Computer connection help

[DaveyR]

I seem to have a problem in that my laptop constantly disconnects from my wireless router at times. I've been taking notice when it happens and it is always when I am on certain websites. When it does happen it takes quite a few attempts before I can reconnect. Any ideas? Is it my laptop? Interference from other electrical equipment, my router or my ISP? I'm not that technically minded when it comes to computers but I don't think it is a coincidence that it only seems to happen with certain sites.

Can someone enlighten me please and guide me with putting this right?

 

[gigantor68]

How strong is the signal?

It could even be anti virus that is preventing the connection, try disabling the anti virus and see if it makes a difference.

 

[DaveyR]

How strong is the signal?

It could even be anti virus that is preventing the connection, try disabling the anti virus and see if it makes a difference.

The signal is full strength. I have avast antivirus so I'll try disabling it the next time I access any of the sites that seem to affect my connection. Thanks for your help.

 

[MarkLondon]

If you're in the same room as the router, why not get a wire? A simple ethernet cable. It'll give you a much faster as well as more reliable and secure connection. As a temporary measure you'll be able to determine if it is the wireless connection that's causing the problem.

Also, when using a cable you can usually switch off the wireless signal and cease exposing yourself to unnecessary electromagnetic radiation, stop the neighbours piggy-backing on your connection and prevent passing google vans from snooping your passwords!

 

[DaveyR]

If you're in the same room as the router, why not get a wire? A simple ethernet cable. It'll give you a much faster as well as more reliable and secure connection. As a temporary measure you'll be able to determine if it is the wireless connection that's causing the problem.

Also, when using a cable you can usually switch off the wireless signal and cease exposing yourself to unnecessary electromagnetic radiation, stop the neighbours piggy-backing on your connection and prevent passing google vans from snooping your passwords!

I'm not in the same room as the router and I have no way of moving the router at present but thanks anyway Mark.

 

[Mr. Snakey]

I'm not in the same room as the router and I have no way of moving the router at present but thanks anyway Mark.

Is your wireless connection encrypted? Locked so others can't tap into it? I would not disable Avast before doing a full scan for viruses on your computer. Avast may be blocking the sites because they are bad. Sometimes, the most harmless of sites are filled with viruses. Run a full scan for viruses. To go unprotected without any antivirus at all is not a good idea. Avast is very good. Run a scan and see what happens. Run it a couple of times. Feel free to send me a pm.

 

[JF]

It is unusual that a website would cause your Wireless network to disconnect unless it is running some form of malware / script / exploit which is directly referencing your network setup - I've never heard of any such instances, but it could happen.

A couple of things to try are :

See if you get the same problem with a wired connection
Temporarily turn off the Wireless adapter on your laptop & use a cable directly wired to your router. Visit the website and see if you get the same problem. If so, there seems to be something seriously wrong with what the website is doing to cause your network configurtion to be affected like that - search online to see if anyone else has mentioned similar problems and / or update your browser / Malware protection. If you don't get the same issue when wired, it would imply the website is not the cause of the problem.

See if you get the same problem elsewhere
If you can, use another Wireless connection elsewhere to see if you get the same problem accessing that website. This will help determine if it is a problem with your laptop / the website itself or if the problem is localised to your own Wireless connection. You could also try using another laptop (if one is available) to access the website at the same time as you are having problems to see if that laptop encounters the same issue.

See if you get the problem at a diffrent time of day
Assuming the above didn't cause any problems, try using Wireless & visiting the website at a different time of day. It could be that a neighbour is using their Wireless at the same time and there is conflict between your Wireless networks causing one or the other to drop & need to reconnect. There are only a finite number of radio channels that Wireless can operate on, so if a neighbour turns on their Wireless and conflicts with the channel you are using, this might cause a problem. If you are both creatures of habit and do it at the same time, this may account for the problem.

Hopefully, a combination of the above might help narrow down the cause of (if not solve) the problem. Let us know how you get on.