanced Tools.

Performance Issues will be shown at the top as a yellow exclamation.

Click on Open Performance and Reliability Monitor.

1. Under Monitoring Tools, click on Reliability Monitor.

2. The Stability Chart shows activity since the system was installed. You can select a date or view all data by

choosing Select All in the drop down menu on the right

3. Red Circle X's indicate failures - click on any in the Software Uninstall, Application, Hardware, or Miscellaneous Failure rows.

4. The failure explanations are below the chart. See if any correspond to the adapter.

You should also check your system's Event logs to see what information is being recorded when the connection drops.

1. Click on Start, type in Eve, then click on Event Viewer at the top of the list.

2. Check the following logs for Information or Errors:

Custom - Administrative, all Network Diagnostics.

Windows - Applications, Services

Applications & Services - Hardware Events

Microsoft/Windows - Diagnostics: Networking, WLAN - Auto Config.

[kdh]

I have tried the above mentioned ideas.  However, I am still having trouble.  For instance, we left this evening and when we returned, I tried to get online.  I turned off the antenna and turned it back on.  Then I tried actually disconnecting from the server because it is showing connection with strong signal, but it is not letting me get online.  Then, I ran a couple of the diagnostic actions.  I requested a new IP and reset the wireless connection.  Neither of these worked.  then I tried disconnecting and reconnecting again.  This time it did work.  It takes a lot of trial and error because sometimes the other actions work and the connect and disconnect does not.  I am at my whit's end and do not know what else to try.  any more ideas?

[Zoot]

I am having the same problem here but with just this notebook and Vista Home.  I am trying to connecto to a wireless N Linksys Router and periodically the laptop drops this connection completely you can still see the other ones in the neighborhood.  The other 2 PCs on my network do not drop it and stay connected.

[hectorivansoto]

I have had the same problem. It took me a while to figure out that some wireless phones (landline based) interfere withe WIFI.  In my case it was whenever a neigbor anwered his household phone i lost my internet.  It's curios because some conections will become affected while others do not.  I had to visit him and change his wireless phone opition.  He did me a favor and changed to wired phone. and havent had any problems since.

[CyberVisions]

Sorry I haven't responded recently - the local Moderator chided me because I berated a poster who was putting out BS. As someone who was part of HP's Support system when it was good, I've felt strongly both as a professional tech and as an HP Certified Tech to help those on these and other forums. But frankly, the fact that the Moderators or HP doesn't seem to really care if professionals are helping or not has made me question why I'm spending any time here.  Sorry for the bad attitude, but I have a hard time with people who make it difficult for those like you seeking answers by posting guesses or outright BS, or who are just looking for an ego boost, and Moderators who cannot see where the real problems are because they don't spend any time on the site looking. They only respond when someone has an issue, even if that person is the one causing problems. I guess I'm a bit old fashioned, but there have been many time where my professional viewpoint and ethics have been severely tested, and I've held by them all these years. I don't tolerate BS very well, and even less so by those with enough knowledge to be dangerous do so at the expense of people like you with real issues. They don't care if you lose work or have to get your system fixed (or worse) after listening to bad advice. Frankly, after almost 40 years, it's getting old. I know there are other professional engineers and techs with similar experience who like to do what I  do also, but have been turned off by the format, "Kudo/Points Begging", and people who just don't have a clue. I've been giving serious consideration to doing my own support forums. One day maybe. 

So this may be the last of my posts around here. I apologize again for the bad attitude and not responding in a more timely fashion.

KDH: Actually, Belkin routers have the most issues of any of them, I'm sorry to say. It sounds from your last post that the adapter power is being turned off by the system, which is the default setting for most systems. Open up you Power Options (Control Panel) then make your way to the Advanced Settings. Navigate to the Network Adapter settings, then turn off the settings allowing the system to turn it off (change both to Maximum Peformance). It's probably set on Medium or Low now. Your adapter might not have a Power setting tab, but it might be in the Advanced or Configuration area. It depends on the adapter, but most of them have the setting option for allowing the system to turn off the adapter.

If you haven't yet done so, right click on the adapter in your Device Manager, then select Uninstall (not the drivers), then restart. The System will automatically reinstall it when it reboots.

