I have this computer with a Dlink DWL 520 802.11b Wireless Network Card. 2 levels above is the cable modem and wireless Linksys router. I am having problems with disconnects. It works great for awhile and then I goto use it and it's disconnected. Re-entering the WEP key always seems to fix it but I would like it to stay connected. I have added an antenna and wireless booster and that has helped the signal strength but it still disconnects for some reason. Any ideas?

T.I.A.

Make sure you turn off Hibernation, screensavers, sleepmode, etc.

Most wireless antennas are omni-directional and radiate outward from the antenna. Try using a directional antenna to force the signal down towards your computer 2 levels below. Just be aware that your building's construction material, microwave, cordless phones, monitors, bluetooth phones and devices, etc., can all interfere with your wireless connection. If your computer is in a corner you will be lucky to receive any signal without a directional antenna...

HTH

The signal is fine. The signal level is "Very Good" after installing a Wireless Booster. I think it's something else. Power Mangement is off.

Make sure power management is off in the BIOS, too. We had some connection problems with wireless laptops because of this...

I also note that you use one brand of router and a different brand of NIC. Wireless technology is still too new to try and mix hardware, regardless that all 802.11a,b,g and such are supposed to work together. Try using the same brand and see if that changes anything. If not, look for inside and outside interference.

HTH

I also saw this issue with my DLink DI-614 802.11b wireless router. I upgraded to a Netgear G unit (802.11b/g - WGR-614 v5) and haven't really seen the problem that I can recall. Could be that the Netgear unit has two years newer technology inside, maybe a new DLink would work better also. You can catch these units on sale (with rebates) for around $30, I'd recommend this option over any other non-free fixes.

I disagree with HTH's comment about mixing manufacturers. That's the whole point of having the 802.11x standards. I travel all over for work and have had no problems connecting to any wireless router I've encountered. I previously had a Netgear PCMCIA adapter and now have a Dell with built-in wireless. I think the Netgear card had better range, but I've been able to connect to DLink, Netgear, Linksys, and Belkin wireless routers/access points in my travels.

FYI, the built-in wireless adapaters in laptops these days rely on the Windows Wireless Network Manager for configuration. This short-sited piece of software does not support passphrases for WEP security. This bytes (pun intended). As usual, Microsoft's short-comings are corrected by 3rd Parties. Globesoft's Multi-Network Manager v7 allows for passphrases, along with unlimited saved network configurations - extremely handy for those of us who connect to a lot of different networks. For $36, it's a very useful utility.

-Brad