When you first try to connect to your network, your wireless adapter’s software will scan the area for available networks and then display a list of networks. If you don’t see your own list in this network, you may have disabled the router’s SSID feature, which broadcasts the SSID to local wireless adapters. Disabling the SSID broadcast is a common security method, as it effectively stealths your network, making it that much harder for would-be hackers to spot.

The good news is that your adapter doesn’t need to see the SSID to connect to your router. Your adapter’s software includes a manual connection feature that lets you enter your network’s information, including the SSID. Once you enter the appropriate SSID and encryption information, you’ll be able to connect to your router without any trouble.

Determine whether physical obstacles are weakening the signal. Not surprisingly, wireless networks offer the strongest signals in open spaces, but unless your home resembles a big hall, your wireless network must negotiate walls and floors, both of which can reduce the strength and range of the signal. Today’s home networking equipment can reach as far as 300 feet in the very best circumstances, but your home’s metal and concrete will savage your router’s signal strength. If the computers closest to your wireless AP or router aren’t dropping the wireless connection and the computer that is dropping the connection is at the far end of the house, you can probably blame your network troubles on distance and physical barriers.

There are two popular types of signal-strengthening devices on the market for home users: range boosting antennae and repeaters. Several manufacturers offer APs and wireless routers that have removable antenna. If you can detach your router’s antenna, you can replace it with an antenna that offers more dBi. Chances are, your router’s manufacturer also offers an optional range-boosting antenna.

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Make sure your AP or router supports the same wireless networking standard that your adapter uses. For example, you can use 802.11b and G devices without any compatibility problems, but you can’t use an 802.11a adapter to connect to an 802.11g network. This may seem like a no kidding sort of solution, but if you’ve ever fretted over a seemingly dead PC, only to discover that the power cord was unplugged, you’ll agree that sometimes the obvious answer is the one.

Renew the router’s DHCP settings. Your router most likely uses the DHCP networking protocol to automatically assign IP addresses to all of the PCs on the network. You can often fix a dropped connection by entering your router’s firmware menu and using the firmware’s DHCP Release/Renew feature. Read Basic Troubleshooting Routers and Hubs
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Switch your wireless connection software. Chances are, you’re using the adapter manufacturer’s software. Windows XP includes the Wireless Zero Configuration Utility, but your adapter’s software overrides it by default. You can switch to the Zero Configuration Utility only if your adapter’s software permits it. Find the adapter’s icon in the System Tray and then right-click it. You may see Use Windows XP Wireless Configuration. Click the link, open the Control Panel and then open Network Connections. Next, double-click the Wireless Network Connection icon to view available networks.

Wireless access cards, also known as wireless adapters, replace standard Ethernet cables to create a wireless link between your PC and a wireless AP or router. Although wireless networking equipment offers convenience to users who want to place computers in multiple rooms without running Ethernet cables around the house, the equipment isn’t foolproof: You’re bound to run into network problems at some point.

Make & Model
Whether you plan to call tech support or simply want to search for drivers on the manufacturer’s Web site, you’ll need to know your device’s model number. In most cases, finding the model number is a snap: If you don’t see the model number on the device itself, you can find it via your computer’s Device Manager. Click Start, Control Panel, and then open System. Click Device Manager and then click the plus (+) sign next to Network Adapters. Your adapter’s name will appear and will most likely include a model number. The adapter’s software will also generally display its model number.

Update Your Drivers
Software publishers and hardware manufacturers tweak their products for months and sometimes years after they release them. Software publishers update their programs via patches, while hardware manufacturers tweak their hardware with firmware updates and new driver releases. Updated drivers sometimes add functionality, but they also often include important bug fixes. If you’re experiencing any problems with your wireless adapter, always download and install the latest driver for your adapter.

To determine your driver’s version number, click Start, Control Panel, and then open System. Click Device Manager and then click the plus sign next to Network Adapters. Right-click your wireless adapter and then click Properties. Finally, click the Driver tab, which will display your driver version and driver release date.

Next, visit the Support section of the manufacturer’s Web site and see if a newer driver is available. If it is, download the driver to your hard drive. To uninstall your existing driver, open the adapter’s Properties window, click the Driver tab, and then Update Driver.

When the Hardware Update Wizard appears, click the No, Not This Time radio button and then click Next. Click the Install From A List Or Specific Location, click Next, and then check the Include This Location In The Search box. Click the Browse button, navigate to the downloaded driver on your hard drive, and then complete the wizard.

If your adapter connects to one of the PCI slots in your computer, keep in mind that you may need to remove the adapter before you start the driver installation. Keep a screwdriver handy.

Your wireless router assigns an IP address to each of the computers on your network. If your computer drops its wireless connection and doesn’t produce any error messages, you can probably reinstate the connection by reassigning an IP address via router. Routers generally use DHCP to automatically assign IP addresses, so you’ll want to release the router’s DHCP assignments and then force it to assign new IP addresses.

To force a DHCP release, enter your router’s firmware menu and look for a DHCP Release feature. Your router’s manual or the firmware’s support documentation will help you find the feature. Many routers feature DHCP Release and DHCP Renew buttons that let you quickly complete this task.

Why you can’t access certain web sites from computers on the network.

Chances are good that your software firewall is the culprit, rather than your router. Software firewalls might block your access to certain web sites for a variety of reasons. If your computer runs a software firewall, start your troubleshooting by first disabling the software firewall and then visiting the web site again.

If you still can’t access the site, enter your router’s firmware menu and then navigate to its filtering settings. Anyone who can log into your router’s firmware using the default username and password, if you didn’t change it, to use the router’s filtering features to create a list of Web sites that the router will block access to.

But, this is a much less likely scenario than your software firewall detecting something on the web site that triggers its own blocking features.

Update your firmware by following the instructions here in the
previous post, as buggy firmware might be the problem. If you already have the latest version of the router’s firmware, use the firmware menu to return all of the features to their default settings. If this solves the connection problem, be sure to make future settings changes one at a time so you’ll know what setting causes trouble if you encounter problems again.

Another way, is to reset your network devices. This gives them the chance to reassign IP addresses and connect to each other without conflicts. To completely reset your network devices, power off your PC and then unplug your broadband modem and router. Leave the units unplugged for a few minutes. Read your device manuals to determine whether you need to perform any additional tasks to reset the devices.

Finally, plug in and power on your devices, starting with the broadband modem, then your router, and then your PC.