daveman
04-23-2003, 01:30 AM
I've been using an Orinoco Gold wireless card in a desktop PC (located downstairs) with a Linksys WAP11 access point (located upstairs) for almost 2 years with great results: as reported by the Client Manager, my SNR was always in the 24-30 dB range, enough to merit a "Good" (4 bars) or "Excellent" (5 bars) rating.
About 2 months ago, my wireless card started losing the link periodically; first for a few seconds, then for a minute or two. After a few days it reached the point that, when it lost the link, it wouldn't come back.
Mixing and matching my other PC's and and wireless cards, I eliminated my desktop PC and the access point as culprits. That left the Orinoco card.
Initially, I found that rebooting the computer would often restore operation; at first rebooting would restore the link for a few days, then for a few hours, then for a few minutes, then for just a few seconds, until rebooting no longer restored the link at all.
I've updated the card's firmware. Doesn't seem to make any difference. When the card works, it works fine. It just works less and less frequently. It's as if the card is slowly dying on me.
Removing the card for an hour or two, then re-inserting and booting the PC will sometimes restore the link for a day or so. Just yesterday I tried this procedure, and the card came up and worked as well as it ever did. I started logging the SNR, which was showing in the typical 25-30 dB range. I lost the link at the 10-hour mark, and just figured the logging stopped when the link died. Yet when I checked the log at the end of the day, it had continued logging for SNR for 8 more hours, and all of the SNR readings were still in the 25-30 dB range. Made no sense. I tried surfing, just in case the Client Manager was messed up (i.e. reporting "no link" even in the presence of a "good" link with 25 db SNR) and could not. Made no sense.
Suggestions anyone?
Time to buy another card?
About 2 months ago, my wireless card started losing the link periodically; first for a few seconds, then for a minute or two. After a few days it reached the point that, when it lost the link, it wouldn't come back.
Mixing and matching my other PC's and and wireless cards, I eliminated my desktop PC and the access point as culprits. That left the Orinoco card.
Initially, I found that rebooting the computer would often restore operation; at first rebooting would restore the link for a few days, then for a few hours, then for a few minutes, then for just a few seconds, until rebooting no longer restored the link at all.
I've updated the card's firmware. Doesn't seem to make any difference. When the card works, it works fine. It just works less and less frequently. It's as if the card is slowly dying on me.
Removing the card for an hour or two, then re-inserting and booting the PC will sometimes restore the link for a day or so. Just yesterday I tried this procedure, and the card came up and worked as well as it ever did. I started logging the SNR, which was showing in the typical 25-30 dB range. I lost the link at the 10-hour mark, and just figured the logging stopped when the link died. Yet when I checked the log at the end of the day, it had continued logging for SNR for 8 more hours, and all of the SNR readings were still in the 25-30 dB range. Made no sense. I tried surfing, just in case the Client Manager was messed up (i.e. reporting "no link" even in the presence of a "good" link with 25 db SNR) and could not. Made no sense.
Suggestions anyone?
Time to buy another card?