Wireless connection and Virus?

[Dan Lee]

Hello all
I have a laptop with wireless connection to a router. It has had degrading signal strength and connection to the point now it won't connect at all. I have replaced the router, put in a new PCMCIA wireless card and it still doesn't work even when the computer is right next to the router.

I have another LT that is wireless and a tower computer wired directly to the router and they work fine. I have yet to try hard wiring it to the router.
It has Norton running on although the subscription expired a while ago.
Are there viruses that could cause this?
Dan

[David G Baker]

Dan,
Have you added any new software or hardware recently? For example the new Internet Explorer 7. The Internet Explorer upgrade has caused many problems in many different areas. It doesn't sound like a virus. Go to Google, enter your symptoms to see if others are having the same or similar problems with your brand of router set up.
David B

[Carson Saunders]

You may want to try uninstalling Norton. Sometimes those security products can cause network problems once they "expire".

[Dave Fifield]

Dan, I don't know of any viruses that do this.

On your laptop, when you do a "Scan" or "Update" to the list of available WLAN connections (in the appropriate WLAN control panel), what do you see? Is your home router listed? Do you see any other (neighbor's) access points?

Let me know this, and we can fault-find from there....

[Dan Lee]

Thanks for the replies
No new SW that I can think of.
Norton expired last summer and this set up has worked fine for a couple years until maybe a few weeks ago.

Dave Im at work so working from memory ... when I check the 'network connections' the internal wireless and the new card I installed show up. I dont think thats what you are refering to ? but I'll have to wait till I get home. I have in the past seen the neighbors and my router but if the RF connect isn't there will I see my router or any else??

Some times the window that shows the signal strength will show no bars but the text part will say very good signal strength and sometimes the connect would work and sometimes not. Its been not for a couple days. Dan

[Ron Wessels]

It is possible that there's someone else nearby using the channel, causing a degradation in your connection. It's even possible that you won't see that in the Wireless Network Listing, if they do not broadcast their SSID.

It's also possible that wireless phones, microwaves, etc could interfere with some of the outer channels.

Try changing the channel that is being used by your wireless and see if that makes a difference.

[Curt Harms]

Hello all
I have a laptop with wireless connection to a router. It has had degrading signal strength and connection to the point now it won't connect at all. I have replaced the router, put in a new PCMCIA wireless card and it still doesn't work even when the computer is right next to the router.

I have another LT that is wireless and a tower computer wired directly to the router and they work fine. I have yet to try hard wiring it to the router.
It has Norton running on although the subscription expired a while ago.
Are there viruses that could cause this?
Dan

Hi Dan

I had something like this happen. I have the SSID broadcast turned off, and my notebook wireless adapter was connecting to neighbors' connections. I had to set up a profile (Linksys software) and make sure the wireless adapter connected to my router, not the neighbors. As others have mentioned, perhaps try a different channel. Other 2.6 GHz devices like cordless phones could cause problems as well.

I hope you're able to resolve your problem. Wireless network connections are wonderful when they work and mine does most of the time, but troubleshooting can be a little frustrating when they don't work.

Curt

[Hans Loeblich]

Placement of the router can make a difference. Ideally it should be high off the ground, and the path between the laptop and router should not have any large metal ojbjects in the way.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

This'll be no help at all - maybe

Sopend the extra you need to to keep people outside your home from accessing the internet through your ISP connection.

unless you have some security anyone with a wireless laptop can simply enter your network without doing any more than letting their PC search for wireless local area networks.

Most wireless routers can be picked up from a few hundred feet away.

The real horror here is that people drive around in cars with laptops to do exactly this, so as to engage and transact in seriously criminal enterprises ranging from child porn to drugs.


The last thing you want is to be served with a federal warrant for something revolting because your IP popped up in such a way.

[Russ Filtz]

Wireless piggybacking is simple to avoid. All you need to do is setup your own password for the network. DO NOT simply take the router out of the box and plug it in. Routers have a default password that anyone can find out (usually "Admin" or similar). Dig out the install instructions to find the IP address to go and do system maintenance and change the password. You will need to hardwire to do this, since you can't connect now.

On my wife's laptop, I would lose the connection for no reason, maybe a glitch in the power or something resetting things. In XP if you right click on the wireless connections icon in the tray, there should be an option to "Repair". Try this and it should reset your IP/DNS settings and hopefully reconnect. Worked for me.

This is also where you should be able to see other networks within distance of your PC, NOT through the "Network Connections" folder or icon, has to be the icon for "WIRELESS".

[Jason Roehl]

The best security I've found for my wireless is simply to limit the network to the MAC addresses of my desktop and laptop, and don't broadcast the SSID. I never could get encryption to work reliably, plus it adds CPU and Tx/Rx data overhead.

I'd get that Norton off there--it's as much of a virus as anything. And, yes, trojan horses can totally overwhelm a connection as they "phone home". Use AVG Free for anti-virus software instead. Out of date AV software is no good--new virii, worms and trojan horses are being released all the time.

[Ron Wessels]

Uh Jason? MAC address restrictions are arguably the least secure security measure. While not broadcasting your SSID means that casual detection is foiled, all I would need to do would be to be in your area with a WiFi detector to spot your network, monitor your traffic to find one of your allowed MAC addresses, then return later when the client is presumably turned off and override my MAC address to use your allowed setting.

WEP has been broken. WPA/AES has not yet (AFIK) been broken, but it is subject to a dictionary attack, so a good password should be used.

[Paul Downes]

I would ditto what Jason said about Norton products. I was using norton av software with xp pro and it eventually wrecked my operating system. I spent a lot of time on the phone with tech support and eventually they admited that this was the problem. Had to do a complete reinstall. 2X later with the same problem I switched to usine a dual boot system with my main on line time using linux Susa. My tech friend told me much of his business involves fixing norton wrecked systems. He recommends AVG anti-virus software for any windows based op's. It doesn't tend to bog your operating system down.
Of course linux based op's tend to be problem free. 3 years and counting with nary a problem. I still have to use windows occaisionally and am getting ready to instal AVG soon.

[Tom Pritchard]

I would ditto what Jason said about Norton products. I was using norton av software with xp pro and it eventually wrecked my operating system.

Folks, I just need to throw in my 2 cents worth on Norton. I have been running Norton products on my PC with Windows XP with no problems. Never had a virus or any other kind of problem. I keep my subscription up-to-date, and do regular "Live updates" of my Norton products. I hate to see a good product get bad press when there are so many other issues that could have caused your problems.

[Jason Roehl]

Sorry, Ron...I should have clarified--I live in a small town. I only occasionally even pick up that there is another WiFi network around, and I'm definitely not worried about people hanging around my house trying to pick up the network. Someone sitting in a car with a laptop would stick out like a sore thumb. Heck, I can't even reliably connect in my own driveway 25' from the router--plaster walls help.

My Norton comment is because while it may reliably detect/delete virii, it in itself has a track record of causing problems on the computer on which it's installed. Then there's the whole yearly renewal cost...