Secure Windows Vista Networking

Paul McFedries

Troubleshooting Wireless Network Problems

By Paul McFedries on Fri, 10/31/08 - 2:16pm.

Wireless networking adds a whole new set of potential snags to your network troubleshooting chores because of problems such as interference, compatibility, and device ranges. Here's a list of a few troubleshooting items that you should check to solve any wireless connectivity problems you're having:

Repair the connection. Vista's network repair tool seems to work particularly well for solving wireless woes, so you should always start with that. Right-click the notification area's Network icon and then click Diagnose.
Reboot and power cycle devices. Reset your hardware by performing the following tasks, in order: log off Vista; restart your computer; power cycle your computer; power cycle the wireless access point; power cycle the broadband modem.
Check connections. Make sure your wireless NIC is installed properly and that the antenna is attached securely.
Move the antenna. If the wireless NIC antenna is on a cable, move the antenna to a higher position.
Check your notebook WLAN switch. Many notebook computers come with a switch or program that turns the internal wireless NIC on and off. Make sure you haven't inadvertently turned the NIC off.
Look for interference. Devices such as baby monitors and cordless phones that use the 2.4GHz radio frequency (RF) band can play havoc with wireless signals. Try either moving or turning off such devices if they're near your wireless NIC or wireless access point. You should also keep your wireless NIC and access point well away from a microwave oven; microwaves can jam wireless signals.
Change the channel. You can configure your wireless access to broadcast signals on a specific channel. Sometimes one channel gives a strong signal than another, so try changing the channel. You do this by logging on to the access point's configuration pages and looking for a setting that determines the broadcast channel.
Check your range. If you're getting no signal or a weak signal, it could be that your wireless NIC is too far away from the access point. You usually can't get much farther than about 115 feet away from an access point before the signal begins to degrade (230 feet if you're using 802.11n devices). Either move closer to the access point, or turn on the access point's range booster feature, if it has one. You could also install a wireless range extender.
Check 802.11b/g/n compatibility. For your wireless NIC to work properly with your wireless access point, both must use a compatible version of the wireless 802.11 standard. For example, if you NIC supports only 802.11n, but your access point supports only 802.11g, the two will not be able to connect.
Reset the router. As a last resort, reset the router to its default factory settings (see the device documentation to learn how to do this). Note if you do this you'll need to set up your network from scratch.