Network says I'm not connected, but I am?

[Triumph]

My desktop has had a solid, reliable wifi connection for the past couple of months. About a week ago, it started having problems. No changes were made to the desktop or router. Now it is consistently inconsistent...I turn on the computer, wifi connects, everything is dandy. About 5 minutes later, it tells me "Unable to connect to the preferred network," and I am disconnected. I hit reconnect, I get internet service again but it never says I'm connected. WZC says that I am not connected, but inexplicably, the only option that I have is to DISconnect from my network. 5 minutes later, I get the same error, "Windows was not able to connect to the preferred network." Wash, rinse, repeat. I'm even posting this while my computer tells me I'm not even supposed to be on the internet.

As mentioned, I'm using WZC with a Dlink WDA-1320 desktop card. So far, I've tried changing the channels to 1, 6, and 11 (was on 9). No change in the above mentioned problem, only channel 1 didn't work at all. I turned off the Dlink software using msconfig so that it isn't conflicting with WZC, no change from above. Network has been open with no WEP for a while, so it's not a network key problem. Signal strength says full; I can bring my laptop right next to the desktop and not have a problem.

I don't understand wireless. Does anyone understand how this stuff works? It's like magic; no one seems to know why it works, when it does work we feel lucky, and when it doesn't we feel like we made the god's angry or something equally irrational. Someone educate me.

 

[HKSturboKID]

My suggestion is to reset everything on the router (no security, broadcast sid, and no mac filtering) and clear everything ont he wireless card.

Login to the router and connect to your broadband if its necessary. Now try to connect your laptop to the wireless router and see if it drops your connection. If it works and it is stable, then its slowly implement your securities back one at a time to test.

 

[Triumph]

Well, I've sorta done that. WEP and MAC filtering have always been off, but the broadcast was off. I turned it on, and even renamed it for good measure (who knows). No change.

 

[HKSturboKID]

Do you have anything that can cause interference to your wireless connection? 2.4ghz cordless phone, etc.... sometimes that can cause the wireless unstable. Also, check with Dlink see if they have a up-to-date drive for the wireless card. if dlink have their own connection utility, try to use theirs and disable WZC.

 

[dugweb]

I dont have a solution but would like to agree that wifi really doesn't make any sense.

just within the past 10 minutes, I wasn't able to stream a video from youtube (literally taking 10+minutes to d/l a 3 minute video), yet I just downloaded Google Sketchup and it showed it getting speeds as high as 225kbps (it wasn't lying either, it was a 31meg file that I got in about a minute). I had never seen my wireless connection get those kind of speeds.

 

[Old Hippie]

Does anyone understand how this stuff works? It's like magic; no one seems to know why it works, when it does work we feel lucky, and when it doesn't we feel like we made the god's angry or something equally irrational.

You're right. JackMDS and David Copperfield collaborated to create the most diabolical standard known to man.
I'm just learning. Excuse me while I make another sacrifice.

 

[Triumph]

Fixed it. You know how? Reinstalling the card. :roll: I guess that's what it takes to make the wifi gods happy.

 

[Old Hippie]

Originally posted by: Triumph
Fixed it. You know how? Reinstalling the card. :roll: I guess that's what it takes to make the wifi gods happy.

Wireless vodoo strikes again. :thumbsup: