Wireless prob?

[Immortal25]

heya ppls...having this network prob. In this house we are using ADSL 1mb connection. The router is set up as an access point with no pc connected in the middle of the house so to be rather fair for everyone. About 4 ppl including myself are using this network.
I'm having this prob as in, my wireless keeps disconnecting. It will sort of drop gradually and eventually disconnect stating limited connectivity. Even if I'm directly next to the router it still happens. Direct LAN connection is good however. So this means something is wrong with the wireless? However, the others sharing this network are fine with it. Seems to be only me? Is there something I need to confirgure specifically?
Just to let you guys know, the router is a Belkin N1 wireless router. When I ping the router it has a ping time out about 1 out of 4 times. Seems like ti's not very stable then. A question though, DNS server here would mean my local ISP? When right click on that wireless icon for XP and choose status then click on support and details, the DNS appears as the router. Is that fine? However i have tried changing to the ISP DNS (which I got from my ISP and also from accessing the router at its status page) and still the problem persists, albeit a bit better.
Umm, basically I need to know what can be causing this to happen. Anything needs to be configured? Any software or hardware problem? Should I ping or change any IP thingy to find out what's happening? Need the guidance...thanks!

[Nelson37]

Update the firmware on the router.

Use the ISP's listed DNS servers.

Change your ip settings on the PC to "Use the following" and manually enter the numbers. Raise the value of the last 3 digits of your IP address by 5 so as not to conflict with the other PC. Or static them all, meaning manually enter the numbers rather than get them from the router. One less thing to fail, and doing this eliminates future failures from this cause.

Investigate sources of interference. When my wireless connection is marginal, using my microwave oven will often disconnect me.

[Immortal25]

Just a question, how come the default gateway is different from in the wireless network properties than in the router settings page? I mean from the wireless network properties, the default gateway here is the router is it not? But in the router settings page, the default gateway is some weird number...?

Anyways I did some troubleshooting myself, it cannot be interference as another notebook is able to use the internet with good signal strength. The only significant difference between that notebook and mine is its OS. It's using Vista while mine's XP SP3. I've not been updated, but is there something wrong with XP SP3 that perhaps a leak in wireless networking?

As for DNS servers, am trying to get them from my ISP.

Thing that really boggles me is the fact that I need to set all this numbers and IPs up when I need not do so last time. (I mean it's not my 1st time using a wifi network so I'm not a complete noob in this) Isn't wireless network pretty straightforward? I don't recall needing to do all this just to use the wifi. What can have caused this? I suppose another way to troubleshoot is to go to someone's wireless network and see if I keep disconnecting as well. Unfortunately I can't find one at the moment.

Oh btw what should come under the WINS Server that is under the network connection details that is under the wifi properties thingy?

[Krispy Kritter]

Changing IP's and the general network setup won't affect connectivity. You should be able to default all of the settings and use DHCP to pull all of the needed information from the router.

As to your connectivity issue, since it is apparently working fine for everyone else, I'd suspect a hardware issue with your laptop. It could simply be a failing NIC. You can try ensuring you have the latest drivers. Aside from that, you should try to test your laptop on another network.

[Nelson37]

Sure, DHCP usually works, but it DOES fail. Static IP addresses NEVER fail. One reason to get a "limited connectivity" message is signal but no IP addresses received.

To the troubleshooting - did this other laptop function correctly IN THE SAME LOCATION as the suspect PC, and did it work correctly WHEN THE SUSPECT PC FAILED TO CONNECT? This problem is irregular, random testing will not reveal useful information.

The router's gateway is at the ISP. Your network gateway is at the router. That is why the numbers are different. Two different networks.

Describe in more detail "the router is set up as an access point". That means something very specific which also complicates matters. Are there seperate boxes or just one modem/router/wireless combination? Was there at any time any additional modem or router or wireless connected here? Was "bridge mode" mentioned or used?

I'm not terribly fond of Belkin routers.

More information needed on frequency of problem. Also describe what you do, if anything, to re-connect. Re-boot? Re-Scan for available networks? When it fails, what is your IP address, can you ping the router, and can you ping a DNS that is OUTSIDE your network?

Re-reading your first post, sounds like a seperate router and DSL modem with a built-in router. If the third-party router is set up as a simple access point, this may be the issue. I have found it usually best to disable routing on the modem/router, setting it in Bridge mode, and do the routing on the dedicated, third-party box. Going the other way, which sounds like what you have, has never worked well in my experinece.