Are there different types of wireless Routers ?

niceday999

Do wireless routers only work for a while ? i have had mine for a year and a half and it does not seem to be working . the lights on it are lighting up but the (adult) kids are not able to acess their lap tops.
i have a Linksys.
I am on virgin media broadband.
think i am looking for a replacement, what is the difference between a ASDL router and a broadband router.
was checking out tesco and they have a "zoom" wireless router for £29.95
will try and post a link
http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.203-7717.aspx
and this one
http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.203-9850.aspx

scottishf

If you are with Virgin media you will need a broadband router. Can you describe the problems with the laptops? and when did they start playing up...i.e. can you associate it with any event?

Conor_3

If you are on Virgin using Cable, you need a cable modem, not an ADSL one.

niceday999

scottishf wrote: »

If you are with Virgin media you will need a broadband router. Can you describe the problems with the laptops? and when did they start playing up...i.e. can you associate it with any event?

my son has an xbox 360 which he has upstairs but to link up with his friends and play xbox he runs a cable from his bedroom to the computer downstairs and has been unplugging the wireless router ( I dont know why )
we used to run desktop and 2 laptops on wireless, now the only one working is the desktop ( not on wireless) tho
Not sure how to check if the router is broken or what to do.
There is constantly a que to get on the 1 pc........lol....lol

shadowdragon

I dont think its actually broken, I think the laptops just need reconfiguring to pick up the router (especially if your hardwired machine is working ok). Do a scan on the laptops for wireless networks and try reconnecting to yours with the WEP key ect.

scottishf

Yup i agree with the previous comment. If he keeps unplugging the router, the laptops may have lost their configuration.

fatnbald

I have had the wireless just stop every now and then for no apparent reason, it is usually sorted by powering down and the back up again. As far as to what the problem may be with your particular circumstance it is hard to tell without being there and checking the set up.
I have also had a fight between the adaptor manufacturer's wireless control program and the one built in to windows before now, having set it all up to work ok in one prog it has switched to the other without any input and the setting have been wrong stopping it connecting, switch back to the preferred program and it works ok.
The nature of modems and routers makes them fairly robust as a bit of kit, the power supplies are the weakest part of the equation in my experience. Assuming you have not moved it or set up another device on the same wavelength, cordless phones can conflict, try rescanning for the base station from the laptop and setting it up again.

superscaper

And tell him to stop unplugging it! If he's connecting by an ethernet cable there's no reason he can't plug it into the wireless router.

niceday999

shadowdragon wrote: »

I dont think its actually broken, I think the laptops just need reconfiguring to pick up the router (especially if your hardwired machine is working ok). Do a scan on the laptops for wireless networks and try reconnecting to yours with the WEP key ect.

can you explain the last bit there for me about the WEp key ??
i know how to scan the laptops for available networks ,

shadowdragon

niceday999 wrote: »

can you explain the last bit there for me about the WEp key ??
i know how to scan the laptops for available networks ,

When you scan for a wireless connection if you highlight your chosen one and hit connect, it should be a secured network (yours may not be if you havent got that feature enabled, and if not i recommend you do). And it will ask you for a keycode (two input boxes one for the code and another for the code again).

You will find the WEP code (if you have one) usually on a sticker on the underside or the rear of your router, you type that in (case sensitive) and it will connect to the wireless network.

niceday999

There are a few numbers on the back. one says
FCC ID ..............
IC ID.................
THE OTHER STICKER SAYS
serial number ....................
mac address...................
there is a white sticker with a 13 digit number also
would the WEP be any of these ?
i am scared to just try them in case i block it by entereing the wromg number too many times