O.T. Routers

[Jane Carter]

I wonder if any of you here have had a problem like this; I have to reset my Asante FR3004C router several times a day to keep my Mac connected to the net. I just unplug it for 30 seconds, plug back in and I can get back onto the net. Cable modem has to be reset only about weekly.
This is only a nuisance, I can live with it, but was curious of what actually was going on, as I know absolutly nothing about networking.
Jane

[brent bertram]

I don't know for sure , in your case, Jane, but I've had a similar problem with my Linksys router. I had to re-power it a couple times a day to get decent throughput. I ended up buying a new router ( they are cheap these days ) and the new one works all the time. I'd say that my first one had a problem, but that's as specific as I can get. I am , by the way, a certified network engineer, working in tele-communications.

If the problem continues, buy a different brand (whatever is on sale that week ) at BestBuy, Circuit City, or Compusa, configure it and see if the router does a better job for you.

:-)

Brent

[Chuck Snyder]

Brent, there are two versions of the Linksys wireless router: the standard,
with 11Mbps transfer rate and the newer 'G' version, with something like 50
MBps rate. I have the standard (cheaper!) version and haven't had any
trouble to date.

[Beth Haney]

Jane, have you tried contacting the manufacturer of the router? A couple of months ago I was having a lot of trouble with one of my Linksys pieces, although I think it was the wireless access point and not the router. The tech had me go into the admin files and change some settings and the problem cleared immediately. It might be worth a call to Asante to see if there are any adjustments that can be made. I thought one of my pieces was a goner, but it turns out that the fix was simple.

[Al Millstein]

This is a related question I hesitated to bring to the forum, because it's so OT; now the subject has gotten going, here's my twist.

I have cable internet; two computers, one on main floor and one in basement. The cable modem goes to a Netgear hub, with an outlet to each computer. I have a second internet address from the cable company for which I pay an extra five bucks or so per month

I now have moved the basement computer to the second floor, but don't have a cable running upstairs, and don't want to have to go through the walls.

Shopping Compusa I learned you get a wireless access device (router) to replace the hub,and I then need a receiving device to go on, or into the upstairs computer. They suggest having their service guy come out to set it up and configure it, which with the cost of the devices will run $300 or so. I'm reluctant to spend this, as in a couple of months or so, I'm considering a new computer. You can get some extraordinary stuff for $1000 or so. I don't want to spend the $300 and then start spending all over again with the new stuff.

Is there a simple way of just plugging in the wireless stuff, and will it all be usable on the new computer, therefore not a waste? Can an electronic lamebrain like myself figure out the configureing instructions without screwing it up?

Al

[Beth Haney]

Briefly, there are devices you can get that will plug into a USB port on a desktop and get wireless access. It's working great on our system. Since this is so far OT, if you're interested in more info, e-mail me at [email]bhaney@speakeasy.net[/email]

[brent bertram]

Chuck,
You're talking about the wireless routers . My Linksys is an early single port broadband router. It worked well for a while, but it may have taken a lightning strike ( or something similar ) during its years of service. Replacing that router cured my having to reboot it daily. I also have a Belkin wireless router that has been great for my wireless access. You shouldn't think I'm singling out Linksys, they're probably the predominant player in the market for SOHO networking equipment ( but my older Linksys router is no longer a reliable working partner of mine <G> ).

:-)

Brent

[brent bertram]

Al,
You do not need to pay your ISP for a second IP address if you replace your HUb ( connected to the broadband modem ), with a router . The wireless routers that I have incorporate both a hub on the LAN side ( in the home), with wireless access as well.
Wireless does not do a great job of penetrating numerous walls and partitions, so the placement of the wireless router in your home will be a key factor in determining whether or not it will work with enough throughput for your needs.
As Beth indicated, on your upstairs computer end, all that you'll need is a USB attached wireless network device to enable the computer to "hit" the wireless router . The routers and network devices that I've seen are simple enough to set up yourself.

:-)

Brent

[Beth Haney]

And if I - a diehard Mac user - can get a couple of Win computers on the system, wirelessly to boot, you know it's not hard!

