Help me, computer geeks!
Jul 6th, 2006, 03:04 PM
#1
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Help me, computer geeks!
It is travel related because I work in the travel industry from my home... from my computer.
Here's the deal. I decided to get a wireless router and just bought the NetGear RangeMax. I had it professionally installed and encrypted.
The signal ranges from 10-54 mbps. It sucks. I am 15 feet from the darn router, too. It drops so low I get booted from my VPN connection which ultimately locks me out of my employer network until the server realizes I am no longer logged in, sometimes up to 1 hour! Grrr...
When I plug in the cat5, the display says the connection speed is 100 mbps.
Is this normal? I have been having trouble getting help from the company that installed the device. They are saying it could be telephones, microwaves, etc...
I have used literally dozens of wireless connections and this is about the worst.
I log into my NEIGHBORS wireless and consistantly get 54 mbps!
Anyway... can anyone tell me what is typical of a household wireless connection?
Sorry to be such a dork...
Here's the deal. I decided to get a wireless router and just bought the NetGear RangeMax. I had it professionally installed and encrypted.
The signal ranges from 10-54 mbps. It sucks. I am 15 feet from the darn router, too. It drops so low I get booted from my VPN connection which ultimately locks me out of my employer network until the server realizes I am no longer logged in, sometimes up to 1 hour! Grrr...
When I plug in the cat5, the display says the connection speed is 100 mbps.
Is this normal? I have been having trouble getting help from the company that installed the device. They are saying it could be telephones, microwaves, etc...
I have used literally dozens of wireless connections and this is about the worst.
I log into my NEIGHBORS wireless and consistantly get 54 mbps!
Anyway... can anyone tell me what is typical of a household wireless connection?
Sorry to be such a dork...
Jul 6th, 2006, 03:17 PM
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Don't know what's typical, but I'm getting 54 with mine too, Linksys, and I'm no more than 10 ft away.
It used to routinely go down and I'd have to plug in. Cable company would not trouble shoot because it was my equipment, as opposed to a router leased from them, and swore it was the router's fault, however, without my doing a thing, the problem has eventually resolved itself. Who knows why...
It used to routinely go down and I'd have to plug in. Cable company would not trouble shoot because it was my equipment, as opposed to a router leased from them, and swore it was the router's fault, however, without my doing a thing, the problem has eventually resolved itself. Who knows why...
Jul 6th, 2006, 03:53 PM
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You should be at 54Mbps pretty much all the time at 15 feet away, reliably connected. My router at home is upstairs probably 45 feet away from the laptop downtstairs and I have rock-solid 54Mbps connection (and I'm using a "generic" CompUSA cheapo router). And I have neighbors close by with their own wireless networks that don't interfere. I install wireless routers for people all the time, so here are a few things I would consider:
What kind of antenna does the router have? It's not pointed up against a wall or anything, is it? Sometimes that can affect your performance; make sure the antenna is at least an inch or two away.
2.4GHZ Cordless phones can interfere with wireless equipment. You might want to get a newer 5.8GHZ type wireless phone if can nail this down as a real problem (try unplugging a 2.4GHZ phone completely for a while and see if that makes any difference). I'm talking about cordless phones, not cell phones. If you have a close neighbor with a phone it could be interfering also.
802.11 wireless radio transmissions use one of 11 "channels" to broadcast. One way wireless networks can co-exist in the same neighborhood is by using different channels. Your router may be on channel 6, so if I see that (you can tell when you are connected the channel number), I'll move mine to channel 1 or channel 11, as far away as possible, to avoid interference.
The RangeMax doesn't give anything better than "regular" 802.11g speeds (54Mbps) if your computer doesn't have a Mimo card - I'm guessing yours doesn't. In that case, I would login to your router and disable any "Super G" or "RangeMax" settings and just use plain old 802.11g ("Super G" may take up more than one of those channels I mentioned above.)
You can try upgrading your Router's firmware. if you login to the router (try going to http://192.168.0.1 ) and look around for an "Upgrade Firmware" option and you can find a newer firmware on Netgear's website for your router, that can sometimes make connections more reliable.
