My Router - Or is it?

[buzzy]

Yesterday afternoon I could not access the Internet on my laptop due to the fact it was hovering between WEAK signal and NO signal from the router. I switched the router off, together with the laptop, and left them both off for a few minutes as recommended, re-connected, still nothing. The PC was fine since it is connected via a network cable. This morning I checked again on the laptop and I got the same problem, BUT a few minutes after I switched it on it came to life and has been ok since (2.5 hours). I have no idea why this should have happened, I have had this setup for about 6 months without any problems. Has anybody any ideas please.

[mikkh]

You should have switched the modem off too, if it's a separate one. Wireless is basically radio waves, so it could have been affected by local weather conditions or any number of things like a neighbours possibly faulty electronic equipment?

If you use a USB dongle type wireless connection on your laptop, I would suspect that more than the router - built in wireless is usually more reliable[/size][/font]

[computing50yrs]

I have found that the signal can fail (or appear to fail) if you have some other broadband wireless system near which happens to have allocated the same address as your laptop although you normally get a message to say you have system conflict.
However another problem with an adjacent system is that wireless routers both are running on channel 11. Problen can go away if you change the channel to say 2.

Another reason which I have come across on a TV amplifier which I have installed in my roof to distribute the signal round various rooms, that suddenly started failing late at night with the picture getting very snowy. It coincided with the very cold weather and only occured after I had extra insulation installed in the roof space. The amplifier was failing because it just got too cold. Looking at the spec its working range did not go down to the -8 C which was the temperature at the time.
Graham

[buzzy]

Thanks guys - I am using my laptop and my PC on the same router, the PC is connected via network cable and the Laptop is fully wireless. I tend to think you may have the answer Mikkh since all is working fine again and this enigma has been a 'one-off'. It may have been a coincidence, but we have had the Water Board working in the Avenue for the past few days and the amount of machinery they were using was absolutely amazing. They have now departed and my setup is ok again?

I appreciate your guidance Graham, but I don't think we have any of the parameters you indicate that have altered recently.