[Jane Carter]

Hi Beth, I just got a ton of info from Al Peterson, at Asante tech support. It is going to take me a while to sort thru all his(and others instructions) before I feel as if I am ready to talk with them. He said to call anytime.
I sure have learned a lot about routers in the last 24 hours!
There are settings that are in the Admin part that I havent dared fool with, but when I follow their instructions, hopefully it will solve the problem.
I have tried troubleshooting, but I don't want to call my ISP, as they would have a cow if they found that I was running 3 Macs for the price of one cable.

We have a fairly old house, so didn't attempt the wireless(also my cordless phone is 2.4 Ghz), so Richie and I stuffed ethernet cable whereever we wanted, it will be OK for at least 300 ft, and isn't expensive.

I'm continuously learning from you all! Thanks again, Jane

[Chuck Snyder]

Jane, you just gave me a real 'aha' in your last note: the Wireless Router
works on the same frequency as the newer version of cordless phones! I
didn't know that - fortunately, the cordless phones in this house are the
old 900 mHz variety, so no problem now. But I wonder about interference
with the newer variety; anyone have any insights on that?

Chuck

[brent bertram]

Chuck,
The 2.4 GHZ telephones have interference problems with the 802.11b and 802.11g routers and network cards. They share the 2.4 GHZ band. You can use the 802.11A wireless stuff just fine with those phones. 802.11a wireless uses the 5GHZ band and so far has no competition for the bandwidth .

:-)

Brent

[Chuck Snyder]

Brent, thanks very much. I'm invested in 802.11b gear (router, USB remote
and PCMCIA remote), so I'll just hope my cordless phones hang in there a
while longer!

[Peter Duniho]

"Chuck Snyder" <csnyder@houston.rr.com> wrote in message
news:A6B863579501BC1809C355FC3DACD91E@in.webx.la2e afNXanI...

> [...]But I wonder about interference
> with the newer variety; anyone have any insights on that?

They do use the same frequency range. However, the worst having a 2.4Ghz
phone around should do is reduce your bandwidth over the wireless link. You
should still have a link, and the cordless phone should not affect the base
station itself at all. In most cases, you won't even notice a difference
(there are many discrete frequencies within the 2.4Ghz range that can be
used, so often there's not actually any overlap).

By the way, other things may also broadcast on the 2.4Ghz range. One common
household item is the microwave oven. Of course, it's not actually trying
to talk to anyone. Just produces some RF interference.

Pete

[Chuck Snyder]

Pete, that's very interesting about the microwave....do you think I could
program it to put a message across my monitor when the popcorn is done?

:-)

Chuck

p.s. Thanks for the reassurance about the phones...

[Beth Haney]

Chuck, we've got a couple of wireless computers and a couple of 2.4Ghz phones. The only thing we did we make sure the phone base wasn't right next to one of the computers linked via wireless. We've been using it for a couple of years now with no trouble. Just don't make the mistake my hubby did and decide to plug an old phone into an outlet and forget to add a filter. :)

[Vicky Bilaniuk]

Chuck Snyder wrote:

> Jane, you just gave me a real 'aha' in your last note: the Wireless Router
> works on the same frequency as the newer version of cordless phones! I
> didn't know that - fortunately, the cordless phones in this house are the
> old 900 mHz variety, so no problem now. But I wonder about interference
> with the newer variety; anyone have any insights on that?
>
> Chuck
>
>

I have had terrible luck with these phones and my powerbook. We only
have one AP, and it's on the second floor of our house. Under normal,
phone-free ;-) conditions, I can take my pb outside and get a good (i.e.
not quite perfect but still OK) signal, at the end of my yard. If my
neighbour comes out and does her usual
sit-there-and-yap-and-smoke-for-hours thing, I might as well forget
having a connection and just give up and go inside. It's actually quite
irritating. Our network predates this neighbour, so we never
anticipated such a problem. For next summer, we're going to have to get
a second AP and do the roaming network thing and put the second AP in a
strategic location so that her phone doesn't kill our outside coverage.