Wireless routers--not auto switching

[jepeters]

I work in 2 different schools that use wireless. In the one school, I can take a laptop anywhere in the building the the computer will connect to the nearest router. In the other school, the computers seem to want to stick with the same router, even though the signal is shown as Very Low and I am standing right at a different router. If I manually switch to the other router, I will then get the strong signal, but shouldn't it be doing this automatically?

The computers are set to automatically detect any router signal when in range. Each router has a different SSID, and there is a section where we can prioritize which one we want to be connected to, but that doesn't seem to have any effect as to wether or not they will switch to the stronger signal.

Actually, the computer I was testing today DID automatically connect to one particular router every time I went to it. But it would NEVER connect to one of the others automatically, and only SOMETIMES would connect to the third.

One other difference between the 2 schools. In the school that DOES switch, all routers have the same SSID. In the school that doesn't switch, each router has a different SDID.

I would appreciate any help in getting this solved, as teachers end up spending a lot of class time trying to get the kids connected when they move the laptop cart around the building.

[cmillar6]

One other difference between the 2 schools. In the school that DOES switch, all routers have the same SSID. In the school that doesn't switch, each router has a different SDID.

there are ways to fix this but the easiest solution is to give the routers the same SSID, that way you will only have one SSID in your preferred network list and windows isn't forced to make a decision. I am assuming you are using the wireless utility built into windows xp.

[jepeters]

I didn't set up the Linksys routers myself. Is there some way to access these things through their IP number so the setup can be changed (without connecting them directly to a computer?)

I can connect to our netgear and belkin routers simply by typing their IP number in a browser, but that doesn't work with the Linksys routers. The Linksys setup wizard seems to want the router connected directly to the computer. I'd rather not do that if possible, as they are difficult to access.

[cmillar6]

at least for any linksys router I've ever used you have to be connected to the router either through a wired or wireless connection to configure them. They can be setup to be configured remotely but that option is disabled by default. Just browse for the routers SSID in your list of available networks, connect to it, then punch in its IP address in your browser and make your changes.