I needz halp with mah intranets!

[Eagle101]

Hey everyone!!

Well i am back for the winter holilday!! no uni! BUT...

My internet connection is...well...it sucks. Now a week ago i have been to my mates flat while still at uni and he has a device a Access Point i believe and it gave him a rather good signal strength as the detection was amazing, he basically kept getting cut off the internet via loss of connection and i am having the same problem :/

So is an Access point the solution here then?

[Death Merchant]

Re: I needz halp with mah intranets!

Hey everyone!!

Well i am back for the winter holilday!! no uni! BUT...

My internet connection is...well...it sucks. Now a week ago i have been to my mates flat while still at uni and he has a device a Access Point i believe and it gave him a rather good signal strength as the detection was amazing, he basically kept getting cut off the internet via loss of connection and i am having the same problem :/

So is an Access point the solution here then?

What do you mean by "bad connection" is it just slow, or does it not work sometimes etc

are you using wireless or wired?

as far as i know an access point is just another name for a router but yeh if you running it directly through a modem i would try using a router

[Eagle101]

Re: I needz halp with mah intranets!

Its slow, i look it up through my WiFi status and it says that signal strength is Very Low :s it does although rarely cut off :s but at most times its ok, althought hte loading of websites and posting i.e. Forums, Facebook will take a few mins.

Thats what i meant but generally slow/

[Death Merchant]

Re: I needz halp with mah intranets!

WI-FI reduces strength over range, so if your getting good or very good its usually also 54mbps but if your getting very low the strength will probably be 5mbps or 11mbps which could be the issue

if your using XP you can check this by double clicking on the wireless network in the icon tool bar and it will give you the network speed

I am trying to find how to do this on my vista laptop but with vista being BS i cant seem to find how

whats the model/make of your wireless router?

[Eagle101]

Re: I needz halp with mah intranets!

Right, its 54mbps. The manufacturer is 3Com.

http://www.3com.com/products/en_US/detail.jsp?tab=features&pathtype=purchase&sku=3CRWER100-75

[Vreki]

Re: I needz halp with mah intranets!

A Router will let you create a private network where each connected device has is on IP (usually 192.168.something), while the outside world will see your "real" IP which is in fact owned by you router.

An access point in itself is just a wireless connection to your network.
But as you can see from your link they are often combined in one unit.

Try connecting your computer directly to the router using a cable. That way you can make certain that it is the wireless network that is a problem.

And then you can get something like this: http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProdu...duct_Id=278082

Or you may be able to get an external antenna for your router or network card: http://www.3com.com/products/en_US/d...se&sku=3CWE501

[Death Merchant]

Re: I needz halp with mah intranets!

Right, its 54mbps. The manufacturer is 3Com.

http://www.3com.com/products/en_US/d...u=3CRWER100-75

yeh but what i was trying to say was the less signal you have the less mbps you get

A Router will let you create a private network where each connected device has is on IP (usually 192.168.something), while the outside world will see your "real" IP which is in fact owned by you router.

only if it has NAT - network address translation, uses ports instead of public ip addressing

Most likely tho if it was working in september when you left for uni and now three months later it isnt its most likely an issue with your ISP and thats beyond your control other than phoning the call centre to complain

[Eagle101]

Re: I needz halp with mah intranets!

ok i am a total nub when it comes to networking, i connected an ethernet cable to it last summer it worked good an excellent signal, but now since i am using a wirless network card to hook up with the router i just keep getting week signals :s

[Vreki]

Re: I needz halp with mah intranets!

ok i am a total nub when it comes to networking, i connected an ethernet cable to it last summer it worked god an excellent signal, but know since i am using a wirless network card to hook up with the router i just keep getting week signals :s

Thats not surprising. Its like the difference between phoning someone and just yelling at them. The latter does not work well over distance or through walls

Wireless also has an extra overhead due to encryption etc. which could affect your ping.
You are using encryption, right? Otherwise you risk others using your connection for illegal stuff.

[TheHeartSmasher]

Re: I needz halp with mah intranets!

A few solutions to improving your wireless signal are:
-Get closer to your wireless router/modem.
-Increase the signal strength on the router/modem
-Use a WAP (wireless access point) that you can move closer to where your PC is to improve your wireless signal.
-Go wired, which will increase your overall networking experience and make many of the unfortunate problems with wireless disappear.

[Eagle101]

Re: I needz halp with mah intranets!

those are good options Heart Smasher, Thanks. I considered going wired but my mom said thats a no go as i am around 30 meters away from the router and the wire will stand out on the hardwood.

I will definitely go for the WAP option though thanks.

[TheHeartSmasher]

Re: I needz halp with mah intranets!

those are good options Heart Smasher, Thanks. I considered going wired but my mom said thats a no go as i am around 30 meters away from the router and the wire will stand out on the hardwood.

I will definitely go for the WAP option though thanks.

Wire would be the best, when you get your WAP device don't forget to keep the receipt, might also want to purchase it locally in case it does not perform as expected you can return it and get a new one pretty quick.

[Vreki]

Re: I needz halp with mah intranets!

Another option is Powerline adapters, although I have no idea how well they perform.

http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satellite?c=L_Product_C2&childpagename=US%2FLayout&cid=1166859583396&pagename=Linksys%2FCommon%2FVisitorWrapper&lid=8339645678B07

[Death Merchant]

Re: I needz halp with mah intranets!

If the only trouble is the weak signal look for one with a 9dbi antenna or one with 3+ (internal or external) antennas

this is an excellent router for the price

http://www.trustedreviews.com/networking/review/2007/02/05/NetGear-RangeMax-NEXT-WNR854T/p1

or if price is not an issue go for any new cisco one

[[MyIS]Dan]

Re: I needz halp with mah intranets!

We have that Netgear, is very good.