smc router.. or is it just me...

[disillusioned]

i'm new to setting up networks, and i don't know if i set up the network i have at home correctly... (the problem i have is with the wireless.. the router i am using is This one

part 1)
someone has given me their old router, without a manual though... and this is how i connected it.. dsl (sympatico) to router, computer wired to router, and i have a laptop that has a wireless g card in it.
so i set up the router, did the software that it came with, and went on to the 192.168.2.1 router congifuration.. selected ppoe and all that.. and when it comes to the wireless-security section, i selected mixed (11g + 11b longrange), channel i set to auto, and then comes the pass phrase. this page is already screwy, because some of the images don't even load.. but yeah here's a Pic
i typed in the passphrase i want, but the wireless key they give me are all asterisk!! so i messed around a bit with it... reseted the router, computer a few times, and i still don't get one. so now, i've set the wireless setting to open, so a wireless key isn't needed. but i would still like to set one up... i've emailed smc about it, but funny thing.. i can't type my email in which they can reply me with.. its all locked -_-, so i can't use their email support... and another thing, while i'm using the wireless with my laptop, occasionally, the connection would be dropped, and i would have to refresh "my wireless networks" again, and it would connect... everything after that is fine... but the connection is dropped many times... and i'm thinking if i solve this passphrase problem, the connection won't be dropped anymore...The wired computer works fine =)

part 2)
i was messing around with the wireless in the first place because it was weird... sometimes it wouldn't connect, and the weirdest thing: there are some sites that i can't go to.. for example, the website to the fray's homepage, and countless others. and whenever i try to load these pages-that-don't-work internet would just stop working.. like, i'd open firefox again to go to sites that i am usually able to go to, and it doesn't load.. on top of that though, msn messenger works fine all the time! =) however, internet works once again once i restart my computer, and make sure i don't go to the sites that don't load...
but this problem doesn't happen now that i fooled around with the router... part 1 happens =)

thanks a LOT =) for helping and even reading this.. i greatly appreciate this =)
.... anyone??? *tear

 

[disillusioned]

??? =(

 

[disillusioned]

if anyone ever gets to this message,.. i was also wondering whether i should just get a new router??? should setting up a router even be this complicated?? or do i just think its complicated because i didn't read up enough on it?

 

[de8212]

For some reason the smc page doesn't load but I think that I have the same model router. From the beginning mine dropped signals left and right. I should have just returned it but never did.
Have you tried seeing if there is a newer firmware for it???

I would first try that and see if things get any better. If not do what I did. Bought a linksys and haven't had one dropped signal in a few years. With that said, I'm sure tehre are people out there with connection trouble from any of the manufacturers. Everyone has a bad one once in a while.

For what it's worth my smc is strictly used on the "wired" side of my network and it has done so perfectly.

Did the person that gave it to you say that it worked perfectly before? Just curious why they would get rid of it.

 

[disillusioned]

haha yeah, it was my friend's router, and she moved, and didn't need the router any more. umm yeah, i updated the firmware for it.. interesting thing.. the passphrase thing happened AFTER i did the firmware update.. don't know if that has anything to do with it... maybe i should consider getting another router =)