RE: failing wireless PC Card

[http://www.Linksys.com/~sherwin.nebres]

Dear Valued Linksys Customer,
 
Thank you for contacting Linksys Customer Support.
 
You may try to do a re-installation with your card using a new driver which
you can download from our website. If you are doing a re-installation, make
sure you have deleted first the driver files currently installed in your PC
before the re-installation. Verify if you have inserted the card properly,
the LinkLED should be on lit. Then you may now look at the status in the
Device Manager if it is working properly.
 
Is this the only wireless device which you encounter difficulty in
connecting wirelessly with the access point? I have also attached in here a
file, which you may try, for your wireless settings to be configured both on
your access point and wireless card/adapter for better performance. Also,
you need to consider the interferences within your network that affects
communications among your wireless devices. 
 
I hope this will help you in dealing with your technical difficulties.
 
Thank you again and have a nice day!
 
If you have further questions, please contact us at (800) 326-7114 or send
us an email at http://www.linksys.com/~support so that we may further assist you.
Please use this phone number given as reference for future support calls.
 
Sincerely,
 
Sherwin M. Nebres
Product Support Representative
LINKSYS
 
If you are responding to this e-mail, please attach all previous
correspondence as a point of reference.
 
-----Original Message-----
From: robert b [http://dummy.us.eu.org/robert] 
Sent: Monday, February 03, 2003 2:48 PM
To: linksys support
Subject: failing wireless PC Card
 
I've been using my wireless PC Card (WPC11 version 1) for 1.5 years
successfully.  Within the last couple of weeks, it's been failing.  It does
not establish a connection to my wireless access point.  I got it working
after using a wired card for a while and sticking it back into my computer.
But now, after doing a single reboot, it will not work again.  I'm using a
wired card again.
 
Is it normal for a card like this to just start failing after 1.5 years of
use?  Do I just need to buy another one?
 
Thanks.

---Executing: antiword

Kindly set the following configuration that is listed below and see if this
helps:

Same SSID

Same Channel settings

Static LAN IP address

Disable WEP

Open Authentication

RTS Threshold = 2304

Fragmentation Threshold = 2304

Beacon Interval = 10 - 50

TX rate = 1 or 2 MBps

Long Preamble

Antenna = Both / Diversity Spread = On

Then, set your wireless card to Infrastructure mode to communicate with the
wireless router.

There are interferences to observe in wireless networking. Leaded glass,
metal, reinforced concrete floors and walls may inhibit the signal and reduce
range.  Start with your wireless access point and your wireless PC or Laptop
in the same room and move away in small increments to determine the maximum
range in your environment. Once the units are further than 10 feet apart, the
antenna signals will reflect off of walls, tables, and people, thus changing
signal polarization. Outdoor polarization has an even greater effect. If there
aren't any objects in the path of the two radio cards, or there are not any
nearby trees or structures, the two radios should be on different planes to
achieve the best range and to minimize packet error rate. Placement of the
card is important. If one computer is buried under a desk, loss will occur. If
inside of a car, glass and metal will cause degradation. Some examples below
offer some effective losses (consider as relative percentages) . even moisture
hurts.

 

| WINDOW IN BRICK WALL             | 2dB      |
| METAL FRAME, GLASS WALL INTO     | 6dB      |
|BUILDING                          |          |
| OFFICE WALL                      | 6dB      |
| METAL DOOR IN OFFICE WALL        | 6dB      |
| CINDER WALL                      | 4dB      |
| METAL DOOR IN BRICK WALL         | 12.4dB   |
| BRICK WALL NEXT TO METAL DOOR    | 3dB      |

I would suggest placing the wireless access point to as high as you can if you
use one.  If your network spans floors, try to place the wireless access point
on the upper floor.  If you want to connect while you're outside, place the
wireless access point near a window. If you are using a wireless phone, kindly
use it away from your wireless network so that the operating frequency will
not going to interfere with each other.