[focusonthis88]

Little off topic but....I got a network with a laptop and it's wireless. And it doesn't always work..What could block the signal or is it my wiresless on my laptop that is not working correctly.

[NOS2Go4Me]

Wireless is a very picky bit to work with... think of wireless signals as being like... well, the rings of Saturn. They radiate out 360(o) around the antenna, but not in a parallel manner in respect to said antenna.

If you're a floor above or below your antenna, you might want to tip it a bit so that it faces where you are. Also, concrete and steel will deflect or absorb some significant amount of signal, depending on the thickness of the object/wall. Wood / drywall will also absorb some, but not as much. The more walls between you and the antenna, the less signal to you. It's like listening to the radio at work... the guys with windows always get a better signal. Wireless networking is just two-way radio broadcasting.

Make sense?

[FociPhil]

tdot-zx3,Jan 19 2006, 10: Wrote:I swear I saw the topic of this post and thought NOS made it and Darkpuppet was just last poster...

I obviously have to pay more attention...
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hahahaha i thought the same thing!!!!!!!!!

Darkpuppet got us good...OH man!! :lol:

[focusonthis88]

NOS2Go4Me,Jan 20 2006, 12:07 PM Wrote:Wireless is a very picky bit to work with... think of wireless signals as being like... well, the rings of Saturn. They radiate out 360(o) around the antenna, but not in a parallel manner in respect to said antenna.

If you're a floor above or below your antenna, you might want to tip it a bit so that it faces where you are. Also, concrete and steel will deflect or absorb some significant amount of signal, depending on the thickness of the object/wall. Wood / drywall will also absorb some, but not as much. The more walls between you and the antenna, the less signal to you. It's like listening to the radio at work... the guys with windows always get a better signal. Wireless networking is just two-way radio broadcasting.

Make sense?
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The route is in the next room to me. <_< :huh:

[NOS2Go4Me]

Is it an older laptop with 802.11 b only? Sometimes 1st-gen wireless cards in laptops are weaker than they should have been.

[focusonthis88]

NOS2Go4Me,Jan 20 2006, 12:28 PM Wrote:Is it an older laptop with 802.11 b only? Sometimes 1st-gen wireless cards in laptops are weaker than they should have been.
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I bought it about 2 years ago.

[guilty]

I love these threads.. it makes me feel like so much less of a NERD!! :P

[FociPhil]

^^ haha nice.

Just rememeber, when you think your the hugest nerd, there is always someone out there that is nerdier then you.

[darkpuppet]

actually, I would love to get a directional wireless antenna so I can aim it at the pub's patio down the street and work from there!

[NefCanuck]

NOS2Go4Me,Jan 20 2006, 08:20 AM Wrote:LOL... not bad. Just replace the Firewall icon as far as concerns Windows XP SP2 and replace it with a swiss cheese object and you're set.

Seeing as it IS the geek corner according to our Illustrious Leader:


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That's insulting to Swiss Cheese, seeing as how Swiss Cheese is actually good for something! :lol:

Seriously XP2's "firewall" is so defective as to be useless, if this were a Ford product it would have been recalled :P

NefCanuck

[darkpuppet]

nobody said they were all xp firewalls.. but there are 1 or two, and if properly set up, you're fine.

[nass]

focusonthis_88,Jan 20 2006, 04:03 PM Wrote:Little off topic but....I got a network with a laptop and it's wireless.  And it doesn't always work..What could block the signal or is it my wiresless on my laptop that is not working correctly.
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do you have cordless phones? if so are they 2.4GHz? cause I bet they are!

[ZTWsquared]

nass,Jan 20 2006, 06:36 PM Wrote:do you have cordless phones? if so are they 2.4GHz? cause I bet they are![right][snapback]166127[/snapback][/right]

Yup ... and most wireless security cams, same thing ... I had to replace wireless phones and cams to get my network working solid.

Now, with my router in my 3rd floor office, I can still get excellent reception in my workshop in the basement - just about the 2 furthest points in the house.

[05-BLACK-ZX5]

Ha ha ha, both my parents house, and where I'm living now (with my boyfriend, his sister and her boyfriend) have a bunch of computers. The difference being my dad wired the house with cat5 while it was in the framing stage, so I got my full 100mbps. The house I'm living in now only has crappy wireless, so I'm only getting 54mbps and intermittent signal; I don't like wireless.

My parents house = Modem --> Hub --> 4 computers.

The house I'm living in now = Modem --> Stupid wireless hub --> 4 computers.

[paolo]

i still think WIRED is the best (and most reliable)network out there. I have my house HARDWIRED AND plan on keepiing it like that.

[05-BLACK-ZX5]

paolo,Jan 20 2006, 04:11 PM Wrote:i still think WIRED is the best (and most reliable)network out there.  I have my house HARDWIRED AND plan on keepiing it like that.
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I completely agree with you. I never had half the problems when I lived with my parents, as I do now on wireless.

[darkpuppet]

Wireless = 54Mbps or wired = 100Mbps

it's pretty obvious which is better, but wireless is oh-so-convenient when it's working right.

[paolo]

darkpuppet,Jan 21 2006, 11:30 AM Wrote:Wireless = 54Mbps or wired = 100Mbps

it's pretty obvious which is better, but wireless is oh-so-convenient when it's working right.
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Actually, try GIGALAN, incase some of u dont know what that is, add an extra 0 to the last number.. I've installed Gigalan in several clients of mine and they love it, faster to download porn @!@

[nass]

you can get wireless to do 108mbit but you have to understand how the signal travels and what affects it.

since the signal is in the air it is suseptable to other signals in the air ( and believe me there is a lot in the air going right through your body as you read this ) sometimes those signals run into the same "space " as your wireless signal. Things such as 2.4GHz phones and security cameras etc runin the same range as your network so as you can imagine they have to compete for that space. Your router/adapter have to distingish between the signal it understands and the useless ones and thats when you get slow or no signal at all.

Bottom line is remove everything that shares the same freq. range and you'll be fine. If you live in an old house with concrete walls or metal walls then you're out of luck either way unless you get a directional antenna but then you can't roam around as much cause you're confined to a small area where the signal is.

[darkpuppet]

paolo,Jan 21 2006, 10:55 AM Wrote:

darkpuppet,Jan 21 2006, 11:30 AM Wrote:Wireless = 54Mbps or wired = 100Mbps

it's pretty obvious which is better, but wireless is oh-so-convenient when it's working right.
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Actually, try GIGALAN, incase some of u dont know what that is, add an extra 0 to the last number.. I've installed Gigalan in several clients of mine and they love it, faster to download porn @!@
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meh..gigabit is alright for transferring between computers on a network, but won't speed anything up on your typical highspeed line. When I get a proper NAS server, I'll put gigabit in, but right now, it's 99% redundant for my needs.