Re: Wireless Connectivity

In article <1175716709.909751.132160@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
sblenkhorn@xxxxxxxxx says...

From my reading this is a pretty frequent thing. I guess my
alternative is to ditch "Offline" files as Lanwench has suggested
many, many times. Unless there are any other ideas, then I guess that
is my only option at this point. MS certainly doesn't seem to have an
answer as to why these Offline files are so finicky!

Based on the Events you are seeing I think this is a network issue which
is apparently affecting Offine Files more than other components. If so,
moving to an O.F. alternative just masks the real problem.

* I see you have made some configuration changes on the WAP. Have you
tried power-cycling it? Or, if you want to get really drastic, reset it
to factory spec and then reconfigure it from scratch.

* Any firmware updates available for your WAP? For your wireless NIC?
[Provide manufacturers & models for both, please.]

* When the Offline Files icon appears in the Status Area, does the
wireless network icon show a moving yellow dot, meaning it is trying to
acquire an address? [FYI, I have been seeing this recently on an older
laptop due to a problem with the Windows Automatic Updates client
periodically consuming almost 100% of the processor for several
minutes.]

* Is your signal strength better than "Fair" ("Good" to "Excellent")?

* When you View Available Wireless Networks, how many can you see (other
than yours)? If there are more than 1 or 2 with good signal strength,
get Network Stumbler and analyze them. I had a client in a townhouse
who was having problems connecting. About a dozen other WAPs were
broadcasting, most on the same channel he was trying to use. Changed
the channel on his WAP; problem solved.

* Any recent changes / additions to the environment which might cause
signal interference, such as 2.4GHz cordless telephones or microwave
ovens? [I use only 900MHz and 5.8Ghz phones in my house to avoid this.]

* What type of wireless security are you using? I have seen a couple of
older consumer-grade WAPs which would not reliably maintain a connection
using WPA-PSK even though they worked fine with WEP.

And ... I have seen one recent vintage, brand-new, out-of-the-box
LinkSys model which worked very erratically and had to be returned for
exchange.

-- Owen Williams (SBS MVP)
.

Relevant Pages

  • [wireless Q] sudden loss of wireless network
    ... conjunction with a laptop to connect to a home lan from my laptop. ... I run the laptop downstairs while the wap is upstairs where the main ... that the wireless connection was down. ... Returning to the laptop, I tried `repair' the wireless network, no ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.network_web)
  • Re: Newbie to wifi hotspots, could use some advice
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    (alt.internet.wireless)
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    ... For certain reasons I currently can not implement neither WAP nor WPA ... on the wireless network here. ...
    (alt.internet.wireless)
  • Prevent Wireless Connction to Rouge WAP?
    ... Servers keeps picking up the network and trying to ... connect to the other wireless network. ... on the WAP from 6 to 9 - it still appears to be an issue. ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.server.networking)