Wireless Connection Lost

Hola Amigos

Recently I have made my router wireless so that people in my home can play games on the television etc.
But for no reason the wireless connection has been lost.
I needed to pay a technical PC man to set it up for me and from my Google search I gather that connectivity can be an issue.
Does anyone know of any way I can get wireless connection re connected without employing a technical man?

Gracias

Tomás

1) What type of internet service do you have (bundled with cable TV, bundled with satellite TV, optical fiber, wired, wireless, etc.)?

2) Wireless routers usually are separate units that are not built into an internet connection device. Is that true in your case?

3) What is the make and model number of your wireless router?

4) Most wireless routers have several LAN Ethernet connection jacks that computers, printers or other devices can be plugged directly into, so they don't use WiFi. Does your wireless router have LAN jacks? If it does, can you access the internet from a computer plugged directly into one of those jacks?

5) Wireless routers are shipped from factories with default settings that work in most situations, but that do not provide any type of wireless connection security. Some users leave those default settings, but that makes it possible for neighbors to share their internet connections and exposes their computers to easy hacking. The default settings therefore should be changed, even though most wireless routers will seem to work fine without any configuration changes. Was the configuration of your wireless router changed to provide connection security or has it been running with the default settings?

6) You probably have already tried this, but if not, the first thing to try is to simply disconnect the incoming power cable to the wireless router for about twenty seconds and then reconnect it. That will cause the operating system inside the router (usually a minimized Linux computer operating system) to reboot. After it reboots, which can take 30 seconds or so in some cases, attempt to connect to the wireless router from a computer. Depending on what the problem is, or was, you may have to reboot a computer to get it to connect.

7) If that doesn't correct the problem, most wireless routers have a way to reset all their internal configuration settings back to the factory default settings. That will erase any custom configuration what was done when the router was initially installed, but will cause the router to work again in most cases, unless there has been a hardware component failure. To reset the settings, look carefully around the wireless router case and you probably will see a small hole. Push a small jeweler's screwdriver, toothpick, or other small diameter object into that hole and hold in firmly for a couple seconds before releasing. Unless there has been a hardware failure in the wireless router, that will cause its configuration settings to be reset to factory defaults and also will cause the operating system to reboot. Wait a minute or so and then try to connect wirelessly from a computer. If that works the wireless router will be usable again, but its configuration should be changed to provide connection security.

-Bob

Hola;
Ah, the black arts of networking! Hard to know where to go, but I'll get started with the usual first steps.

--Your wireless router will be connected to the Internet by cable modem or DSL, most likely. Whatever the source, if you cable directly from the modem to a computer, do you get a connection? If so, then we move on to the router. If not, you may have an ISP problem. A call to your ISP will give you the answer. Restarting the modem is a usual first check if you do not have a direct signal. Then checking the wiring connections is the next. If all seems correct, check with the ISP again and ask others you know whether they are having problems with the same provider. An ISP problem is usually very short-lived.

--If the modem is connecting, try restarting the router, if you haven't already. Then check your cabling from the modem to the router. Also check any display lights on the router and check those against the manual to see if they are telling you anything about the status of the connection. Try borrowing another router and testing it on your connection.

--Try connecting with other devices having wifi, such as a friend's computer.

--Restart all computers and check the wireless setup. There is also usually a network diagnostic "wizard" that will take you through the steps.

--Are there other wireless routers near you? If there are, there could be signal interference. Not probable, but something that's on the check list. If there are many others, such as in an apartment, you may have to do a little fiddling with the channel you are set up on. But that check can wait.

Somewhere in that list you usually find something that works. If not, it's on to the next set of checks.

Ha! I see that Bob was answering at the moment I was.

Hola Amigos

Thank you for your replies.
OK I think maybe I did not explain my situation properly.

I can use my PC fine with this netgear router.
But my son from the living room can no longer go live on Xbox.

So the problem is for my son to connect live from his Xbox to my router in the next room.

Gracias

Tomás

With Xbox we pass outside my zone of experience. I've never used one. I would assume that it connects in the way that other computers do, but I could be completely wrong. I guess I would start by wondering whether the router is compatible with your version of Xbox. Has it ever worked at any time?

