Wireless network

[boofhead]

Driving me mad. I lost my DSL connection when the provider made me upgrade the modem. I could no longer make the wireless router work. It was connected and recognised but would not send a wireless signal (or at least no computer around the house could detect it beyond a few feet). So I bought a new router, an N MIMO router. It is supposed to be backward compatible, since all my computers are G or B. IO also have a Hawkings range extender that does not work with non-G systems, or at least I have been told that is true.
The new router set up easily, and the extender said it was working so I put the stuff around the house and it does not work. The computers in the house do not see the router or the range extender, except in the same room as the router. Same problem as before. Cannot force the wireless to connect no way.
Question, is this due to the receivers not being N? Can I tell the router to send information on the old G system? Is there some security with the new type that I can stop?
The router is a Belkin and most of the network cards are also Belkin. The house is big, with three floors and each floor is a concrete slab with rebar so it is not easy, but it should work at least 20 feet you would think.
Driving me mad, or did I already say that?

[hellsbrink]

As far as not picking up the router outside the room goes, your house should not be an issue as I am using a USR wireles router/USB dongle/whatever is in laptops and I have not had issues with getting a signal through a reinforced concrete floor (house is similar, one PC on "ground" floor so signal has to go through floor AND solid brick wall, mainPC and router in lounge on first floor, laptop can be anywhere but is usually top floor. No extenders) so I wonder about the transmit power settings to start with..

I'd really have to see the setup to figure it out, but it's strange it happened after changing dsl modem and I can't figure out why that would be an issue. Do you still have the old modem to try your with your setup and what is the make/model of the new modem?

[boofhead]

I agree with you, it should be independent of the modem. Even with no modem attached it should send a wireless signal that can be picked up by a receiver in the computer. It is a max power wireless router, according to the box, but the antennas don't come off so I can't try bigger ones. I was thinking I could wrap the antennas with aluminium foil, build them up to longer lengths, to maximise the signal, or would that in fact mask the signal? I also saw a system of putting foil behind the antennas to make a directional antenna out of them, but have not tried it. One of my laptops has no trouble with the system and reads it well, but none of the fixed PCs can see it at all, not even well enough to identify it. Another laptop cannot see it at all. I suspect there is some security or ID system at work, and that even though it is supposed to be backward compatible it is not.

[matt_hooks]

Does the router have an available ethernet socket? If so, try connecting one of your laptops to it via the wire.

Then open your web browser and type into the address bar

(and this may vary, but usually)

192.168.0.1

or

192.168.2.1

There should be some info in the instructions about what address to use.

This should bring up a password prompt. This will in most cases be admin for both username and password, but again check in the documentation.

Now you should see whatever set-up info is available. Again the documentation that came with the router should tell you about all the settings.

If you can't work it out from there, let us know the exact model of the router and we might be able to help some more. :)

[hellsbrink]

Is a Belkin n-nimo, Matt, can's see why there is an issue. But you got the roouter's IP right at 192.168.2.1.

Boofhead. Wrapping foil around things ain't a good idea. You could, however, try moving the router around a bit as emf from electrics COULD interfere (although my router is on top of the actual PC so it shouldn't be an issue). Also, have you tried pointing the antennae in different directions as when they point "up" they ain't so keen on sending a signal "downwards"?

But something is weird. You get a new modem and TWO routers go bellyup. Is it just the internet that you don't get or is there no "local network"?

Only thing I can suggest at the moment is to "factory reset" the routers and start reconfiguring from scratch. Also, the manual http://belkin.httpsvc.vitalstreamcdn.com/belkin_vitalstream_com/support/dl/f5d8233-4_v1_manual.pdf says you can use the setup CD with the other PC's to configure the network on other PC's but I can't see how that would help.

Sorry, without actually seeing it I can't do much more....

[boofhead]

I can access the router OK, and have turned off anything that even remotely looks like a security switch. I can run a laptop within 40 feet or so of the router, but three PCs that used to work OK with the old router will not even see the new router. One recognises it but cannot pull in enough signal to log onto it. It is as if the thing is very weak, which is funny since it is a N model which is supposed to be a better range than the old one. Maybe it is only a better range if the receivers are also N. If the receivers are G (which they are) they might not work as well.
I don't have a clue why the old one stopped working; nothing else has changed in the office where it all takes place.
I can change the signal by moving the new router around, so there might be inteference issues but with things the same, I have no idea why it has cropped up now.
I am going to buy another router, the best I can buy, and take this one back for a refund. I will just have to buy new N type wireless receivers for all the computers. Or else maybe buy new modems and connect the computers directly. Whatever, I am sure it will cost me more than I wanted to pay.
There is one type that is able to have bigger antennas fitted, maybe that will work for me.
I am surely sick of all the work...

[hellsbrink]

If you take it back, change it for a DSL WiFi router. Then you have your DSL modem and router in one package so it cuts one link in the problem chain.

I'm on cable here so a regular router does me, but if you have DSL then get a router with an inbuilt dsl modem.

As I say, there shouldn't be an issue with getting a signal through the floor unless you have 1m thick floors. In my house here the floors are 0.5m reinforced concrete and I have no issues with signal strength.

[Saab Dastard]

Have you tried experimenting with the channel numbers?

It is possible that you had your old WAP on a different channel, and the new one is experiencing interference.

Are the computers laptops or desktops? It is possible to buy an antenna extension to replace the desktop antenna - which is usually hidden behind the PC case (not the best place).

SD

[BOAC]

I assume you have checked the wireless mode of the router? Has it been set to something other than 'b+g'?

[Keef]

My experience with Belkin kit has been consistently poor, although I know some people can make 'em work. I splashed out on a Draytek Wireless Modem Router, and it's been stunningly good. I have an older Netgear up at the cottage, and that's been fine, too.

Do I understand that everything worked OK, then the old one didn't. The new one doesn't either? If so, maybe a neighbour has got a new high-power device (not necessarily a WiFi router) transmitting on 2.4GHz.

As SD says: try experimenting with different channel numbers. Move as far away from the one it's on now as possible - that may get away from whatever's clobbering the signal.

[Saab Dastard]

Keef,

To be fair to Belkin kit, I have a couple of desktop wifi cards that have performed flawlessly (and better / less hassle than Netgear equivalents), ditto for a 4-port USB 2 PCI card. :ok:

I also have an excellent Belkin laptop rucksack, although the performance criteria are rather different! ;)

I still probably wouldn't buy a Belkin WAP / router / firewall though! :O

SD

[boofhead]

I bought a Netgear router. It was on sale. It also did not work, so I knew there had to be some basic setting wrong. I saw in these messages a reference to the channel so I changed it to Channel 10 and away it went. So far it is working great, even have security on it.
So thanks for the help; appreciated as usual.

[Keef]

Glad it's sorted. You may find that if you set up the other devices around channel 10, they'll all work. The trouble is, there's an overlap between channels - I forget how far they go, but channel 10 and 11 won't coexist, for example.

If you ask your PC to scan for other wireless access points nearby, you'll probably see several ;)

There are many different devices these days all using 2.4GHz (not just WiFi) - it's a wonder sometimes that anything works!

[Saab Dastard]

1, 6, and 11 are "non-overlapping" in USA, in the UK 1, 7 and 13 are best.

The differences are down to which channels are available in what country.

SD

[Wader2]

If you get a copy of Netstumbler you can get a visual display of s/n ratio and then see if another wirelss nearby is in competition. You can also change your channel number and see how the s/n changes.