Odd problem with Netgear 802.11b router and D-Link PCI card

I'm experiencing a rather odd problem with my older Netgear 802.11b router
and a new D-Link 802.11g/b PCI card that I just purchased for a new computer
last week...

I currently have a B router that I've been using for over a year now with
two laptops: a powerbook g3 with an Orinoco Silver PCMCIA card and a Dell
laptop with a D-Link DWL-650+ PCMCIA card (both are 802.11b cards). Both
have been working flawlessly, and I recently purchased a D-Link DWL-G510
AirPlus G High Speed 2.4GHz (802.11g) Wireless PCI Adapter for my new
desktop machine, which is exhibiting some strange behavior...

It recognizes my router and I can connect just fine. It will even work
properly for a while. However, after I've used it for anywhere from 0-15
minutes, it's like it loses it's mind and can't locate any sites. The odd
thing is that rebooting the system with the new card does not fix the
problem, but unplugging the router then plugging it back in seems to fix it
(once again, just for a little while, then it goes back to the mode where it
can't locate sites anymore).

I was wondering if this was a problem from the G card connecting to the B
router, but I'm not entirely sure. As added information, the laptop cards
still work just fine when the desktop machine is having it's problems, so it
seems like it's not the router's problem.

I was wondering if this sounded familiar to anyone here, and if so, how did
you (or would you) go about fixing the problem?

Thanks!

evan stone | petaluma, ca, usa

 

Assuming everything is set on auto detect for speed and that there is
nothing interfering with the network anywhere else, it sounds more like a
driver issue to me. I would have it attached and while it is working
uninstall the driver entirely. Reboot and then come back in and install it
all over again.

Should that fail, check out any driver updates at D-Link which may answer
the question.

I would normally have said to go to the System Properties then the
properties of the NIC itself and turn off power saving mode but 15 minutes
seems entirely too short a time.

The only other thing I know that causes this sort of thing is Zone Alarm
(free and pro) which have "Automatic Lock" which only supposedly activates
when you haven't touched the machine for a certain time. In reality it even
activates when the machine is off. If you have ZA free or pro, set Automatic
Lock to 999 minutes then turn it off. It is the only way to stop that
happening. It MAY be the answer but I still go for the driver. If Automatic
Lock comes on, it cuts you off from everything and you can easily check
this. If you use ZA and you are now cut off as you detailed before, shut ZA
down and it should come back online in a minute or two.

 

I don't have Zone Alarm, so that's probably not it. I'll check the D-Link
site for new drivers.

Can an incompatible frequency setting also be at fault? I'm not sure what
frequency my router is set at, but my PCI card is at 2.4GHz.

I set the PCI card to 802.11b only through the D-Link admin utility, and
thought that solved it, but I was mistaken. In fact, after I switched it it
seemed to cause problems with the other cards. I don't know if it caused the
router to gag or what, but I had to shut down the desktop and power down/up
the router.

Still searching for a solution...

Thanks!

 

Just to add some information here, my Netgear router is the MR314, and my
wireless PCI card is the D-Link DWL-G510
AirPlus G High Speed 2.4GHz (802.11b/g) Wireless PCI Adapter. In case anyone
knows of potential conflicts between these models.

Thanks!