Looking back at your notes, it looks like the Xbox did work at one time, so compatibility shouldn't be the problem.

Tomas, Sounds like the wireless card in the Xbox needs reset or replaced. Try resetting the Xbox and if that doesn't help, if you can find the wireless card inside the Xbox, unplug the cable from it and let it set a few minutes, then reconnect it and test out. If no go sounds like a new wireless card is needed. Any friends have another Xbox to test on your router?

byron wrote:With Xbox we pass outside my zone of experience. I've never used one.

I also have never used an Xbox, but I can provide some suggestions based mostly on generic knowledge of wireless technology.

The only Xbox game console I ever even briefly looked at was on displayed at a large retail electronics outlet store. It didn't appear to have built-in WiFi capability, because an external WiFi adapter was plugged into its USB port. Some Xbox's may have built-in WiFi, but if they are all like the one I saw, your Son's external adapter may be unplugged or defective. Look for a USB connector on the Xbox and see if a WiFi adapter is securely plugged in. If a WiFi adapter is not plugged into that port, your Son's Xbox could instead use an Ethernet WiFi adapter that plugs into its Ethernet port, so check that.

The WiFi adapters that would have to be used with an Xbox would be different than most similar adapters designed for use with personal computers, because the ones designed for personal computers depend on the installation of special driver software that couldn't be easily installed on an Xbox.

If an external WiFi adapter that is still in working condition is properly connected to either the Xbox USB or Ethernet port, its inability to connect with your home wireless access point most likely is due either to having insufficient radio frequency signal strength or to your Son having changed WiFi configuration settings in the Xbox.

WiFi Signal Strengths
WiFi operates at high radio frequencies where wavelengths are very short. Radio signals efficiently reflect off small metal objects at those frequencies, bounce around, and interfere with each other in complex ways. The resulting field strengths in surrounding areas vary widely in intensity over very short distances (even over a distances of few centimeters) and the combined fields often would have a general three-dimensional checker-board-like appearance if you could see them with your eyes. Even though your Son's Xbox is in a room next to the room where your WiFi access point is located, the Xbox WiFi adapter could be positioned near a current radio field intensity null. Even though it may have worked in that position before, an object within a general area of several meters in any direction could have been moved. Moving any nearby conducting object moves the checker-board pattern and changes signal strength null positions in the surrounding radio signal field. This possibility can be eliminated as the cause of the problem by temporary moving the Xbox near to the WiFi access point.

WiFi Adapter Configuration
If the WiFi adapter is still in working condition and properly connected, the next most likely cause of malfunction is wrong configuration settings. The Xbox will have a place to change wireless configuration settings. Look around its menu for something like "Advanced," "Edit Settings, or "Network Settings." There will be a screen somewhere where network connection settings can be changed.

1) Most wireless access points (also called wireless routers) have a network name that they usually are configured to periodically broadcast. They are shipped with a factory default name that many people don't change, but it is best to change that name to something unique, like your family name, so WiFi devices in your home will not try to connect to a neighbor's access point and fail because of security settings. The network name they broadcast is referred to as the "SSID." If your wireless access point broadcasts an SSID you should see it pre-selected on the Xbox configuration screen. If not, there will be a selection that will allow you to specify an unlisted network. Take that selection and enter the SSID of your home WiFi network.

2) Wireless routers use a communication mode called "Infrastructure." Be sure the Xbox is configured to use Infrastructure mode.

3) There will be a security type setting that must be set to match the type of security used by your wireless access point. Some external USB and Ethernet WiFi adapters are not capable of using WPA encryption. If your Son's adapter is not able to use WPA, your wireless access point will have to be configured to use WEP, which is less secure. Depending on whether your network is configured to use WPA, WEP, or neither, you may have to enter a WPA or WEP security key that matches the one configured in your access point.

4) Save the configuration settings, restart the Xbox, and see whether it can connect to your home WiFi network. If not, the Xbox WiFi adapter may be defective or other configuration settings either in the Xbox or the access point could be set wrong.

-Bob

Hola Amigos

Thank you so much for all your help.

In fact the problem was simply with the Xbox which just needed resetting which I did by unplug, wait and plug in again.
Gracias

Tomás