Help with wireless internet. please!

Asked by noodle_poodle (1617

) April 15th, 2011

Hello,

I am having serious difficulties getting my wireless network. Heres the info. I have a samsung R530 with windows 7. I have had it for about 6 months and have been using various wireless networks while I have been travelling…one thing that always pissed me off though was that I get terrible range on it. I have to practically sit right next to the router to get a signal where as other people can connect to the same network from practically miles away….here the problems began because in order to try and improve matters I bought a (SAI High-Powered Ultra-Secure 500mW 150Mbps USB Wireless WIFI Long Range Network Adapter with Detachable External 5dBi Antenna – IEEE 802.11 b/g/n Int) from amazon.

Got it home installed the software that came with it plugged it and…duh duh..it didnt work. I still had my ordinary piffling wireless connection from my atheros ar9285 network wifi network adaptor but the usb adaptor claimed there were no networks….i know this to be lies as the usb claims a range of up to 500meters and heres me sat right next to a working router. So I then did what everyone does and fiddled with my adaptor settings and now neither of them work at all.

I have tried downloading the latest drivers but still no go..even if I click enable on the usb adaptor is says “enabling” and then just sits there as disabled. The atheros on board network adaptor says its connected but isnt and reports “there could be a problem with the network adaptor” and leaves it at that when I trouble shoot….I realize I have been something of a pillock by messing up an existing working connection but any help would be greatly appreciated.

Observing members: 0

Composing members: 0

6 Answers

Have you tried shutting off the wi-fi on your laptop completely once and then re-starting? When I’ve been switching between lots of different wi-fi networks I find that occasionally my “detect wireless networks” will fail to see the network I want it to see.. and the only way to get it to work again is to flip off my wi-fi switch (I have one on the laptop—a physical switch to turn off the wi-fi) and then after a re-boot I flip it back on. THEN it will see the correct available wireless networks..and at the correct strengths..

But..then, this is just my case, and with my Dell notebook. Your mileage may vary..

geeky_mama (8930

)“Great Answer” (0

) Flag as…

@geeky_mama thanks…alas i dont have such a switch but I have tried uninstalling the adaptors and re installing, disabling and enabling and several reboots to no avail…i am starting to think i may actually have a hardware problem

noodle_poodle (1617

)“Great Answer” (0

) Flag as…

@noodle_poodle—I suspect you’re right, too..that the original range was so poor seems to be a tip off that there is something not right w/ the laptop hardware…something that perhaps no software or .dll update will fix…

geeky_mama (8930

)“Great Answer” (0

) Flag as…

Just a screwy thought; have you tried to get it to work with Linux? I have occasionally had things get screwy on the Windows side no matter what I do while a Live USB/CD-based Linux has no problems with the exact same hardware. How Windoze gets that) screwed up is still a mystery to me, but at least that eliminates the hardware element. hell the fact that your external USB wifi adapter is also screwy tells me something else is going on.

One other thought is EMI. How much “static” is your laptop putting out?

jerv (31079

)“Great Answer” (0

) Flag as…