But wireless networks also carry a host of problems you won’t typically find in a wired network. Connecting a computer to a wired network is usually only as complicated as connecting Ethernet cable to a switch or router, but wireless networks must contend with signal strength, WEP (Wired Equivalency Protection) configuration, and more. There are a host of problems you might have to contend with in a wireless network, but these tips should help you solve most problems.

Be Aware Of Your Surroundings

After connecting a laptop with the proper wireless adapter to your wireless router, you notice transferring files to another PC on the network is slower in some rooms than others, and in some instances you might not be able to connect to your network at all. Like other wireless appliances (such as cordless phones and TV remotes), distance, and physical obstruction can weaken your wireless connection or disrupt it completely.

If you do have a laptop or other handheld device, you can easily move from room to room and closer to your wireless router. Passing through walls and floors can greatly reduce signal strength. Windows XP's Wireless Network Connection can give you a glimpse of your network’s strength to a computer at a particular location. Click Start and Control Panel and then double-click Network Connections. Open Wireless Network Connection. This will display every wireless network within your wireless adapter’s range. You’ll see as many as five bars across from the name of the network, which indicate signal strength. More bars indicate a stronger signal, and one or no bars means your connection is weak at best.

Desktop PCs with wireless adapters can’t move around as freely, but you can still remedy a weak signal with extra hardware. A wireless repeater acts as an intermediary between a wireless router and a wireless adapter. These devices receive a signal and boost it before retransmitting.

In some instances, other household electronics can disrupt a wireless network’s signal. Because most routers operate on a 2.4GHz frequency, cordless phones, baby monitors, microwave ovens, and even other wireless routers in the vicinity can affect your signal strength. Don’t be surprised if reheating last night’s chicken cacciatore in the microwave creates a hiccup in your wireless network. Although the only way to really prevent signal interference is to refrain from using other 2.4GHz devices, you can minimize the effects by placing and using them away from your wireless router.

Installation Issues

It’s difficult to botch a hardware installation with WinXP, but its PnP (plug and play) capabilities shouldn’t be taken for granted, especially when installing networking hardware. You should pay close attention to your users guides because many routers require you to install software on your PC before connecting a router.

Most routers use a Web-based configuration utility instead of a separately-installed application, which means you will use Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, or a similar Web browser to access the configuration settings. Manufacturers will assign their routers a default local IP (Internet Protocol) address, which is a series of numbers that serves as your router’s “location” on your LAN (local-area network). If your router uses a Web-based configuration utility, type the router’s local IP address into your Web browser and press ENTER. In addition to changing your router’s SSID (Service Set Identifier, or your network’s name) and setting up an encryption key (a code used to encrypt or decrypt data, so those without it won’t be able to intercept the data transferred through the network), the configuration utility should let you reset your router’s settings if no other troubleshooting measures seem to solve your problems.

Cycling: A Simple Solution

Power cycling your router or DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) or cable modem is really a highfalutin way of saying, “Unplug and plug it back in.” This is the canned response you might hear from a broadband ISP (Internet service provider) customer service rep, but it is actually sound advice. Power cycling your modem will help you reconnect to the Internet, and power cycling your router will let individual PCs reconnect to the network. If your networked computers can’t connect to the Internet, power cycle the modem before doing the same with your wireless router. Simply disconnect the power cable from the device you want to cycle, wait 30 seconds, and reconnect the cable. Give the router or DSL/cable modem time to reboot before attempting to use your wireless network or connect to the Internet.

After power cycling your wireless router, you might need to manually reestablish a wireless connection with some of the PCs in the network. Open the Wireless Network Connection, click your wireless network, and then click the Connect button.

Let WinXP Give It A Try

WinXP SP2 (Service Pack 2) added a number of features to the OS (operating system), but the Repair function might be one of the most beneficial in terms solving your wireless woes. When you try to repair the connection, WinXP automatically performs a number of tasks on your PC and its wireless adapter in an attempt to reconnect to your wireless router. The repair command disables and restarts your wireless adapter, which regularly clears out errors or glitches in the adapter. WinXP then connects to your network.

