Wireless Access Point stopped working/Weak signal

[roddyb]

I have a small wireless network around my home, with 1 Netgear ME102 802.11b Wireless Access Point and 3 Netgear MA401 802.11b Wireless PC Cards. After I came back from a vacation of 2 weeks, I notice that my Wireless Access Point has stopped working. It is powered up OK, but the PC can no longer detect it. The Link/Act lights flickers when I try to detect it but I get an error message saying it cannot be found.

Is it a software problem (I don't think anything changed on the PC) and I have tried downloading updated software to no avail? I also tried all combinations of rebooting and turning the hub and ME102 off and on.

I tried a different network cable and plugged it into a different port on my hub but neither helped.

So has the Wireless Access Point hardware failed? I have had it in constant use for about 1 year.

Before it stopped working there was another problem. The Wireless Access Point is in my basement (where my Cable Internet line comes in) and two of the clients are 3 floors up in attic bedrooms. The signal to one client is quite week. If I buy a new Access Point, can I find one which has a better range or is this standard between manufacturers?

Is there another solution whereby an intermediate PC receives and transmits the signal by using a second access point (i.e. A->B, B->C).

[JimGeier]

You might find better range with other access points, mainly through the use of different antennas having higher gain. You might check with your access point vendor to see if they have a higher gain omni (3- 6 dB) for your access point. It's tough to go from a basement to a third floor, however. Another alternative is to use an 802.11b repeater device. You should find one at www.wirelesscentral.net.

If none of your radio cards can see the access point (and they did before without changing anything), then I'm thinking that the access point is dead. You might double check the SSIDs to ensure they're the same, though. If the radio cards to indicate a connection with the access point, but you can't connect to Internet services (e.g., browse the web), then your ISP may have changed the address of their DNS (and you'll need to update the DNS address on your system).

I hope that helps. Anyone have any other ideas?

[roddyb]

Thanks for the suggestions Jim. I spoke to Netgear who agreed the hardware was faulty and are sending me a replacement under their guarantee.

Your idea of a wireless repeater sounds great and is just what I need to boost the signal to the furthest clients. But when I visited www.wirelesscentral.net I could only find one such product - a Buffalo Tech Airstation Pro Series Repeater. There may be others but I am not sure what to look for.

When I talked to my supplier (Microwarehouse UK) they said this Buffalo product was a bridge not a repeater and would not do what I needed. Also they said they have never sold one in the UK (where I live).

So I am now a little confused. Could you suggest a couple of specific manufacturers and products which you think might be suitable for me to consider? I can then research it further.

[akababy]

you could actually add in another wireless accesspoint ME102 that u are currently using.

ME102 can also work as a repeater.. just place them lets say on the first or 2nd floor should do the trick.. :)

Hope it helps