Help me Troubleshoot Very Strange Wifi Issue

[Gryz]

I am in Graduate school in a suite with several others. I have a MBP running lion and my internet is hard wired through a port on the wall via Ethernet cable.

There are two ports on the wall. One for me and one for my roommate. He does not have a computer, so I am currently using both ports...one for my MBP via ethernet and the other port goes into a Netgear wireless router to run wireless to our iPhones. There are no Macs or PCs hard plugged into the router...just from the jack to give a signal.

The wifi works fine for the most part, at least until I turn on my external monitor for my MBP to run dual displays. The second screen is hooked up via mini DVI to HDMI. When I turn on my monitor to watch tv, wifi works as expected. But when I switch input to HDMI to use with my MBP, I lose my wifi signal all together. Phones nor PC or Mac can find the signal. Switch back to TV or turn the monitor off, and wifi comes back.

The HDTV does not contain wifi support to my knowledge so I am completely stumped as to why I am losing my wifi signal...

Ideas?

 

[squeakr]

There are a few threads around here where the posters were reporting their map to hdmi cables/ connectors would cause their airports to drop signal when they connected to their monitor. I would try and switch the channels on the router to see if maybe the cable shielding isn't working up to snuff and causing interference with your signal.

 

[tarponbeach]

You might also want to try running the RJ45 from the MBP into the router's Cat 5 connection, instead of the wall RJ45, in the event that the two RJ45's are not discrete back to the school's router, but instead, are paralleled.

 

[Gryz]

Thank you for the reply. I actually can't change the settings on the router as it is maintained by the school. That is such a strange thing to happen, but I suppose it's possible.

Maybe I'll try wrapping the HDMI cable in tinfoil

Any other ideas on how to get around the wifi drop?

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You might also want to try running the RJ45 from the MBP into the router's Cat 5 connection, instead of the wall RJ45, in the event that the two RJ45's are not discrete back to the school's router, but instead, are paralleled.

Lost me mate...

 

[tarponbeach]

Thank you for the reply.
Lost me mate...

Try plugging the MacBook into the port on the wireless router