please explain this..? (wireless issue)

[MrSugar]

I have my G5 and my powerbook both with AE. We have 2 networks in my house, one is name Cleric and the other Cleric 2 (this was originally going to be a repeater for Cleric but wouldn't work so we made it it's own network from another plug across the house.) Now here is the thing...

I have my G5 with AE antenna plugged in 1 room away from Cleric 2, however it doesn't see the network Cleric 2. It only detects Cleric, which is more than half the house away. I get an okay signal from Cleric but if I could connect to Cleric 2 it would be optimal. Now for the odd part, I know Cleric 2 is working well because my powerbook picks it up perfectally from the same room my G5 is in! WHAT IS GOING ON!? I really don't understand it.

One last note, when the G5 has "use interface robustness" turned on it detects Cleric 2 but gives me an error when I try to join it.

Please please please let me know what you guys think is goin on .. I am so confused

 

[MattG]

Every once in a while, my G5 at work will do some weird quirky things with the wireless network here (like I'll go to join a network and it'll tell me "there was an error joining this network," seemingly for no reason). Have you tried manually typing in the name of the network to see if you can connect that way? Hit "Other..." and type in the name of the network, see if it connects.

Just in case, you've tried rebooting...right? Also, make sure that the antenna-cable going to the AE card is firmly plugged in, all the way. Sometimes that will cause strange problems like that.

 

[puhlsar]

In the same way that a 2.4GHz cordless telephone interferes with a 2.4GHz wireless router, two 2.4GHz wireless routers in close proximity (aka in the same house) creating two seperate networks will create interfere with the transmission of each other's signal. So while one computer may be picking up that one router, the other computer's connection to the other router could be keeping it from detecting the other one, or something similar.

Honestly my suggestion would be that if you can't use the second router as a repeater for the first one and you can't place your two routers far enough apart that they are outside of each other's range you might as well just turn one off because they will be continuously causing each other troubles.

My dad recently bought 2 2.4GHz cordless phones for his house and now whenever they get a phone call their computers are disconnected from the network until the call is over. I have a 900MHz phone for my apartment so I don't have a similar problem. You just have to be careful with wireless devices because some geniuses decided to make a bunch of the more popular ones share frequencies.

 

[MrSugar]

so I did restart the G5, and I have tried typing in the network name... no go

Also, the routers are pretty far apart, and my powerbook, when in the middle, can connect to either or. I set both of them up, and they are both running on differnt channels. Beyond this, my friend who lives with me also has a computer with wifi that picks up both networks perfectally. Plus another laptop or two which I have tried. My G5 is the only thing that has a problem. I am sure the antenna is plugged in well.

Is there anything else it could be??