* Dr. Internet columnist Steve Blass discusses options of basic drawing tools for Web collaboration * Help Desk columnist Ron Nutter offers advice on troubleshooting wireless router trouble
* Basic drawing tools for Web collaboration
By Steve Blass
Q: Is there a basic drawing-tool component to use in Web pages so a user can draw a sketch and then save it to the server as part of a collaboration application?
A: Large, commercial collaboration applications, such as Blackboard and eRoom, have features like that. Including drawing-tool collaboration in basic Web site applications can be a little more difficult.
To read Steve’s response in its entirety, please click here.
* When wireless routers keep failing
By Ron Nutter
Q: Crazy as this may sound, a wireless router is useless for me to be able to use my laptop. After 2 routers failing, I had Comcast hook up their wireless network router. It worked OK for about 10 days, then went out as in the past. The tech came out and tried 3 new routers to no avail. He was stumped. He thinks there is something in my area that is overpowering them. Even sitting directly in front of the router, the laptops would not pick it up (3 different laptops). Sooo, I’m very upset, is there a way for me to use wireless on my laptop? I have a “Balance laptop” with built in wireless WLAN 802.11g (no card slot)….help please!
A: Definitely sounds like you have something interfering with your laptop. First, download and run Netstumbler. This may give you an idea if another access point is in the area with a strong enough signal to cause the problem. Since you have used several different wireless routers and continue to have the same problem, it may not be another wireless access point that is causing your problem, but checking to see if there are multiple access points on the same channel could explain the problem. You could have what is called a “nulling out” effect where the signals mix together but your wireless card in the laptops cant disntinguish one source from another.
To read Ron’s response in its entirety, please click here.
