Networks

It's possible that your laptop only works with the slower 802.11b standard.

If this is the case, check that the router wifi is running in mixed b/g mode, or get a separate adapter for 802.11g (if you want to use the higher speed of g-standard.)

That's the first thing to try.

Set only the SSID in the client, and see if that works.

Some of the common issues I've seen are:

- somtimes you have to lock the workstation settings to 802.11b only (or 802.11g only) as sometimes it can get confused.

- WEP settings can get confusing when connecting two different vendors gear together. For example, some use a WEP passphrase, some use a HEX key, others use an ASCII key. Also the authentication can be set to open or shared, and there are long vs short radio headers.. Everything has to match.

- Make sure 802.1X authentication is disabled in the workstation, unless you need it.

- Sometimes using Windows to manage the WLAN adapter works better, and sometimes the utility program provided with the adapter works better. For example, Cisco WLAN drivers and utilities work very well, while my experience with Belkin has been that they leave much to be desired.