Windows 7: Network Connectivity Problems

For the past week I have been experiencing issues while on the web with my newer laptop. I have my laptop connected via WiFi to our network. From my room upstairs the signal strength is normally fair. However, every once in a while ( Like once an hour at least, 5 min apart at worst) the internet drops to very low signal strength and I cannot connect to the internet. Windows also notices the problem and alerts me that I have limited or now connectivity. It then works again within 1 minute. It is very annoying, especial since I stream a lot of music and do a lot of VoIP calls. I have restarted, rebooted the router, reset the router, and turned my wireless card on and off. And the strange part is that my computer connects fine to other networks and stays connected. And even stranger is that no other computers or devices on the network are having that problem. There are 4 laptops connected not including my notebook. There are also 3 phones, a tablet, a printer and a Wii connected via WiFi. There is also a desktop, a server, and a blue-ray player connected via Ethernet. The router is the Actiontec MI424WR Verizon FiOS Router. Any Ideas?
Thanks in advance,
Jack

This type of problem usually relates to the wireless channel is overloaded, this is usually because your neighbors are using the same channel or close to the same channel as your router. Channels overlap because they use part of the bandwidth from other channels in order to put out a signal.

It's best to scan the area using a WIFI scanner then look for a channel that either isn't being used or one that is furthest away from the channels that your neighbors are using. This is especially true when trying to stream movies.

You will want to use WPA2 and AES encryption if possible. If your still having problems you can post a screen shot of the results here. Sometimes it's obvious which channel to use, other times you have to just pick and choose to find the right one.

Xirrus WIFI scanner works well for this.
Wi-Fi Inspector | Xirrus

I used the scanner, but it only sees my network. Here is the screenshot:

I'm guessing that you can't use 802.11n for some reason? In either event you should try using WPA2 with AES encryption as it tends to work much better with drivers that are made for Windows 7.

The router only supports 802.11g. Switched to WPA2 AES and the signal strength instantly got better. Have not had a drop out yet, but it has gone this long before so I am not going to say it fixed it yet. I will update the status after I have used my computer for a while.

Update:
Still doing it, but not as bad. It now is back in a few seconds. But still annoying while streaming. Any more thoughts?

No surprise about the security and encryption working better.

I would definitely install the latest drivers for your Samsung, lots of 2012 drivers there that might help.

Support - Notebooks NP305E5AI | Samsung Laptops

As for streaming with wireless G, I wouldn't expect too much as it's limited to 54Mbps although the newer driver might help.

Upgrading to a wireless N router at 300Mbps would be a big improvement although the driver needs to work with wireless N as well.

I should have all the 2012 drivers. I did a fresh install of 7 Ultimate when I got the notebook in march, and downloaded all the drivers from there. The strange thing to me is that the wireless worked perfectly and then all of a sudden I am having issues.

switch out of channel 11 to another channel and go into your router settings and set preamble length to long instead of short.

Also, definitely check your power options settings on the laptop, and the advanced category to make sure the laptop is not limiting your WLAN card in any way. Turn off power options on the WLAN adapter in the device manager too.

Switched to channel 6 and set the preamble length and have not had a problem since. I also changed the power settings so it would not limit the card. Thanks very much to chev65 and event3horizon.
Jack

Well excellent!! Glad we can help out.