wireless connections stink - is this normal

[legend_018]

I know I started a post before, but did a search and cant find it. I have a wap54G I think it's called. ON the same floor around the corner on my kitchen table I have a Latitude D600 Laptop. Windows is managing it. At one time, I had the Proset/Wirless managing it.

I just can't believe how many times the connection drops. Is this actually normal?
Is will just all of a sudden drop connection and I have to wait a few seconds, close out of Internet Explorer - go back in ect or from my outlook express. Sometimes I reboot. Sometimes I force a disconnect and than reconnect for the wireless connection.

What could be going on here?
update: This is a cable modem. It has excellent connectivity on the regular computer "non wireless"

[glc]

If you have any 2.4 GHz cordless phones, they can interfere. So can your microwave oven.

Please get the exact model number and version of the router. It's on a sticker on the bottom.

[legend_018]

wap54G version 3.1
S/N MDG30F608867

That is what is says on the back of the Router

[legend_018]

Originally Posted by glc If you have any 2.4 GHz cordless phones, they can interfere. So can your microwave oven. Please get the exact model number and version of the router. It's on a sticker on the bottom.

A microwave that is on with something in it or just the microwaves presence?

[glc]

When it's operated.

What is the WAP54G plugged into? That's just a wireless access point, not a router.

[legend_018]

it's plugged into a switch. I than have my smoothwall firewall machine that plugs into the switch and 2 regular computers.

so cable modem - smoothwall machine - switch
switch - regular computer
switch - regular computer
switch - Access Point

[glc]

I was going to suggest you update the firmware on the WAP, but Linksys doesn't even list the 3.1 version, it stops at 3.0.

As an experiment, temporarily relocate the WAP elsewhere in the house, away from anything that you think may cause interference, and test it, with the laptop within 10 feet of it with a clear line of sight.

[legend_018]

As an experiment, temporarily relocate the WAP elsewhere in the house, away from anything that you think may cause interference, and test it, with the laptop within 10 feet of it with a clear line of sight.

I will have to scope out the situation. The WAP is plugged into a switch and hardwires go from teh switch to the smoothwall machine and the other physical machines. It won't work if I take things away from that switch. I suppose I could move the laptop into that room to see what happens.

[Marke522]

Have your called Linksys? They have some pretty good people there on the phone. Also search their database for others that might have allready gone through your problem? If you plug the WAP into the modem directly does it lose connection? Might be a problem with your firewall machine?

For a long time I had trouble trying to connect a WRT54G to a switch, EZXS55W. I could only use the computers on the router when the router was plugged in, baecause I was told it would not allow the other conenctions to pull an address.

They first suggested to place the switch on the router, which defeats the purpose, but then came up with an idea on disbling the DHCP and using the router as a passthrough. Not really what I wanted to do, but it works. Exept now I can only have 4 computers on instead of 36. Not that I have 36, it's just nice to have things work the way I think they should.

[glc]

You can simply unplug the WAP from the switch, move it, and reconnect it with a longer cable for this test. But yes, you can simply take the laptop to the same room and try it line of sight.

Marke, a WAP is not a router - this isn't the same as what you were dealing with. You can't plug it directly into a modem or anything like that.

[Marke522]

Wireless Access Point, right. I know it's different. I just didn't know if he was being dropped from the internet, or from the WAP. My computers were always connected to the wireless router, but had trouble accessing the internet.

But I see now in his first post that seems he is losing connection from the access point. I thought at first he was losing his connection to the internet.

[legend_018]

I haven't done the suggestion yet.
I guess I don't understand why I can literally on the laptop that is running the card disconnect from the wirless network, reconnect and IMMEDIATELY get connection back and it works fine. You know what I mean.

[glc]

Yes I do, and that's almost always local interference of some sort.