Even I understand although I think it's a backwards overkill to the real issue which is his router or wireless cards are having issues. Wireless is a weird animal with issues all it's own. I know many of you are very hard against wireless but I have had some decent success with it, although it is a learning process like anything else.
So that is why I figured I would step up and share some pointers, real pointers that could help him get some good signal going and resolve the main, real issue. My goodness your doctors, yes you can treat the fever and the sore throat with and the patient feels better, but at the root cause is a strep infection which properly diagnosised and treated with common antibiotics we'll cure the actual infection and the patient will actually get better, also resolving the fever and sore throat. Let's treat the real issue here, a poorly set up wireless network or some poor equipment choices. Heck we haven't even heard back from him yet on the actual tech issues I brought up to see where his network stands. This is one of the few areas where I actually feel I know a bit more than some of you because I have continued to struggle with it and have learned a great deal about it in the last year or two.
last pointer here for anyone who would care to know a lot more. I hope it has been revised as tech always marches on, but the best $15-$20 I ever spent on this subject was for the "Wirelss Networks and Hacks for Dummies" book I bought about a year and a half ago now. Yes the big bright, embarressing ones. This things was choke full or terms, advice and a whole bunch of other things wireless not directly related to computers (but they are out there, you could have an entire wirless home!)
Not to toot my own horn here, but we have at least half a dozen other known and easily "visiable" networks all around us polluting the surrounding area, we ourselves are using a great little 2.4 four line phone system that also works in the same basic frequency range, and we have some pretty solid signal. Nancy really wants to stay wireless, as a long time ago I offered her ethernet plugs all over the office and she was firm about no plugs for the laptops. So "Rabbit baby wants, Rabbit baby gets". Trust me, setting deep inside the cards and their software, your router, your choice of router, and espeically which channel you choose, makes an aweful large difference.
And lastly, I am amazed, really, really amazed at just how much better our basic thru-put and stability has been effected for the better since changing internet security packages. It never even dawned on my, nor was it anything any of the "experts" ever suggested or discussed. But after all the hell I went thru just a few weeks ago with Trend Micro and now we are the best we have ever been, the girls just are not calling out about "lost connections" at all, they are all gone, completely, the security package you use really does have a big influence on the function of your network. And I gather since wireless is more tenuous, it really shows up many fold larger in a wireless network. Kaspersky you have made a believer out of me....
Sniff your area, find the other networks and their channels, pick a solid channel, with the less amount of traffic or the weakest of the signals around. So if there are 2 really weak ones in 6 but one strong one in 1 and 11 I would still try 6 first, because the strength of the signal and the possible cancelation conflicting signals can cause are just as important and the number of networks. Get a good MIMO router, if you don't have built in wireless cards, then certainly get the brand matching card for perfect commmunication (we don't ours all have their cards built in). The NeGear Max Ranges really do seem to have gotten the idea of multiple out and sniffing and finding the clients down very well. If you are investing for the first time the new 2.4, 5.0 "N" standard ones that can do N totally out of the crowded 2.4 range sound like a great way to go both for better uncrowded signal as well as security (almost nobody uses it or has equipment to work there). If and when our equipment has issues, this is where I'm probably heading. "N" at the 5.0 range, but to really take advantage of it you'll need to get the matching duel range cards for the laptops, but if you really have a difficult area or office park, it's probably your best bet.... Check out this link and tell me I'm wrong here....
This one is the new duel range one that if I were buying now, I probably would
http://www.netgear.com/Products/Rou...ways/WNDR3300.aspx?detail=SpecificationsWe purchased over a year ago now, so this was one of the two best ones available at the time that did regular 2.4 "G" to match our internal cards back then. Still kicking butt and actually doing better recently since the software switch:
http://www.netgear.com/Products/RoutersandGateways/RangeMaxWirelessRoutersandGateways/WPN824.aspxLastly, Brian's idea certainly could work, have a few extra desktops, go to them via logmein and fly them remotely with your wireless laptops, so if you loose connection, that actual working computer that is hardwired to the intra and internet actually hasn't lost connection, on the remotely login in laptop probably has, as the two connected computers are only trading screenshots and not real data back and forth. Sure it'll work, but what a weird way to give in and not attach the issue at the source.
If you really want to go wireless, then you need to assess what is going on in your area and with your wireless signals and equipment. Yes to some people they are Voodoo like Auto trannys and servers are to many others, but if set up properly with some respect for the laws of physics they can be quite useful and function pretty reliably.
Are you enjoying watching the family in-fighting here yet??? Welcome to AC and yes post one issue on one thread and under the best heading....
Paul
