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Author Topic: Wireless Conundrum  (Read 4189 times)

Yorkie

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Wireless Conundrum
« on: June 22, 2008, 09:14:38 PM »

Although my lappy is wireless capable I don't use it at the moment, in fact it is disabled from the Control Panel. However for the last week or so the wireless light on the front keeps coming on intermittently even though that switch is in the off position the only way to turn it off is to flick the switch to on and then off again.

At first I thought it was me catching the switch as it is next to the volume wheel, then I began to have doubts and to-day I'm sure its not me 'cos it happened while I was reading a web page (would you believe it it's just happened again, now its gone off again). I assume some kind of interference  is triggering this.

Really what I need is some assurance that this is all it is, (its flashing on and off now every few minutes), or do you think I've got a dodgy wireless thingy.

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Pwiggler

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Re: Wireless Conundrum
« Reply #1 on: June 23, 2008, 07:51:30 AM »

hi yorkie - can u let us know the make and model of the lappy pleaase??
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Paul

Yorkie

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Re: Wireless Conundrum
« Reply #2 on: June 23, 2008, 02:43:06 PM »

I think I may have sussed it, well half sussed it. Next door have had a new kitchen fitted and it appears to have started after the workmen left about a week ago, I'm thinking some new equipment they've had installed may be the culprit. Although I am mystified why a wireless connection not in use should be triggered, but I suppose the receiver in the lappy is always there, now I'm wandering into territoryI don't understand.
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roseway

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Re: Wireless Conundrum
« Reply #3 on: June 23, 2008, 03:17:26 PM »

It rather sounds as though your neighbours have a wireless setup and your laptop is trying to connect to it. It might be a good idea to have a word with them to check this, and advise them to secure their wireless system properly (i.e. use WPA or WPA2 encryption).
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  Eric

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Re: Wireless Conundrum
« Reply #4 on: June 23, 2008, 10:41:13 PM »

Ask your neighbours if they had a fitted combi-oven put in - ie one that doubles as a microwave. If they did then I suspect it hasn't been fitted properly and is leaking quite a lot of microwave power. It happened here but I spotted it almost straight away and fixed it myself (refitted oven door).

Get them to turn it on/off if they have had one fitted and see if the light comes on. If it does then the microwave door hasn't been fitted properly or its been damaged in some way.

NB - it could be leaking enough energy to be hazardous to health
« Last Edit: June 23, 2008, 10:43:38 PM by rizla »
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Pwiggler

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Re: Wireless Conundrum
« Reply #5 on: June 24, 2008, 08:27:49 AM »

with all the laptops i deal with, none of them can have the wireless capability enabled by any external source.

it can only be turned on by either the wireless on/off switch or a FN key combination (prob F8).

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Paul

Yorkie

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Re: Wireless Conundrum
« Reply #6 on: June 24, 2008, 02:32:18 PM »

I think rizla may have the solution, I noticed an empty box last week that had contained a new cooker hood, so its possible they've had a new cooker  fitted as well. Having read the manual it does mention avoiding microwaves.
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guest

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Re: Wireless Conundrum
« Reply #7 on: June 25, 2008, 08:57:23 AM »

with all the laptops i deal with, none of them can have the wireless capability enabled by any external source.

it can only be turned on by either the wireless on/off switch or a FN key combination (prob F8).



The wireless card isn't being "enabled" Pwiggler, the front end is actually being overloaded and breakthrough is occurring on the first couple of amplifiers. Remember that the wireless card probably transmits/receives signals of perhaps 25mW (25 thousands of a watt for you non-techie readers). If the microwave door is fitted improperly then the microwave will be leaking anything from 10W upwards. That's 400 times the strength of signal that the wireless card is expecting to see! Our microwave was leaking considerably more than that (probably 50W) and wiped out all 802.11 networks for about 50 metres  :blush:

In case anyone is wondering how on earth a microwave oven affects wireless network connections the answer is that microwave ovens use a frequency of 2.45GHz (GHz = 1 thousand million cycles per second) and wireless networks use frequencies between 2.4-2.48GHz. The magnetron inside a microwave is fairly wide-band so it could work anywhere from about 2.4-2.5GHz which is a pretty exact overlap with the wireless network frequencies.
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