Finally, you might consider getting a different wireless card for your laptop, especially if it's an older card. Get a Mimo card to be able to take advantage of your RangeMax's high speed capabilities.
If you are still confused or having problems, email me from my website, PortlandBridges.com .
Andrew
What kind of antenna does the router have? It's not pointed up against a wall or anything, is it? Sometimes that can affect your performance; make sure the antenna is at least an inch or two away.
2.4GHZ Cordless phones can interfere with wireless equipment. You might want to get a newer 5.8GHZ type wireless phone if can nail this down as a real problem (try unplugging a 2.4GHZ phone completely for a while and see if that makes any difference). I'm talking about cordless phones, not cell phones. If you have a close neighbor with a phone it could be interfering also.
802.11 wireless radio transmissions use one of 11 "channels" to broadcast. One way wireless networks can co-exist in the same neighborhood is by using different channels. Your router may be on channel 6, so if I see that (you can tell when you are connected the channel number), I'll move mine to channel 1 or channel 11, as far away as possible, to avoid interference.
The RangeMax doesn't give anything better than "regular" 802.11g speeds (54Mbps) if your computer doesn't have a Mimo card - I'm guessing yours doesn't. In that case, I would login to your router and disable any "Super G" or "RangeMax" settings and just use plain old 802.11g ("Super G" may take up more than one of those channels I mentioned above.)
You can try upgrading your Router's firmware. if you login to the router (try going to http://192.168.0.1 ) and look around for an "Upgrade Firmware" option and you can find a newer firmware on Netgear's website for your router, that can sometimes make connections more reliable.
Finally, you might consider getting a different wireless card for your laptop, especially if it's an older card. Get a Mimo card to be able to take advantage of your RangeMax's high speed capabilities.
If you are still confused or having problems, email me from my website, PortlandBridges.com .
Andrew
Jul 6th, 2006, 04:28 PM
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My, my... you are pretty amazing, Andrew. I bet you are a handy guy to have around 
I am going to look into each of these suggestions and see what happens.
Looking at your website, I am just in awe! We visit the area often and it is just one of the most beautiful places in the US.
I plan to look at all your photos!
There is a smaller bridge near Jantzen Beach/Vancouver that has a view of Mt Hood with a bunch of boat slips near the bridge. There is a funny retro looking restaurant sign near the bridge which caught my attention.
Do you know which bridge I am referring to? Have a photo?
I really appreciate your help!
I am going to look into each of these suggestions and see what happens.
Looking at your website, I am just in awe! We visit the area often and it is just one of the most beautiful places in the US.
I plan to look at all your photos!
There is a smaller bridge near Jantzen Beach/Vancouver that has a view of Mt Hood with a bunch of boat slips near the bridge. There is a funny retro looking restaurant sign near the bridge which caught my attention.
Do you know which bridge I am referring to? Have a photo?
I really appreciate your help!
Jul 6th, 2006, 04:47 PM
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I have a pretty good photo of Hayden Island with Mt. Hood in the background (going on my homepage soon) - I think this must be what you mean:
http://www.portlandbridges.com/00,DR...nd-oregon.html
The Waddles Restaurant that I think you are talking about was recently converted...into a Hooters! There was some local outcry a year ago when this all came down, but I simply think Waddles wasn't profitable. Never did visit the place, nor have I been to the new Hooters - but they copied the sign of the old Waddles.
Oh - here are some pics (not mine) before and after of Waddles/Hooters:
http://images.google.com/images?clie...=Search+Images
Andrew
http://www.portlandbridges.com/00,DR...nd-oregon.html
The Waddles Restaurant that I think you are talking about was recently converted...into a Hooters! There was some local outcry a year ago when this all came down, but I simply think Waddles wasn't profitable. Never did visit the place, nor have I been to the new Hooters - but they copied the sign of the old Waddles.
Oh - here are some pics (not mine) before and after of Waddles/Hooters:
http://images.google.com/images?clie...=Search+Images
Andrew
