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.

Before you run into the specific problems and solutions below, make sure your router’s firmware is always up-to-date. This step is very important, as all other solutions in this sites under the assumption that you have already updated your router’s firmware without solving the problem.

Unlike normal devices, which require drivers to communicate with your computer, your router needs only firmware, which is a small program stored in the device’s memory. Firmware controls the device and provides a menu of features that you can access via an Internet browser.

As they do with drivers, device manufacturers often release updated versions of firmware that fix bugs and add new features. If you’re experiencing any problems with your router, you should kick off your troubleshooting session by making sure that the device has the most latest firmware release, the new firmware version may fix the problem automatically or provide tools that will let you fix the problem.

To determine the router’s current firmware version, you’ll need to open the firmware menu. Open your Internet browser and then enter the router’s IP address in the browser’s Address bar. Your router’s users manual will come in handy, as it will include the router’s default IP address. You will certainly see a login screen before the menu appears. Refer to your manual for the login information if you haven’t changed the username and password. (Read 5 Simple Tips on Surfing Safely at Home)

You can goto the router’s IP address via your Internet browser whether your Internet connection is working or not: the data transfer between your PC and the router via your Ethernet cable. When the firmware menu appears in your browser, look for the firmware version number, which generally appears on the front page of the menu. If you don’t see the firmware version, check your manual, the manufacturer likely printed the version number somewhere in the menu.

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A router or hub is the cornerstone of the average home network. An Ethernet hub, which has several Ethernet ports, lets users share folders and files among all of the computers connected to the home network. A router generally has a built-in hub and also has features that let it share a broadband Internet connection with the networked PCs. Routers also usually include other features, such as wireless connectivity and a hardware firewall that can protect your computers from many of the digital threats floating around the Web.

Because the router is the center of your network, many network problems can be traced back to it. A defective device, bad settings, old firmware, and firewall issues can all put your network on the blink. We’ll show you how to troubleshoot your router or hub so you can spot and fix common problems.

Know Your Model
To download the right updates, you’ll need to know the unit manufacturer and model number of your device. Many routers and hubs bear the model number on the front panel and other information, such as the serial number, on the bottom of the device.

How To Tell If The Router Or Hub Is The Problem
You can determine whether your router is the source of your network troubles by eliminating other network devices as the problem sources. Chances are, there are only a few potential troublemakers beyond your router:

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Many wireless network card stated that it supports speeds that are much faster than the 802.11g or 802.11a specifications allow, but most of the time, you never achieve those high speeds when transferring network files.

802.11g and 802.11a operate at up to 54Mbps, but most manufacturers add speed boosting technology to their wireless products that allow for much faster speeds. Unfortunately, these technologies are not standardized and therefore do not work with similar products from other manufacturers, so stick to products from the same company because they use the exact same speed-boosting technology to benefit from a faster connection