Wireless internet access problem

Started by Simon, Sep 21, 2010, 20:03:54

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Simon

A friend has just bought a Windows 7 laptop.  She managed to get it connected wirelessly to her Netgear DG834G router, and all was working fine, but she's now called to say she's lost the internet connection on the laptop, although it remains connected to the router.  The main desktop PC in the house is connected wired, and no problems with internet access, so it's not the ISP (IDNet, incidentally), or BT.  Nothing has been installed, uninstalled, or otherwise changed on the laptop, as far as she knows.  She has removed, and reinstated the network connection, but the problem remains.  I believe McAfee is installed, and this is what I'm thinking might be causing the problem, but has anyone any other ideas?  Not being familiar with Windows 7, I'm not sure if there are any other security tools onboard, which might suddenly block internet access.
Simon.
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This post reflects my own views, opinions and experience, not those of IDNet.

zappaDPJ

I think this has come up a number of times before Simon. I've certainly had the same issue with the same router (all three of them, all with different firmware). What usually solves it for me is to hit the 'Apply' button in the router WiFi settings. That seems to take the connection down and restart things.
zap
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This post reflects my own views, opinions and experience, not those of IDNet.

Simon

Simon.
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This post reflects my own views, opinions and experience, not those of IDNet.

JohnH

I've had this happen. The laptop seems to lose the IP address. My fix is to reboot the router and then the laptop picks it up.
Not ideal, but it works

zappaDPJ

Is that the same router (Netgear DG834G) John? That's usually plan B if my first fix fails which it occasional does.
zap
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This post reflects my own views, opinions and experience, not those of IDNet.

JohnH


zappaDPJ

It sounds like this is a 'feature' of Netgear router in general. I know a few others here have had the same issue in the past.
zap
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This post reflects my own views, opinions and experience, not those of IDNet.

Simon

A router reboot worked, but only for about 15 minutes, then they lost the Internet again.  :dunno: 
Simon.
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This post reflects my own views, opinions and experience, not those of IDNet.

Steve

Steve
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This post reflects my own views, opinions and experience, not those of IDNet.

Gary

That router had issues, I had problems with it when I had one, I would say as Steve said check the firmware but that router is a bit long in the tooth and know to play up, a simple DG834G should suffice and may cure the problem, failing that try another power supply, if you need one I have one spare.
Damned, if you do damned if you don't

Steve

That is the router from the OP Gary. My other thought was is the wifi card going into power save mode and the router not recognising this and therefore not releasing the IP address so both think are connected when in fact they are not.
Steve
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This post reflects my own views, opinions and experience, not those of IDNet.

Gary

Quote from: Steve on Sep 22, 2010, 09:13:13
That is the router from the OP Gary. My other thought was is the wifi card going into power save mode and the router not recognising this and therefore not releasing the IP address so both think are connected when in fact they are not.
Thats possible, Windows 7 has had issues with some routers, would setting a static IP for the pc help? Maybe drop things like Mac filtering to start with also. What security is being used? Sometimes things hiccup with WPA2 and long keys.
Damned, if you do damned if you don't

Rik

Might be worth trying an ipconfig /renew and ipconfig /flushdns.
Rik
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This post reflects my own views, opinions and experience, not those of IDNet.

Gary

Quote from: Rik on Sep 22, 2010, 10:08:59
Might be worth trying an ipconfig /renew and ipconfig /flushdns.
Or a flushrouter/toilet command
Damned, if you do damned if you don't

Rik

Rik
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This post reflects my own views, opinions and experience, not those of IDNet.

Gary

Damned, if you do damned if you don't

Steve

What is the wifi chipset?



Having posted it elsewhere probably in haste but it's odd since the extensive power cut we had in Peterborough Monday pm there are some very strange anamolies on some of the works machines
Steve
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This post reflects my own views, opinions and experience, not those of IDNet.

Gary

If its anything before a v4 it will be a  TR7 Chipset (awful cars as well) after that V4 Broadcom and then V5 Conexant.
Damned, if you do damned if you don't

Steve

Sorry Gary I was thinking about the laptop, whether it's one we may need to look for a better driver in the depths of Realtek.
Steve
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This post reflects my own views, opinions and experience, not those of IDNet.

Gary

Quote from: Steve on Sep 22, 2010, 10:37:34
Sorry Gary I was thinking about the laptop, whether it's one we may need to look for a better driver in the depths of Realtek.
Most are Intel or Atheros but yes that would help
Damned, if you do damned if you don't

Simon

Trouble is, I don't want to get too involved, and they wouldn't know about WiFi drivers, flushing ips, etc.  It seems it's definitely losing the IP.  Is there an easy way to switch off power saving for the WiFi?
Simon.
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This post reflects my own views, opinions and experience, not those of IDNet.

Rik

Don't know about 7, Simon, but it's always been easy before, so should be now.

:music: Hey Johnnie Cope, are ye waukin'yet,
Or are yer drums a beatin' yet?
If ye were waukin' I wad wait
Tae gang tae the coals in the mornin'.:music:
Rik
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This post reflects my own views, opinions and experience, not those of IDNet.

Steve

Power settings should be in device manager, might be worth changing the wireless channel as interference may be dropping the connection and also look at updating the router firmware.
Steve
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This post reflects my own views, opinions and experience, not those of IDNet.

JohnH

Steve, as I said earlier in this thread I have the same occasional problem, using a Netgear DG834PN. However, it only affects one laptop, whereas three other wireless PCs on my network never have this issue.

This doesn't really point to the router being the problem I feel - more the laptop. Simon hasn't said, but I wouldn't mind betting that his friend's laptop is a Dell, same as mine and a few other people I know who have also run across this annoyance.

Baz

I have this occasionally too with the same router.cant say for sure and Simon has probably suggested this but mine got better when I put the laptop in the 'Wireless settings' -----> 'Set Up access list'     section.