Wireless Connectivity Annoyance

Hi,

As many others before me have done, I am turning to the wealth of experience on this board to help me out.

My system at home consists of a cable modem linked into a wireless router. The router has 2 PCs and a docking sled hard-wired to it.

In my lounge I have a wireless TiVo and a wireless bridge that I connect my xBox to (or sometimes my 2nd docking sled).

I use my xBox for streaming pictures, music, video etc. At least, I would like to. When streaming it seems to work okay for a while and then just hangs. What I was trying last night was transferring a couple of large (700MB) .avi files to it. The first attempt I transferred 100MB pretty quickly and then the connection died. I tried a couple more times - each time rebooting the xBox) and it would only get to 282k before dying again. But, it wasn't just the connection. Once this happened I couldn't connect to the internet with either of the PCs. I ended up shutting everything down (including modem and router) and restarting. All fine again after this.

My router is a Belkin and the bridge is a Linksys. Both pre-54g . I should also point out that data transfer is fine with the xBox hard wired to the router.

So, any suggestions as to why the link dies and why it kills the rest of my network? Will it be something to do with the bridge? This has been frustrating me for some time now.

I've had weird stuff like that happen to me in the past. I would guess the router is the issue. In my experience Belkin makes nothing but crap for routers. A new wireless router is probably the cheapest thing to replace if you buy during a decent sale. The newer models don't seem to have the odd problems of earlier ones. I'm using a Linksys WRT54GS at home now and hasn't has a hiccup since I got it about 3 months ago. I also have a Buffalo WYR-G54 for travel use. Seems to work very well and has a metal case. Recent Netgear routers I've used are stable, but I think the range kind-of sucks. I'd stay away from Belkin and D-Link, but that's just my opinion.

There was a thread about wireless gear a while back, but it has some good info about brand experience. Here

It could be thermal. Is the router stuck in an enclosed space somewhere that gets hot? Or is it sitting on top of something that gets hot like a monitor or amplifier?

It could also be a problem with the router like Rob said. Check to see if a firmware upgrade is available for the router.

Thanks for the replies guys. I always thought that Belkin were supposed to be good hence the reason for going for it.

I found out last night that a friend of mine uses Linksys gear all round his house and is pleased with the performance so I may go that route later this year. I was hoping to spend a little less this year but things keep throwing themselves in the way of my credit card.

Looking at the old thread somebody mentioned the Wet 11 which is the bridge I use. This normally picks up a signal the minute it is switched on and I found it easy to set up. I would love a 2-port bridge that behaved the same way so that I could connect the xBox and the dock at the same time. I believe 3-com have a 3-way but last I looked it was a bit expensive.

In answer to Tony's post, I upgraded the firmware on my Belkin last year which didn't seem to make any difference. It sits on top of some shelves with plenty of clearance although near(ish) a radiator and the room is partially underground and sometimes gets quite hot. Another expense this year - radiator thermostats.

Another possibility is interference from other 802.11 gear nearby. Can you change channels on the thing?

Plug a small hub into the bridge you already have.. then you'll have a 4/7-port bridge!

Yep. I'm set up with a WET11 (ver 1) bridge & a hub sitting >250' away from a Netgear 54g AP and things are working very well that way. I love those WET11's, especially the convenience of being able to switch them from straight through to cross-over ethernet connections. Do make sure you've the latest version of the firmware on them, paying careful attention to which version you have. I had stability problems until I updated to the current release.

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Another possibility is interference from other 802.11 gear nearby. Can you change channels on the thing?

Unfortunately, I don't think I can.

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Plug a small hub into the bridge you already have.. then you'll have a 4/7-port bridge!

Would that work? I thought the bridge was assigned the IP and the device connected just got that one. I'd be a bit stuck if this did work as I have really run out of space for wires and plugs. That's why an all-in-one unit appeals.

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Do make sure you've the latest version of the firmware on them, paying careful attention to which version you have

Good point - I'll give that a go. I'm pretty sure my router is up-to-date but never thought about doing the same for the bridge.