Troubleshooting

Hmm... not sure if this is the right place to post such a thing, but can anybody out there help me repair my unreliable internet connection? My PC is part of an in-home wireless network using a wireless adapter (plugged externally into a USB port). Sometimes my internet doesn't work at all due to DNS and Gateway problems, othertimes I can't get an ISP, and on occasion my computer is the only one on the network that can't access the internet. The problem has been coming and going for more than two months with varying levels of severity.

Instant messengers such as MSN and IRC, my email, browsing capability, and ability to sucessfully start CF via the launcher all break down independently of one another for seemingly random amounts of time with unpredictable lapses of proper function inbetween.

When IRC stops working it is because "Software caused Abort." On MSN it is an error with the DNS and Gateway. With IE sometimes the connection is too slow to practically access pages, and others it doesn't even try due to DNS issues. When I use the CF launcher sometimes I randomly get an [E1], [E2], or [E4] error. Repeating the process doesn't work, and none of the fixes for any of the beforementioned programs that I know of seem to work. In game PvP or fighting NPCs sometimes is lag-free, but more commonly is intensely laggy. Sometimes the lag warning flashes but it's not uncommon for it not to (at these times it's equally bad). When this happens my ordinance doesn't track and any players or NPCs near me jump around spectacularly, while those around me say that nobody (including me) is lagging or jumping at all. Messeges I type into system chat can take up to 3 minutes to appear in the chat history after being entered.

This is all bizzare and hard to explain, but maybe if I spam enough stats and pieces of information onto the post somebody will know what the problem is. It might be my model or router, but both seem fine some days and completely incompetent the next. I cannot fight or RP serverside when I can't get onto the server sometimes and have too much trouble the rest of the time with the low performance to enjoy the gameplay. Any help in increasing connection reliability and/or performance (both in-game and out) would be greatly appreciated. I won't be able to do much on the server until somebody here can help me find the problem or I find somebody in person who can come over to my place and fix it.

PC/Connection Stats:

Connection Speed: 100.00 Mbps for the Host PC, 54.00 Mbps for mine
Operating System: XP SP2 Home Edition
General PC Info: Pentium(R) D CPU 2.66GHz w. 1.00 GB RAM
Video Card: RADEON X600 256MB
Resolution: 1024 x 768 (32 bit)
Disk Capacity: 145 GB
Remaining Disk Space: 81.2 GB

Game Settings/Stats:

Resolution: 1024 x 768 x 32
Performance: all fields maxed; background dust disabled
Audio: 3D sound is disabled
Ping: 200-340 (ave. 210)
Loss: 0-30 (ave. 5)
Fluct: 10-50 (ave. 11)

Well the host PC uses an ethernet cable, but my PC isn't close enough to hook it in, too. Stretching out my cable I can get the adapter within three meters of the wireless router (and the connection is "excellent" at 70-85% signal strength)... but for mine to use a cable too I'd need to get a 8 meter ethernet cable and run it along the floor, out of the room, and into the next, or snake a 5m one under a matress and through a bookshelf + wall. My PC is one of three in the household, and the business laptop's wireless is sort of a necessity. The host PC often doesn't have net access either despite the cable.

All that aside though, someone has said this to me before though, so thanks for the advice. If push comes to pull I might have to make the switch, but I'm really hoping there's a way to make do with what I've got (since there have been months in the past where it's worked wonderfully).

Certainly the first thing I'll try to do is clean up the dust. There is a lot of it around and likely in the ports as well.

As for the WLan, I do use a booster. Two computers use the WLan. Usually only mine is active, but when the second one is my speed will often fluctuate between 48 and 18 Mbps. There are no users to my knowledge working on the WLan from outside (and a combination of low pop. density and an encrypted key hopefully keep unwanted users out).

As for the router... I'm hoping that I'm not giving out too much information for my own good. -_- Lol, it's a Lynksys WRT54GS broadband router with a booster and 2.4 GHz of I don't know what... hehehe, my tech savvy ends at about the point the tech support people left me the last time I tried to fix the problem.

(btw, thx a lot you guys for helping out :D)

I spent an hour or so looking at the problems other people were having with the router, but when I tried one of the suggested solutions my DNS and Gateway shut down on my own PC. It's been about 12 hours now and I can't get my connection back despite all sorts of unusual and creative approaches. Lol, I'll keep trying though... until then I'll have find other PCs to access the net from. I wish I could get onto the server though... whenever I try to use the launcher though it tells me that I need to connect to the internet first now. xP