Setting Up Wireless Internet Connection To A Laptop

[following-Him]

We have been given a laptop computer so that we can keep in touch with people while we are away for 6 weeks at the hospital for Rob's treatment. We are having problems installing the internet connection - Rob has got as far as the Belkin Utilities screen and it registers its SSID only sometimes and only with a very weak signal and that's about it. Now the mouse no longer works either and we are at a loss to know what to do next.

Any ideas would be appreciated please.

Many thanks

following-Him

 

[exscentric]

Not much information. I'm assuming here that you are trying to hook up to a home network you already were using and that the laptop has an added wireless of somesort, not built in.

The weak signal is usually due to being too far from the router, something between the laptop and router or combination thereof.

Other things to check. Go to device manager and click on the wireless and see if there is any indication of a problem in the properties.

Try adjusting the router antennas.

Be sure the wireless matches the router - 801. etc.

If the signal is weak, there may be times when there is no signal and the ssid cannot be recieved.

Try the laptop at a friends house that has a network. Try a burger king or starbucks or other hotspot to see if it works.

I'd check the items above then if no go try below.

Uninstall the wireless software if you installed it - reboot and reinstall.

Give laptop model, type of wireless you are trying to use (pcmcia I'd guess) and router type/brand.

 

[jdlongmire]

Need to know a couple things:

1. type and model of laptop
2. operating system (Windows 2000, XP, Vista)
3. does the laptop have a built in wireless card? If not what brand\model?
4. the mouse you refer to - is it the laptop mouse or a plug-in?
5. do you have a wireless router? what brand?
6. what is your Internet connection? DSL, cable modem?

 

[following-Him]

Thank you to you both for your time and trouble.

1 We have been given a Sony Notebook PCG - 972M

2 XP

3 No - a plug in Belkin Wireless G Plus MIMO Notebook Card

4 The mouse is a plug in Optical Mouse

5 Yes - Belkin Wireless G Plus MIMO Router

6 Cable Modem

Many thanks!

following-Him

 

[jdlongmire]

ok - couple more questions - is the cable modem plugged directly into the Internet port of the wireless modem?

what frequency is the modem 2.4, 5.8 GHz? Do you have cordless phones that may be on the same frequency?

Is the wireless card in the same room as the wireless router?

 

[exscentric]

If all else fails, try letting windows take care of your connection. I have a couple units where the wireless software interacts with windows and when I allowed windows to care for the connecting process that things smoothed out. It still uses the proper drivers but the connecting process is done by windows.

Sounding like a signal problem or the above in my mind. My laptops are only about 12 foot from our router horizontally and one floor below in a stick house and the signal is fairly weak. My desktop is even closer and I had to put an external antenna on it. If it turns out to be signal, you can get boosters for the router which are supposed to help.

 

[rdwhite]

What about firewall conflicts, sometimes the windows firewall works against another installed firewall and prevents a connection. If you are running a third party firewall, you may try disabling the windows firewall, if it is enabled. That was a solution for me several years ago.

 

[just-want-peace]

OK, this is way over my head right now, but there is either a conflict, OR (most likely) I have no, NO understanding of this process.

We have been given a laptop computer so that we can keep in touch with people while we are away for 6 weeks at the hospital for Rob's treatment.

From this I surmise that the user of subject laptop is NOT going to be at home; is this correct?
If so, the following quote (with a few others) implies that the laptop must be within some minimum range of a base unit; again, correct??

Sounding like a signal problem or the above in my mind. My laptops are only about 12 foot from our router horizontally and one floor below in a stick house and the signal is fairly weak.

If my assumptions are correct, then how is this going to assist F-H in maintaining contact with others???

(Please excuse my ignorance, but this is just one of those little things that I have to clear up- whether I fully understand the bulk or not)

Thanks for your patience with the computer illiterate!!raying:

 

[following-Him]

Thank you to you all for all your help. A friend came round and after quite some time it was found that we had a faulty network card. We put a new one in and the laptop works!!

Blessings to you all

following-Him

 

[tinytim]

My guess would be it is a faulty network card....


(Don't you hate smart alecs!!!)

Seriously, I am glad it worked out!