Wireless connection lost every couple of minutes

[Guest]

I have a Linksys 802.11b wireless router sitting behind a DSL cable modem. This was working fine with all computers until recently. My laptop is running XP Pro, and is now losing the wireless connection every couple of minutes. Then it finds the connection again. I tried replacing the PCCARD wireless adapter with a USB wireless adapter from another machine. The disconnects still occur with the same regularity. Changes in configuration on the router and router firmware upgrades have not helped. The laptop has all patches from Windows Updates. I've downloaded, but not yet applied KB826942 (wireless updates rollup). This laptop worked fine with the same hardware using Windows 2000, and with another Win XP Pro image.

Anyone have a similar problem and maybe a solution?

 

[Barb Bowman [MVP-Windows]]

If you are using Windows XP SP1, make sure 802.1x authentication is
NOT checked.

 

[Xoe]

Some things that people don't consider when it comes to
wireless because they are unaware, is that Wireless and
Cell phones use the same 2.4ghz frequency and they can and
do interfear with each other.

Check to see if someone in your house or a close neighbor
just baught a cell phone and is leaving it on.

At our company, we have had numerous calls from people
using wireless (linksys wireless in particular) and it
turns out that they are using a cell phone/wireless
pda/etc. and it interfears with their signal. While I'm on
the phone with them, I have them turn off the phone and
they get immediate improvement with their computer.

-----Original Message-----
I have a Linksys 802.11b wireless router sitting behind a

DSL cable modem. This was working fine with all computers
until recently. My laptop is running XP Pro, and is now
losing the wireless connection every couple of minutes.
Then it finds the connection again. I tried replacing the
PCCARD wireless adapter with a USB wireless adapter from
another machine. The disconnects still occur with the
same regularity. Changes in configuration on the router
and router firmware upgrades have not helped. The laptop
has all patches from Windows Updates. I've downloaded,
but not yet applied KB826942 (wireless updates rollup).
This laptop worked fine with the same hardware using
Windows 2000, and with another Win XP Pro image.

 

[Guest]

Thanks! Since the last image on this computer was XP without SP1, and it now has SP1 - that may be the issue. I'll try it tonight.

 

[Joe]

Hi Barb,

Please dont misunderstand this, I am not doubting your suggestion, I
just dont understand it. Why do that? What is 802.1x auth please?

It seems to be on by default, so I am just wondering what effect it
has? If you could point me to something to read, that would be great.

Thanks,

Joe

 

[Barb Bowman [MVP-Windows]]

see bottom of my column at
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/columns/bowman/02september09.asp

 

[Joe]

Hi Barb,

Hey, GREAT article!

Couple of things I was wondering though. What exactly is an
authentication server? A RADIUS server?

Is that the difference between WPA & WPA-PSK, that -PSK uses a
Pre-Shared-Key, and WPA requires an external authority that generates
a key automagically?

And one last question, please. (feel free to point me somewhere if
this is all answered somewhere else ).

It appears that my WPC-54G & WRT54G both support AES as well as TKIP.
Which would you guess is "better"? I am assuming AES.

Thank you so much, and keep those great articles coming! I put the
expertzone onto my favorites list/Links because of your articles....

Joe

 

[Barb Bowman [MVP-Windows]]

1.Simply put, authentication/radius servers are used normally in
Enterprise networks to authenticate clients. Radius provides
authentication

2. See if http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=815485 helps explain some
of the details on WPA/WPA-PSK

3. AES is not part of the standard at this point, but will be
supported with 802.11i. It uses hardware support. If you can get it to
work, it would have better performance than TKIP. Not all vendors have
implemented AES.