Some Notes on the Machines

For many WAPs, the following procedure is a good way to assure a reset to firmware defaults. There is, reportedly, a ‘recovery mode’ into which the below can send some ASUS WAPs, but for most it’s just an authoritative reset.

1. Plug the WAP into power but not network.
2. Wait until its lights stabilize.
3. Press and hold the reset button for 30 seconds. Do not let up the button…
4. Unplug the WAP and continue to hold reset for another 30 seconds…
5. Still holding the reset button in, plug the unit back into power, and hold reset for 30 more seconds.

Many WAPs will respond with a ‘waiting’ or ‘working’ indicator, which means that the WAP is in the process of setting all configurations to default. Once that’s done, it’s ready to be set up again.

inSSIDer:

http://www.metageek.net/products/inssider/

works on all current versions of Windows.

Here are some things to check when trying to handle wifi issues.  These are not in any particular order.

• Update your NIC drivers and your WAP firmware.
• On your WAP, check and see if “bursting” or “framebursting” is available and on.  If available, it should probably be on; but check for multiple framebursting modes, there are proprietary modes.  For just one example, on some Buffalo WAPs, there are two such modes, “125” and “FrameBursting”, and although “FrameBursting” is compatible with many other vendors’ wifi equipment, “125” can cause problems.
• Ditto #2, on the client side.  Intel WNICs often have it (called “bursting”) turned off.  It should be turned on, but watch for special proprietary modes, stay away from these.
• Sooner or later you will need to do an environmental survey.  This is the slam-dunk cause in many a congested situation; if you have ten neighbors with wifi, you’re likely to have four or five trying to use the same channel. One of the better ways to do this is to get a DD-WRT -compatible WAP, put DD-WRT on it, turn DHCP off, put it on a unique private subnet and IP (say, 10.9.8.7), plug it into the LAN, and use static IPs on a laptop or desktop to use its utilities, which are in the Status area, under Wireless.