Consider the environment/room where your system is also - if you read about the interference issue Hector had, you  don't have to get your neighbor to switch phones. You can compensate for that in the Router settings by choosing an offset frequency in the Wireless Mode's Wide and Standard Channel. For Standard, set it at 20mhz and choose Channel 11.  The Advanced Channel should be set to 40mhz and Auto, unless you want to go through all 9 manual settings to see which one works best.

Many times it's trial and error - no network device combination is the same, because they're in a different environment.  Something else to consider is how many cable boxes you have connected to your system. The more devices connected to your system, the more voltage is dropped over the entire network. Voltage in this case is represented as signal, so less voltage means less signal. The same thing can happen if your house is a good distance from your cable service connection, as the longer the cable the less signal you'll have when it gets to your house. Cable TV isn't representative of Internet signal either - they're separate and different.

If you think you might have a low signal, it can be verified by calling your ISP. To boost your signal, you need an AC powered 10/10000 Line Amplifier that goes on your coax cable and boosts the signal at the point where it enters your house. The type of amps which just connect to the cable and don't use AC 

are cheap and really don't work well. An example comparison would be speaker set powered by AA batteries or a set that's AC powered. Which do you think is more powerful?

---

Hector:

It would've been easier to adjust your Wireless Mode setting on your Router than to get your neighbor to switch phones. The options allow you to choose an offset frequency from the base frequency used by most cordless phones (2.4ghz) specifically to adjust for this kind of problem. The most offset option is channel 11, or 2.462ghz. Still, your experience is a prime example of the problems that cordless phones and other RFI causing items can have on Wi-Fi. I suspect it's the cause of many a dropped online game as well.

---

Zoot: At least you're smart enough to realize that your network isn't the only one around. You'd be surprised how many people connect to a neighbor's network and then try and figure out why their WEP / WPA key won't work, or their signal is really weak next to the router.

N Router connections are affected by antenna positions, interference, and adapter/router setup. Just because your other systems don't drop isn't an indication of a hardware problem, just a setup or setting problem. 

Some Linksys N Routers have directional antennas that can be adjusted, others don't. Mine does and I had to recently adjust the direction when I changed my notebook's location in my house. Location in the home is also something people usually don't consider - RF signals are affected by building materials. If your notebook is separated from the router by a thicker than normal cement floor (or just a cement floor), you're in a room that's got a lot of metal in it or it's got metal studs rather than wood, it will affect the broadcast signal. Think of a Router the way you would any radio device - it's the radio station, and your notebook is the radio. Sometimes you need to move it, change the channel (frequency), direct the antenna (on the Router since the notebook doesn't have directional antennas), even take it outside. If the room your in has problems with Cell reception, it's likely the reason your wireless is having issues as well.

The Linksys site has good tutorials on setting up your Router - if it's greek to you, then give them a call. They're usually pretty good at helping people setup their Routers/Adapters. Just make sure you register your router first or they won't talk to you.

Consider too what your Router's Wireless Mode setting is and what your adapter's is. Your adapter must be set to match your Router for the best possible connection, and even then you can have problems. The Internet is literally like a superhighway, and it is subject to traffic jams and slowdowns just like real traffic is. Most people don't think of that because they don't visualize or experience it like they do in a rush hour traffic. 

Your Linksys N router's Wireless Mode settings should ONLY be set to Wireless N if ALL of your adapters (all systems) are Wireless N. If you have even one adapter that's not an N adapter, then you need to change it to Mixed. Advanced should be set to 40mhz and Standard to Auto or 20mhz. If you're not sure, set both to Auto.

Most adapters have specific settings that enable Wireless N also, as well as Power and Radio settings. If they're too low, it can cause multiple signal drops.

The larger point I'm trying to make here is that if you get bad reception on a TV, you blame the cable company and not the TV manufacturer. Your notebook isn't the problem - it's the setup between your adapter and router that's the issue. I will tell you that if you haven't already done so, to update your adapter driver and your Router firmware. Even if you haven't for the Router, Linksys Standard Procedure for signal and speed issues is to always first flash the firmware with the current release. If you have it, do it anyway. You should also have Vista SP1 installed.

[melanchete]

Here try this if you are running Vista and are having disconnection issues.  Stop using Internet Explorer 8 and use Fire Fox, Safari, or Chrome.  I believe that you will find the IE8 is the issue.  I hope that SP2 fixes this. 

[CyberVisions]

IE 8 has caused problems, but there's already a patch out there for it. Usually when IE is a factor, it's because it resets the Internet Options and Firewall settings and you have to reset them again.