Why do I keep losing my wireless network connection? When wifi (home wireless networking) was first introduced a few years ago, the setup was complicated, connections were slow and unreliable, and the coverage area or range of the equipment was very limited. Wireless network equipment manufacturers have made great strides in recent years, and today are producing some very powerful and reliable equipment with great range. About the only thing that hasn't changed, is that a lot of people still find it difficult to set up a solid reliable wireless network. It's not that the equipment and software hasn't improved, it's just that the wireless networking landscape has changed and with those changes have come a whole new set of installation and configuration challenges.

It used to be that complications arose from poor design and quirky equipment. Today, with broad use of powerful wifi equipment in every neighborhood, the greatest complications now tend to be related to security implementation, and probems with accidental interconnections between neighboring networks.

What are the symptoms? Symptoms can vary widely and are generally indicative of different problem causes. Here are some typical symptoms that our customers report:

• I keep losing my wireless connection or getting an error message that says "Wireless network not connected".
• My wireless connection keeps getting disconnected and reconnected or just keeps saying "Wireless network connection is now connected" over and over.
• My computer tells me that there are wireless networks available, but doesn't let me connect.
• I can't find my wireless network.
• I can't remember my wireless network password (encryption key)
• I have no signal (often referred to as "dead spots") in parts of my house where I want to be able to use my laptop.
• Even though I'm not moving around, my wirelesss connection shows that the signal gets stronger and weaker and sometimes just disconnects.
• My computer says I have a strong wireless network connection, but I can't access the Internet or email.
• I have a strong wireless network connection and can get to the Internet, but I can't print to my shared printer or access shared drives on other computers in my network.
• I get an error message that reports "There is an IP address conflict with another system on the network" or "The system has detected a conflict for IP address..."
• I get errors while connecting or reconnecting to my wireless network like "Limited or no connectivity" or "Unable to renew IP address."

What can be done about it? Before trying anything else, you should try the common practice of resetting your Internet connection (also called "bouncing the connection"). You are probably already familiar with this, but if not, here's how it works:

• Shut down all of your Internet-connected computers
• Unplug power from your network equipment such as router, wireless router, and Cable, DSL, or FIOS modem (note that sometimes these are separate devices, but sometimes they are a single integrated unit)
• Wait a few minutes
• Plug in power to your Cable, DSL, or FIOS modem first and wait a couple minutes for the lights to stop flashing
• Plug in power to your router or wireless router (if separate) and again wait until the lights stop flashing
• restart your Internet connected computers and check for Internet or Email access

If you are unsuccessful at restoring your connection in this fashion, or if you find that some computers connect, but others don't, resist the urge to begin tinkering with your router or computer networking settings. Many users who attempt to solve more extensive problems without understanding the real causes end up with a lot more work and greater expense when a professional geek is finally called in because the geek now needs to solve the original problem plus determine and restore any incorrect or lost configuration settings.

How can Geek Housecalls help? Your geek arrives with the knowledge and experience to identify the sources of wireless networking, connection, and security problems, and can usually solve them during the service call. Sometimes the problem isn't with your equipment, but is caused by conflicts with neighboring equipment. In this case, your geek can reconfigure your equipment to give it a unique identity and secure access while configuring your wireless computers to ignore neighboring networks. Sometimes the problem is caused by conflicts with non-network equipment such as cordless phones or household appliances. In this case, your geek can recommend alternative technologies that don't conflict, or wireless equipment that is designed specifically to overcome such conflicts. Sometimes, your geek can resolve signal related problems by changing wireless channels (the radio frequency your network operates on), by relocating your wireless router to a physical location that provides better wireless signal coverage where you need it, or by adding a wireless repeater device or specialty antennas to your network.

And of course, your geek won't ignore the possibility that the problem isn't with your network at all, and may originate instead with your Internet provider. In this case, your geek will get on the phone with your cable or phone company if needed, to shortcut the diagnosis process and push them towards speedier resolution of problems that originate on their end. Our customers appreciate the fact that bringing in a geek from Geek Housecalls eliminates finger-pointing between Internet providers, PC manufacturers and network equipment makers because we work with all parties involved to find the solution to your problems, meaning you only need to deal with your geek and your geek deals with everyone else. Now that's a reason to smile!