Laptop keeps disconnecting

So I've been having this issue for quite a while, but recently it has reached the point that I hardly have enough time to type in a web address or message a friend before my laptop loses Internet access. I have to first disconnect and reconnect again and hope that I can go a bit longer without losing connection again. It's quite random: I could go hours without disconnecting or I'll disconnect eight seconds after reconnecting. I'll explain more in detail below.

To begin with: I know for a fact that it has to be an issue with the router since the laptop has no issues at a relative's house. The issue is wirelessly - if I connect the ethernet cable to the laptop, I stay connected. I've gone through all the settings in my router and could not find anything that may cause the issue.

Here is my ipconfig:

Router model? Router settings? Router bios version?
Also - wireless card model and driver level

Do other wireless devices and laptops work? .

If you are in a populated area with a lot of neighbours, you may want to try changing channels to see if that improves connection. Are you on the 2.4GHz band ? , do you have the capability to go to 5GHz which would be have less traffic on it ? . You could also try switching off encryption temporarily and see what effect, if any, that has.

I'd say this is a wireless channel overlap problem also. Too many people using the same channels or too much overlap of channels being used will cause disconnection problems all day long. The ipconfig looks good but you can't see channel overlap problems in ipconfig.

You should also make sure that your router is set up to use WPA2 with AES encryption. You should also ensure that the wireless profile for this connection in Windows is set to use WPA2 with AES.

You can scan the area around you to find which channel is best using a WIFI scanner, I'll list the easiest one to use first. If you can't decide which channel is best post a screen shot of the WIFI scanner.

Wi-Fi Inspector | Xirrus

Download inSSIDer and Discover the Wi-Fi Networks Around You | MetaGeek

Link to help you find the right channel and how to configure this in your router.
Change Your Wi-Fi Router Channel to Optimize Your Wireless Signal - How-To Geek

Link explaining channel overlap.
What channel should I choose for my wireless network? Wireless Networking Forum FAQ | DSLReports.com, ISP Information

So I downloaded inSSIDer, and this is what I see:



I also changed my channel from 'Auto' to 5:



Does this look correct, or should I change something?

Omlet said:

So I downloaded inSSIDer, and this is what I see:



I also changed my channel from 'Auto' to 5:



Does this look correct, or should I change something?

One possible problem I see here is that you have channel bonding turned on which can cause problems in certain cases because of too much channel overlap, notice how both channel 5 and 9 are showing up there?

In your router's set up page look for a setting that says 20Mhz or 40Mhz, you should try using the 20Mhz setting which turns channel bonding off. :)

chev65 said:

Omlet said:

So I downloaded inSSIDer, and this is what I see:



I also changed my channel from 'Auto' to 5:



Does this look correct, or should I change something?

One possible problem I see here is that you have channel bonding turned on which can cause problems in certain cases because of too much channel overlap, notice how both channel 5 and 9 are showing up there?

In your router's set up page look for a setting that says 20Mhz or 40Mhz, you should try using the 20Mhz setting which turns channel bonding off. :)

These are the only settings I have in my 'Advanced' area:



EDIT: Also, my router model the Wireless-N 150 Router model WNR1000v2

You will need to access your router's wireless settings for this by typing 192.168.1.1 into your browsers URL. There has to be a setting for 20/40Mhz somewhere, right now it's set to 40Mhz.

chev65 said:

You will need to access your router's wireless settings for this by typing 192.168.1.1 into your browsers URL. There has to be a setting for 20/40Mhz somewhere, right now it's set to 40Mhz.

Yeah, I'm in the wireless settings now, but I cannot see a setting for that.

Omlet said:

chev65 said:

You will need to access your router's wireless settings for this by typing 192.168.1.1 into your browsers URL. There has to be a setting for 20/40Mhz somewhere, right now it's set to 40Mhz.

Yeah, I'm in the wireless settings now, but I cannot see a setting for that.

I'm not familiar with that router or it's settings but something is set to use channel bonding somewhere along the line. You should reset the router if you are still having problems.

There are other similar complaints about this router around the internet and it's hard to say what the problem might be. Maybe try updating the firmware.
http://forum1.netgear.com/showthread.php?t=50285