Wireless issues - can't stay connected

[emmpee]

The setup:

Netgear WGR614 802.11g router (using 128bit WEP)
Centrino notebook running XP with the Intel 2100 B card

I can connect fine over wireless from the router with the notebook, but every few minutes or so (seems about 3), I get a message in the system tray saying "Wireless connection available: one or more wireless networks are available. To see a list of available networks, click here." After this happens, I cannot load any webpages or do anything else on the internet.

I can click that and select my router, and I'll be connected fine... until it happens again in another 3 minutes. Occasionally it will also list one or two other wireless signals it can pick up from surrounding apartments, but I've prioritized them low on Windows' list (below mine).

I'm fairly new to wireless, and I don't have any clue what could be causing this. I've rebooted a few times, and power-cycled the router a few times.

Anybody have any idea what it is? Router problem, Windows problem, etc? Thanks much.

 

[8ballcoupe]

This could be one of several things, but your observation that this is happening to you every three minutes gives a strong clue that the problem is 802.1x authentication. You do NOT want to have that option checked in the notebook's wireless client software. That type of authentication is used for letting you authenticate to a RADIUS server. The client looks diligently for a RADIUS server. By default it looks for three minutes. When it doesn't find one, it politely disconnects from the network because it assumes that you really want to connect to a network that is using that type of authentication.

If this isn't the problem, then there are other avenues to be explored. You might tell us whether or not SSID broadcast has been turned off on your router, for instance.

Ernie

 

[fzaba]

Update to the new firmare?

 

[emmpee]

Originally posted by: 8ballcoupe
This could be one of several things, but your observation that this is happening to you every three minutes gives a strong clue that the problem is 802.1x authentication. You do NOT want to have that option checked in the notebook's wireless client software. That type of authentication is used for letting you authenticate to a RADIUS server. The client looks diligently for a RADIUS server. By default it looks for three minutes. When it doesn't find one, it politely disconnects from the network because it assumes that you really want to connect to a network that is using that type of authentication.

If this isn't the problem, then there are other avenues to be explored. You might tell us whether or not SSID broadcast has been turned off on your router, for instance.

Ernie

It seems that this was indeed the problem. I had 802.1x authentication turned on on the notebook. I've since turned it off, and it stays connected fine.

Thanks much!

 

[8ballcoupe]

You're welcome. I'm glad you got it sorted.

The regular three minute disconnection interval was the key. Having SSID broadcast turned off on the router will cause a somewhat varied interval between disconnections, at least in my experience. Actually, I just recently started seeing this. I have several wireless G networks running without SSID broadcast that are sharing the air with B and G networks which have SSID broadcast turned on, and none of the wireless clients on those networks are disconnecting at all. But, after reading about the behavior for the first time a week or two ago, I have seen the behavior in a couple of networks that I didn't set up. I've checked over their router and client settings until I'm blue in the face and can't find out why my networks are behaving differently. Next step in testing is to haul a couple of my wireless clients to one of the misbehaving networks to see if they disconnect sporadically there. Problem is that these disconnections are truly sporadic in nature, sometimes going several hours between occurences. It takes a lot of patience (or a lot of beer) to troubleshoot something like that.

Anyway, they say that this is the way wireless networking is SUPPOSED to work, that turning of SSID broadcast is NOT a "legitimate" security measure. Well then call me a bastard. I can't think of why this should be a sticking point. Looks like a lowest common denominator thing to me, requiring legitimate routers to advertise their presence so that they are easy for clients to find. If you want not to broadcast the presence of your WLAN I don't see why you should be required to do so if you wish to maintain a reliable connection. Seems dumb to me, but maybe I'm ignorant, and there really is a good reason for it to be this way. I'm just happy that I don't have to broadcast the SSID on my networks -- at least not yet.

But that's all not really related to your thread. Forgive the rant. I'm just feeling curmudgeonly today.

Ernie