Help with Wi-Fi interference.

[Jordain]

I'm glad this forum is here, I just hope someone can help.

I've had a wireless network in my home since I moved in three years ago, it has worked flawlessly for most of my time here but until recently I began noticing problems.

At first it showed errors at times, saying there was an IP conflict with another system, then one day I was unable to log on at all. I checked my card, working fine, checked the cable connection, working fine, the modem?, fine, the router appeared to be the problem, so I unplugged it and plugged it back in, trying to reset it, this is what the cable rep suggested. When I left the router unplugged and checked my computer, as I suspected, I was able to log on, it was obvious my neighbors also had a wireless network and it was intruding on my own. I plugged my router back in and have only had problems here and there, I stopped playing EQ so I did not notice that my connection is sporadic and very unstable until very recently.

While trying to download from iTunes my download will stop and I will get an error message, I think that my connection is so unstable that it just can't finish the download, this is obviously very frustrating.

Anybody have any idea how to increase stability or even better, ensure my computer and the other 2 I have at home always connect to my router , without breaking into my neighbor's house and toasting their router?

I'm running XP and I have a Netgear router and card.

[Catila Amano]

My suspicion is that both routers are using the same channel. The router should have a way to change the channel used (I think there are 11 or 13 channels possible). I'm guessing that both routers are using the default channel, which happens to be the same channel on both. Try changing channels to one farther towards the end of the choices, but test each of them to see which gives the best signal strength on the client end.

You can also get signal-boosting antennas that will make it so your router's signal is stronger than other routers in the area.

Lastly, make sure you use encryption (WEP or WPA, the latter of which is preferred, if available) and set your router to not accept any outside connections. I don't know the specifics about Netgear routers, but I'm guessing that you can specify what MAC addresses it will accept (those being the ones for your client(s)), and reject all other MAC addresses not specified in the configuration.

Hope this helps.

[Tinnax]

Not that I'm a wireless pro, but could there also be an IP address conflict? If both routers come with some default IP ranges, both of them using the DHCP IP ranges that is, then there's your problem.

WEP is a good idea anyway, but you wont' solve the problem by simple encryption if you are both spouting the same DHCP. The problem is not him getting to -your- router, its your computer trying to get into both routers at the same time.

[Jordain]

That's what I thought too, my computers seems to be toggling between the two networks, and while the connection remains stable enough when I'm browsing the net, it becomes a problem with gaming or music.

I'm gonna try the channel thing, see if that helps.

[ravaa]

The netgear software should also allow you to select which wireless network you want the card to access specifically via the wireless control software.