Intermittent Wireless Conectivity Issue

Mordechai · 09-15-2008, 11:52 AM

My wireless connection seems to work fine, sometimes for minutes, sometimes for hours, and then suddenly dies. Usually, executing "iwconfig wlan0 essid <ESSID>" resolves the problem, at least until next failure.

Wireless card: Linksys (RaLink RT2561/RT61 802.11g PCI)
Router: Netgear WGR614v9
Driver: rt61pci
Kernel: 2.6.26-ARCH

Currently, I'm not using an open connection (MAC filtering, only) as security isn't a high priority where I am.

pinniped · 09-16-2008, 05:22 AM

Is there any sign of what's going on in the system logs (see various files in /var/log)?

How do you configure the wireless interface?

dracolich · 09-16-2008, 07:30 AM

Are there any nearby devices that can interfere with the signal? Cordless phones, radio antenna, microwave, neighbor's network, etc. Have you tried setting the router to different channels?

Mordechai · 09-17-2008, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pinniped

Is there any sign of what's going on in the system logs (see various files in /var/log)?

Checking the logs, it seems to be loosing the signal. I would think it would automatically try to reacquire the signal when lost, but either it's not, or it gives up too quickly. Any ideas on how to get it to retry?

Quote:

How do you configure the wireless interface?

Default

Quote:

Originally Posted by dracolich

Are there any nearby devices that can interfere with the signal? Cordless phones, radio antenna, microwave, neighbor's network, etc. Have you tried setting the router to different channels?

Cordless phone. I tried changing the channel from auto to 11. In a few hours I should know if it helped. Are there any channels which are usually better, or is every situation different?