[dbagnell]

Hello,

I have a desktop computer that is connected to a modem that has a wireless signal. For the first few months everything worked ok, however I started having trouble losing Internet on one laptop. I had a yellow exclamation mark on the internet connection icon. Sometimes, instead of a yellow exclamation it is a red X. In device manager everything is fine, but I uninstalled and reinstalled the network card regardless. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

A few months later, the same started happening with the second laptop (exact same make and model as the other - Acer Aspire 5333-2969.

I often lose connectivity with my Samsung Galaxy Tab, however my iPhone and iPods and the desktop all work ok.

[TerryNet]

Assuming you have Windows for both a good wireless connection and for a problem time ...

Please attach a screen shot of the Networks page (don't collapse the Radar, Connection or Signal History) of the Xirrus Wi-Fi Inspector. If you need help with that see TSG Posting a Screenshot. FWIW to take screen shots with Windows 7 or Vista I prefer to use the built-in Snipping Tool. Also show ...

Open a (black) Command Prompt window:
Hold the Windows logo key and press r; in the Run box type cmd and click on OK.


Type the following command:

IPCONFIG /ALL

[Note that there is no space between the slash and ALL.]

Right click in the command window and choose Select All, then hit Enter.
Paste the results in a message here.

If necessary use a text file and removable media to copy the results to a computer with internet access.

[dbagnell]

Thanks for the response. Enclosed are two screen shots from the wifi inspector - one is from when the internet was working and one it wasn't.

I also did two msconfig/all - the top one is when the internet was working, the bottom one is when it wasn't.

Thanks so much.

Microsoft Windows [Version 6.1.7601]
Copyright (c) 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\Users\Michelle and Denise>ipconfig/all

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : Kam-PC
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Broadcast
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Wireless LAN adapter Wireless Network Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Atheros AR5B95 Wireless Network Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 68-A3-C4-DD-80-85
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::dd87:c279:8ebe:1e7d%14(Preferred)
IPv4 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.11(Preferred)
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : April-28-12 4:37:03 PM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : May-05-12 7:14:37 PM
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.1
DHCPv6 IAID . . . . . . . . . . . : 459842500
DHCPv6 Client DUID. . . . . . . . : 00-01-00-01-15-65-30-93-B8-70-F4-87-36-CB

DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 64.71.255.198
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Enabled

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Broadcom NetLink (TM) Ethernet
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : B8-70-F4-87-36-CB
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Tunnel adapter isatap.{6A0EFD50-D8D2-4CAC-87B5-91FE099A68E8}:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter #2
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Tunnel adapter Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IPv6 Address. . . . . . . . . . . : 2001:0:4137:9e76:3407:2148:9c0f:4bb5(Pref
erred)
Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::3407:2148:9c0f:4bb5%12(Preferred)
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : ::
NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Disabled

C:\Users\Michelle and Denise>ipconfig/all

Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : Kam-PC
Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Broadcast
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Wireless LAN adapter Wireless Network Connection:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Atheros AR5B95 Wireless Network Adapter
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 68-A3-C4-DD-80-85
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Broadcom NetLink (TM) Ethernet
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : B8-70-F4-87-36-CB
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Tunnel adapter isatap.{6A0EFD50-D8D2-4CAC-87B5-91FE099A68E8}:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Microsoft ISATAP Adapter #2
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

Tunnel adapter Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected
Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-00-00-00-00-00-00-E0
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes

C:\Users\Michelle and Denise>

[TerryNet]

The first Xirrus screen shot shows that your signal is not quite strong enough for a reliable connection, and you are using the same channel as another stronger signal. Try using channel 11. Can the not-quite-strong-enough signal be explained by distance from the router or obstacles in the path?

The second Xirrus screen shot shows the signal suddenly disappearing after significant variance in the signal strength. Unless you were moving around the signal should be a straight line, varying by maybe a couple dBm only. And there is no sign of that other network. Could mean a defective adapter or loose antenna.

[dbagnell]

The modem is in my living room, and my bedroom is directly above it. I was using the laptop in my bedroom and didn't move at all -it worked and then it didn't. This is very typical, unfortunately. The modem doesn't have an antenna. If you think it would be helpful, I'll contact my provider to see if we can swap the modem.

I have switched from channel 3 to channel 11. I'll post tomorrow to let you know if it made a difference. There's no sense in checking now because it's typically up, down, up, down.

Thanks

[TerryNet]

The modem doesn't have an antenna.

If it is a modem only that is correct. If it is a modem/wireless router it has at least one antenna; some router antennas are internal. But, anyhow, with that other network also disappearing (of course, for all I know the owner just unplugged his router) I more suspect the laptop's adapter or antenna.

[dbagnell]

I probably should have tried this first, but I visited the Acer website and found a driver for the network adapter. I installed that (I did this earlier using a driver I found online but it didn't help) and it's now working flawlessly. Thanks for your help.

[TerryNet]

Good thinking, and thanks for telling us. Don't know why I didn't mention driver.