# Laptop won't connect to router



## apup102 (Sep 18, 2011)

I don't know the exact model number of my router, but it is an XFINITY Wireless Gateway (blame my mom for getting a strange router). The model number is either SMCD3GNV, TG852G, or TG862G. Obviously, by the router model, we have Xfinity as our ISP. We recently switched routers as our old Netgear broke.

My laptop is a 2010 MacBook Pro. It worked perfectly fine with my old router, but suddenly I have an incredible amount of trouble connecting to this router.

I'm connecting over WiFi since the router has to be in another room. When I wake up my laptop, sometimes it will connect nearly instantly, but sometimes it will not connect until I log out from my Mac account and in again. Sometimes, it won't connect at all and I have to give up. When I try to join a call in Skype, it completely ruins my internet on my laptop, and I can't connect to WiFi again for the rest of the night (unless I'm lucky enough to get it working, which is rare).

Tonight I tried to join a call and it crashed my WiFi on both my laptop and my iPhone 5. I hopped back on my desktop (where I am now), and the WiFi works PERFECT. There have never been any issues with this computer. It's an HP P7-1254 running Windows 7 Home Premium. WiFi hasn't ever had a previous problem on any other devices except my laptop since we got the new router.

When I try running Diagnostics, it prompts me for my password, which I enter, and it says it is incorrect, though that password is the exact one that works on my desktop.

It's an incredible nuisance (at night I like to watch YouTube on my laptop in bed) for me and I really don't know how to fix it.

Here's some more random information that could be important.
The router has been unplugged and replugged multiple times since the problem began, and it still persists. This should cover resetting it too, as the instructions say to turn it off and on.
I have restarted my laptop numerous times.
I have the correct password entered (as it has worked before).
In the top corner where I select the connection, it shows a perfect connection, but when I click it, it says a connection timeout occurred.
I have connected several times to other WiFi networks at friends' houses and it works perfectly.
Somehow, during the day my WiFi tends to work more than in the middle of the night. I find this really odd.

So as I've finished typing this, I went to check on my connection, and my laptop's WiFi is magically working once again! But this is a persisting problem, and I want to know what I should do. Calling Xfinity could help, though knowing my past history with luck, my laptop will work fine when we call them. And it seems to refuse working most at night when my family is asleep.

Sorry about the long post, I thought it'd be good to give as much info as I could. I'll be back in the morning to check on this and answer questions etc. :smile:


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## etaf (Dec 28, 2008)

can we see an xirrus shot from the mac and from the PC (for mac - see towards the end of the following


*------------------------------------------------------------------------*
* Run Xirrus Wi-Fi Inspector  
Download and install*
If you cannot access the internet with this PC, then you will need to copy the program across to the faulty PC
Save the file to a USB flash drive or other removable media. Plug it into the working computer with internet access and copy the file and install the program. 
You will now need to take a screen shot and copy that back to the working PC and attach the screen shot in a reply on the forum here.

Wi-Fi Inspector | Xirrus
Direct link to the program is here Wi-Fi Inspector Confirmation

_{If the above link does not work heres another link Xirrus Wi-Fi Inspector | PCWorld}_

Then run and install the program - on a wireless enabled PC/Laptop
if you get an error - You need will need to have NET Framework installed for the WiFi Inspector to function.

Run the program 

A user guide is available here http://www.xirrus.com/cdn/pdf/Xirrus-Wi-Fi-inspectorguide-1-2-1-RevB-6.aspx

post a screen shot of the program running.
if there are a lot of networks showing can you click on *"networks"* top lefthand area - so we can see all the network information.

post which *SSID* name is yours, its located in the list, under_ network "Adapter Name" _(1st column) 

To post a screen shot of the active window.
1) hold the Alt key and press the PrtScn key. Open the Windows PAINT application (Start> All Programs> Accessories> Paint) and Paste the screen shot. You can then use PAINT to trim to suit, and save it as a JPG format file. 
OR
2) if you are using Vista/Windows 7 you can use the "snipping tool" which is found in Start> All programs> Accessories> Snipping Tool

To upload the screen shot to the forum, open the full reply window ("Go Advanced" button) and use the Manage Attachments button to upload it here.
Full details are available here TSG Posting a Screenshot - TSG Library of Knowledge

Note:
For a reliable (or robust as the Xirrus user guide says) wireless connection you need a signal of about -70 dBm or better. "A desirable signal level for a robust Wi-Fi connection will be green".
note: the signal level is a negative number, so for example -88 is worst and -40 is better

If you are using the Mac OS then use iStumbler 99 or
if you want to optimise base station position and signal strength / dead spots use
AP Grapher - Mac OS X AirPort Stumbler and Wireless Graphing Software which has a graph function to monitor signal
*------------------------------------------------------------------------*


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## sinclair_tm (Mar 11, 2005)

I had the same kind of issues with a Netgear router and my MacBook. From searching online, it seems that that some wireless-g routers can't handle wireless-n devices, it wigs them out. Yes, wireless-n devices are suppose to work with wireless-g devices, but some off these wireless-g devices will lockup killing things. My dad had the same issue with his wireless-g router and his iPad 2. We both got recently released routers and have not had any issues.


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