Troubleshoot Wireless Network

Wireless network is also referred to as Wi-Fi and is used as an alternative to local area networking. This is used for wireless Internet access. Wireless networks attract a whole load of problems. Discussed here, are few problems and ways to troubleshoot wireless networks.

Checking The Wires And Wireless Adapter
Check if all the wires are plugged properly into the router, and if the power cord is connected. Also check if all the lights of the router and cable/DSL modem are 'ON'. Confirm if the wireless adapter is in the 'ON' mode. In order to check if the device manager is on or not, go to windows, and then go to the device manager from where you can check its status. If you have a USB wireless detector or PCMCIA, try re-inserting it so that windows detects it. The lights present in the adapter, display an indication of the problem. For example, some adapters have orange and green lights where, orange signifies that there is some problem, while a constantly glowing green light signifies that the connection is successful. A blinking green light signifies that the computer is not within range of the wireless access point.

Compatibility Of The Driver
The correct device driver should be installed for the wireless network adapter or else, many problems tend to arise, and the driver may malfunction. Even if you set the configurations correctly, the connectivity can be hampered. Hence, choosing a correct device driver is of utmost importance. This is a way in which wireless network troubleshooting can be effectively carried out.

Low Signal Strength
A number of reasons are responsible for the deterioration and negative performance in wireless networking. Any device that operates at the same frequency as that of 802.11b or 802.11g can be a reason for the inference with the wireless network. Household appliances such as, wireless phones, microwaves and other electrical appliances, should be kept at least 1 meter away from the access point.

Install A Repeater For Boosting The Performance
A repeater can boost the performance of a wireless network to a large extent. If you want to increase the performance, you can opt for a repeater. A repeater receives the signal, and then rebroadcasts after regenerating a duplicate signal, which extends the range of the wireless network. A repeater is placed between the access point and a wireless client. This will help in troubleshooting wireless networks.

Changing The Antenna
Installing antennas, are the best way to increasing wireless network range, and also the overall performance, hence, changing the antenna to a more advanced and longer range one, is one of the most suitable options. Decibels-Isotropic (dBi) is the unit for the measurement of the antenna gain. More the antenna gain, more is the range of the signal, which thus enhances the performance of the wireless network. There are two main types of antenna namely; unidirectional antenna and omni-directional antenna. Unidirectional antennas are used when there is a direct line of site from one access point to another i.e. when the signal travels in straight line while, while omni-directional antennas are used for distributing signals in a circular fashion. This can help you a lot is solving many computer networking problems.

To troubleshoot wireless networks, sufficient knowledge of wireless networking basics is a must. Before setting up a wireless network minimum basic knowledge about the process of installation and wireless networking, is a must, as it can keep you away from many wireless network problems that can hamper your connectivity and increase your frustration.