Windows 7: How can I improve this..?

I have a linksys router in the other room... my internet goes on and off. Is there anything that I can do to tweak it up a little without having to pay?



And also.. whenever my wireless goes down I usually have to restart my laptop to get it connected again.

Hi Kris,

If you open up Device Manager is there any devices with a yellow exclaimation mark next to them?



Is so then try removing/uninstalling the device, rebooting then Windows will re-install the drivers.

If not then you might want to re-boot your router.




OS

i assume you mean improve the signal?

10 tips for improving your wireless network

With 5 bars, signal should not be an issue

maybe its my screen (or my eyes). to me it looks like only the first two bars are filled (green).
and the description is pretty vague.

All green and yes, quite vague but we'll see when the OP comes back online

Looking at your signal strength and speed I'd say you were using wireless G for this connection which tends to max out around 54Mbps.

Because your getting the best possible signal and speed that G has to offer have you considered the possibilty that the wireless channel you are using is also being used by one of your neighbors? This will cause endless problems with connections dropping for no apparent reason.

You might try using this free program from Xirrus called the wifi inspector which will show you which channels are being used in your area. You can then choose a channel that isn't being used in your area and change channel using your routers control panel.
Xirrus: The Leader in High Performance Wi-Fi - Advanced IT Wi-Fi Networking Tools

I gave the program a try.. but how do I see and choose the different channels?

Orbital- I looked at my network drives in device manager and they were all green, no exclamation marks. But i'll try uninstalling them to see if that does anything.

to change channels, you need to access the router. it should be listed in "network and sharing center" in control panel.
once you find its icon, right-click it and select "view device webpage". leave "user name" blank, and type "admin" for password. (no quotes).
while your in there you may as well update the firmware if there is a newer version. there should be a link to the website.

After you have looked over the Xirrus wifi inspector you should be able to determine which channels aren't being used in your area, choose one from channel 1-11 which ever one isn't being used should work well for you.

I prefer using channels higher up in range like 7-10 as channel 11 is usually used by someone else because it's default for many routers.

Then you would need to access your routers set up page. For your linksys router type 192.168.1.1 into your browsers URL and hit enter. Navigate to the manual wireless set up page and chance the channel to one that isn't being used and save the set up.