Open Network Connections from your Control Panel. Find the icon for your Wireless Network Connection, right-click it, and click Repair. WinXP will begin the repair process and notify you when it’s complete. The process usually takes about a minute.

WinXP SP2 also boasts built-in support for WPA (Wi-Fi protected access), which is a very good thing. Older networking hardware might not support WPA (see below), so this addition is another handy benefit.

Check Your Configuration

This is a common problem if you are adding PCs to your wireless network, changing wireless adapters, or bolstering your wireless network’s security with encryption. A wireless router and adapter must share a number of settings in order to properly exchange data.

Although it’s very rare, your hardware must either conform to or be compatible with the same wireless standard. Nowadays, you’d have to hunt to find a wireless router or adapter that isn’t compatible with 802.11b or 802.11g, but any 802.11a hardware will be incompatible with 802.11b/g.

The IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) is working to approve the next commercial wireless amendment, 802.11n, but many manufacturers have produced MIMO (multiple-input, multiple-output) networking hardware that’s superior to 802.11g equipment. Although MIMO products are usually backward-compatible with older 802.11b and 802.11g networking hardware, their speed will revert to the slowest hardware in your network. For example, if you buy a MIMO router to use with a laptop that only has an 802.11b wireless adapter, the data transfer rate between the wireless adapter and router will be consistent with 802.11b performance. This explains why your network may not be any faster after purchasing a wireless router with MIMO technology.

If you run a configuration wizard when you initially set up your router, take note of any changes you make to the router’s default settings. If you can change your network’s SSID, you’ll probably need to reconnect each computer in the network. To do this, open Network Connections in your Control Panel and double-click the Wireless Network Connection icon. In the dialog box that opens, find the network’s new SSID and click Connect.

Password problems can create headaches in a number of ways. Password protection is excellent for preventing others from jumping onto your network without your consent (this is especially prevalent in apartments and other multifamily living units), but it can also prevent your own PCs from connecting.

This frequently happens when a router and wireless network adapter don’t use the same encryption standard. A wireless router with a password that uses WPA-PSK (Wi-Fi protected access pre-shared key) requires networking hardware to use the same encryption method. If a wireless adapter in your network only uses 64-bit WEP (Wired Equivalency Privacy), you must set your router to use the same encryption method. Fortunately, most new networking hardware can use older encryption standards.

We don’t like to admit losing or forgetting passwords, but it happens. If you set up your wireless network with a password but can’t seem to remember it, two simple solutions should put you back on the right track. If your router has a Web-based configuration utility, you should be able to use it to create a new password. And like changing your network’s SSID, you’ll have to make sure you update the new password on all of the computers in your network. Some routers may use a software-based configuration utility, so consult your users guide for more information on changing your network’s password.

Back To The Drawing Board

You’ve tried to tweak every setting on both your wireless router and wireless network adapter, but nothing seems to work. Instead of poking around and adjusting settings that might put your network in worse shape than it already is, why not start with a clean slate?

Your router should have a reset button that clears any settings you may have changed and restores the router to its default settings. While the router is powered on, press the reset button. In some cases, the reset button may be slightly recessed in the router, requiring you to use a bent paper clip to actually press it. Your router’s users guide should identify the button’s location, but you’ll generally find it behind the router near the LAN and WAN (wide-area network) ports. You should reconfigure your router after resetting it.

Navigating The Wireless Jungle

Because a wireless network adapter from company A might behave differently with a wireless router from company B than an adapter from company C, keep tabs on your users guide for each piece of hardware. Of course, although buying a wireless router and network adapter in the same package could reduce problems, you still might encounter the occasional glitch.

As a general rule of thumb, making sure your settings are consistent across the board will go a long way toward solving any connection conundrum you might encounter. Otherwise, troubleshooting your wireless networks is frequently a game of guess and test.

by Vince Cogley