Thread: wireless connection

First thing is to use the WEP 64 setting, not WPA. WPA is supposed to be mo' betta but I always found it was flaky. I don't have troubles with WEP.

Next make sure that where you enter your WEP key, you use the ASCII mode. The other option (HEX) is too hard.

Most home routers let you enter a few WEP keys. Just enter one and if there's any options that ask you which to use, always answer 1. It works for me.

Next the key itself (if you've selected WEP 64 ASCII) is 5 characters long. Type in your key it has to be exactly 5 characters long.

Two other things. First, wireless networks transmit & receive at 2.4 GHz, which unfortunately is the same frequency range as cordless phones. You do get to choose a frequency band & I suggest band 11 - there's a few reasons for this but the best is that it's about as far from cordless phone frequencies you can get.

Second, you need to configure a name for your network, for example "Aulro" (or whatever). When you do this you can easily identify which is your network, and which is your neighbours (hint - always connect to your neighbour's wireless network when you download pr0n and pirated software). The setting is usually called SSID. It can be anything your want but short names with no spaces is good.

You configure these settings on your router as well.

When all is done, do what you have to do to embed this info in your router (save, flash, etc) & you're done.

On the computer side, first you need to be able to see your network (in the example above it will show up as "Aulro". Enter the WEP key (need to do it twice, dunno why) & you should connect immediately.

If not, the main reasons are:

1. Bad reception.
2. Interference

Bad reception usually means you are too far away from the router to connect, or there's too much concrete in the way. At 2.4 GHz radio travels in a straight line, and anything in between the router & your PC will weaken the signal. The brochures may claim 100m range, the reality at home (between walls) is more like 15m.

The indicator on your PC will tell you how strong the signal is. If you have trouble holding a connection, or your speed is really low (like 1 MBps) then that's your problem.

To fix this, just move the router or your PC. But also check the back of your router (and your PC). If either has a detachable antenna, you can get a replacement that adds heaps to your range. I use 5dB gain antennas from TP Link (get them anywhere for about $25) & they work great.

If you have interference, the giveaway is good operation then it drops out for no apparent reason. You should first check your PC & have a look at all the wireless networks it's picking up & if some have the same channel number as you, then that's the likely problem.

This is easy to fix. Just go back into your router config, & change the channel. Your have a choice of 13 channels but the best ones are 1, 6 & 11. Reason is that the channels are only 5 MHz wide and so they overlap. By choosing 1, 6, 11 you avoid the overlap problem. Also, just about every router has channel 6 as the default so choosing 11 in the first place will separate you from most of the noise.

Hope this helps! If not PM me there are a couple of tricks left in the book but the above should see you straight.