Stupid wireless Routers.....

[Tommy2guns]

How do i change the channels?

[Poriggity]

That sucks Tommy!  If you can't seem to get the Belkin working, try a netgear.  Ive had a netgear for a long time now, with NO problems.
Scott  

[Rob The Long Island Cowboy]

Ok here's the scenario....I have my pc upstairs,the pc that the router and cable modem is attached to is on the first floor.The router is pretty much centrally located to where i am.The trouble is it will cut out and lose the signal most of the time,Thus i lose the internet connection.It is a Belkin router 54 mbps,802.11g,2.4 ghz.It's all connected properly,but i will constantly cut out.I am not a techi so please make your response to my level of understanding,Thanks.

Try changing channels.  6 and 11 are common.  You could be getting interfierence from a cordless phone.

Spot on sir.  Most likely a phone or a microwave oven.

[eleuthardt]

How do i change the channels?

You will need to open the configuration page in your browser, and there will be a page to set wireless settings.  This is best performed when you are connected to the router.

[JoeBob]

I dunno....

It sounds to me like the problem is someplace between the moniter and the chair.

[ScrooLoose]

How do i change the channels?

You will need to open the configuration page in your browser, and there will be a page to set wireless settings.  This is best performed when you are connected to the router.

Like they said...  Depending on Manufacturer, just click on every link in the configuration until you see a channel option.  There should be a 6 or 11 by default.  I have always had good luck with channel 5 and channel 9.  I used to use channel 9 in the old apartment complex I was in until I bought my house.  Just for note, wireless routers, apartment complexes, & stupid neighbors are a bad combination.  I just recently work on a Westell unit that chose 3 by default.  Weird unit that one.

[Skipper the cigar aFISHinodo]

a tangential word of advice, wireless routers are open gateways. And even though you may not have good signal 10 feet away, the signal can do some wierd bounce thing and 40 feet away it could be great. meaning neighbors can have free internet at your expense.

Learn the pages and learn (& use) these options:

1. do not broadcast your router/network name
   
2. Change the network name!
   
3. use & require some form of encription (do not use the max level, it will cost you too much performance)

These 3 steps are a good start. Please do not consider a wireless router without using at least these 3 options.

[eleuthardt]

a tangential word of advice, wireless routers are open gateways. And even though you may not have good signal 10 feet away, the signal can do some wierd bounce thing and 40 feet away it could be great. meaning neighbors can have free internet at your expense.

Learn the pages and learn (& use) these options:

1. do not broadcast your router/network name
   
2. Change the network name!
   
3. use & require some form of encription (do not use the max level, it will cost you too much performance)

These 3 steps are a good start. Please do not consider a wireless router without using at least these 3 options.

 

All very good suggestions.  I have found that for home use MAC filtering is easy to add, and then lowere encryption levels are not a problem.  But, since I do this type of thing for a living I have my wireless behind a firewall/VPN and seperated from the wired LAN which has another firewall before the internet.  I also run the windows firewall on all my connections.

[bartok]

All good advice above.  Your proximity to your neighbors may be the real culprit here, if it's constant drop-outs.  If they're using the same channel, that will happen.

[Tommy2guns]

Thanks for all the help folks,I enabled the windows firewall on my internet connections.However....Now my pc won't boot to the desktop.All it does is come on,I get the first two screens then it restarts itself and repeats this cycle until i manually turn it off.IF it wasn't for bad luck i wouldn't have any luck at all.