Wireless Signal Loss

[Ace 3,556]

I have a 2 laptops in my home along with my PS3.

My laptop & the PS3 seem to have no trouble getting a signal, laptop has full bars eveywhere at home.

My sons laptop (an Acer Aspire) is struggling to get a signal, i have re-installed the drivers for the Wireless card but it's still the same.

Anyone have any ideas what could be wrong ?

[dezrfc1 26]

I have a 2 laptops in my home along with my PS3.

My laptop & the PS3 seem to have no trouble getting a signal, laptop has full bars eveywhere at home.

My sons laptop (an Acer Aspire) is struggling to get a signal, i have re-installed the drivers for the Wireless card but it's still the same.

Anyone have any ideas what could be wrong ?

have you moved your router or anything ?

[Ace 3,556]

nope .. The router is still in the same place it always was.

[j1mgg 3,766]

Is it the exact same if you put the laptop next to the router and try that?

Sound like the wireless card could be damaged if you have already reinstalled drivers. Is it the same with all wireless networks when you do a search or just yours?

Have you had a quick google with the model number and problem?

[Ace 3,556]

Right, had a chance to look at this properly.

I took into the room where the wireless router is & i can get virtually full signal but as soon as i take into my boys room the signal strength disappears.

I have tried a trick i saw on Gadget Show, put some silver foil behind the router and bouncing more signal towards his laptop and it seems to be working, well getting a "good" signal but not the ideal solution.

I have no problems with my laptop which is getting a full signal everywhere.

It's either a new wireless card or a new router or having him connected via RJ45 cable .. he does use his laptop mostly in his bedroom.

[Jimfanciesthedude 24,540]

might sound really daft mate

how long have you stayed at the house for?

maybe, (like i said this could sound daft) theres a layer of paint on the wall (might be the first layer underneath everything else) that could be lead based, hence the reduction of signal

[Ace 3,556]

I've been in the house since new, so doubt it's that.

More & more i'm think RJ45 cable.

[Ace 3,556]

I have been told that the wireless arial is sometimes wrapped around the casing for the screen.

Can anyone confirm if that is the case, because if so there might be the reason why its not working.

I had a problem with the power unit in the laptop and put it in to get fixed, to get at the power unti they had to dismantle the screen & they could easily have fucked up the re-connection.

Don't want to go in all guns blazing if it's not the case though.

[Jimfanciesthedude 24,540]

I have been told that the wireless arial is sometimes wrapped around the casing for the screen.

Can anyone confirm if that is the case, because if so there might be the reason why its not working.

I had a problem with the power unit in the laptop and put it in to get fixed, to get at the power unti they had to dismantle the screen & they could easily have fucked up the re-connection.

Don't want to go in all guns blazing if it's not the case though.

doubt it would be that mate, if the signal is full elsewhere then it cant be the laptop

i know that in my house i lose maybe a bar, 2 at most of signal strength when i use the laptop in my room, the router is in the livingroom, i put that down to the fact our electric meter thing is in the way, and maybe thats affecting the signal,

might find there is something in the walls, cables etc, that may just have an awkward affect on the signal

[ChrissyBoyyy 18]

put tin foil around the router pointing it towards were you want it

seen this on the gadget show

[Ace 3,556]

I have been told that the wireless arial is sometimes wrapped around the casing for the screen.

Can anyone confirm if that is the case, because if so there might be the reason why its not working.

I had a problem with the power unit in the laptop and put it in to get fixed, to get at the power unti they had to dismantle the screen & they could easily have fucked up the re-connection.

Don't want to go in all guns blazing if it's not the case though.

doubt it would be that mate, if the signal is full elsewhere then it cant be the laptop

i know that in my house i lose maybe a bar, 2 at most of signal strength when i use the laptop in my room, the router is in the livingroom, i put that down to the fact our electric meter thing is in the way, and maybe thats affecting the signal,

might find there is something in the walls, cables etc, that may just have an awkward affect on the signal

I meant the wireless arial for the laptop ... the laptop receiver arial rather than the router arial.

[Jimfanciesthedude 24,540]

I have been told that the wireless arial is sometimes wrapped around the casing for the screen.

Can anyone confirm if that is the case, because if so there might be the reason why its not working.

I had a problem with the power unit in the laptop and put it in to get fixed, to get at the power unti they had to dismantle the screen & they could easily have fucked up the re-connection.

Don't want to go in all guns blazing if it's not the case though.

doubt it would be that mate, if the signal is full elsewhere then it cant be the laptop

i know that in my house i lose maybe a bar, 2 at most of signal strength when i use the laptop in my room, the router is in the livingroom, i put that down to the fact our electric meter thing is in the way, and maybe thats affecting the signal,

might find there is something in the walls, cables etc, that may just have an awkward affect on the signal

I meant the wireless arial for the laptop ... the laptop receiver arial rather than the router arial.

thats what im meaning mate, if the laptops wireless arial was buggered, even sitting it on top of the router wouldnt get a signal

but your getting a signal in one room and not the other, so to me it sounds like theres something blocking the signal making it into your lads rooms

like i said, might be something in the walls etc

[j1mgg 3,766]

Can we just confirm,

Your laptop gets a full signal in your sons bedroom?

Your sons laptop doesnt get a full signal in his room?

If the answer to the above are yes then forget about your router it is definately your sons laptop. It may be that it is older and has a different type of wireless signal, b,g,n. It could be the wireless card is broken and not working at full range. On the laptop we have here the aerial is on the top right of the screen and the cable runs along the top of the screen and down the left, through the ribbon under the keyboard and then attachs to the wireless card.

[Ace 3,556]

Ok here goes .. oh & btw thanks for all the help guys.

My sons laptop (Acer Aspire) could get a signal anywhere in the house. He dropped it on it's edge and dislodged the power unit inside the casing, after awhile the power unit had dissapeard inside the casing and i couldn't connect the charger to it. I checked with our IT guys in my office, he had a look and said the only way to repair it was to dismantle the screen & its hinges etc to be able to access the power unit and re-attach it.

NB - for awhile it still had a charge & i could even connect the charger but every time i did i think it pushed to power unit further into the casing ... but during this, the laptop could still get a full signal so i don't believe the wireless card was damaged.

I wasn't confident in doing this repair so put it into a local shop.

After getting the laptop back, i have since discovered that he now doesn't get anywhere near the same wireless signal he had previously. When he is in his bedroom, he is lucky to get one bar, where before it was full signal (to confirm, my laptop, which works fine, still gets a full signal eveywhere, including my sons bedroom).

I took the machine back to the shop to complain & got it back the following day, them telling me they have re-installed all the wireless card drivers and it was working. I took it home only to find the same fucking issue.

Now, my wife was talking to the IT fella in her office and he said that the wireless ariel in the laptop is usually inside the housing of the laptop screen and when this is played with it can often be re-connected poorly (or not at all). I wanted confirmation from you guys in here if that was the case.

If so then i suspect that during the original repair, they have messed up the wireless ariel connection in the laptop or something similar ... i will be taking it back and telling them to have another look.

[j1mgg 3,766]

Thanks for clearing it up.

Yes, in laptops i have seen the aerial goes round the outside edge of the screens. It does sound like the aerial has been damaged when they have been fixing the other part. It may have been nicked when they have been rehousing the screen and casing.

I would go in and just say to them that since you took it in the range has been very poor on it and you practically have to be standing right next to the router to get a signal.