Curse

Shynai_The_Storm · Aug 21, 2005, 11:27 PM // 23:27

This is not directly related to the game, but I'm having an extremely annoying problem with my wireless internet connection. I'm getting booted to the login screen frequently, making nearly impossible to complete any missions longer than 15 or 20 minutes without a lot of luck. Sometimes I get booted as often as every two minutes, logging back in each time, having been kicked back to the last city I visited.

I'm fairly certain the problem has nothing to do with the wireless connection's range or bandwidth, as other computers in my home do not have this problem. Strangely, the second I log out of Guild Wars, the connection picks up again at full strength. So logically I'm inclined to believe it's an issue with my system's hardware or system resource management...

I'm using a Belkin Wireless 54Mbps Desktop Adapter that doesn't have any physical damage, passes all system checks and tests I've run on it, etc. As for the system, I'm using:

80GB Dell IDE HD
1GB Corsair RAM
AMD Athlon 3200+ Processor
LANParty UT Motherboard
GeForce 6600GT GFX Card

Running Windows XP Professional, and using Windows Firewall.

I run no other programs while running Guild Wars, recently wiped my hard drive and reinstalled Windows, just before purchasing GW...

I've fooled around with the "Processes" tab in the Windows Task Manager and tried setting the Belkin wireless program to High Priority, but no difference.

Any suggestions, no matter how far-out, would be welcomed. Thanks =P

Jessy · Aug 21, 2005, 11:53 PM // 23:53

You kinda skipped the router information. Here are some general remarks:

(1) Check it's really the WLAN part of the connection that is causing the error. Use a cable to ensure the error is not "in the box".

(2) Assuming you are located in the United States, WLAN routers (B+G) and most cordless telephones share the same frequency spectrum (2.4 GHz). In addition, cordless phones have been known to hamster numerous or all channels of the spectrum as they see fit. I am saying that because you may find that--depending on your circumstances--if you draw a ball around your router (make the diameter 100-200 feet), any cordless phone (possibly neighbors) MAY be the culprit.

(3) Hello security. Referring to the above concept of the ball around your WLAN router, any other PCs that are equipped for wireless LAN access may connect to your router and use bandwidth. So make sure you have activated the encryption ... personally I would go as high as I can ... i.e. WPA security with AES encryption. Belkin supports it, check your manual. (Obviously I don't know about the router).

(4) During the Belkin installation at your PC, you should have had an opportunity to run a Custom Installation and let Windows manage the WLAN card. This option will improve the stability of your connection, don't ask me why, personally I think it has to do with a better implementation of dealing with less than perfect conditions. If you didn't install that option, there is either an option in the management screens or you uninstall the driver and subsequently reinstall with the proper selection.

(5) I bet you do this already, but just in case, open Internet Explorer (yes, gotta be IE) and select Update Windows from the Tools menu. Do whatever the screens ask you to do and ensure you have all the updates ... Somewhere long ago there was a WLAN update.

Maybe you start with those pointers and share how it went ... the router and card information incl. full product names/firmware versions/software versions would be relevant.

PS: The priority of the process is not really gonna help.

Shynai_The_Storm · Aug 22, 2005, 01:00 AM // 01:00

(1) Check it's really the WLAN part of the connection that is causing the error. Use a cable to ensure the error is not "in the box".

-Yes, before using the wireless connection I had used a direct line, and had no problems. (At that time I was living somewhere else. I'd have plugged in the line a while ago to fix this, if I could have.)

(2) Assuming you are located in the United States, WLAN routers (B+G) and most cordless telephones share the same frequency spectrum (2.4 GHz). In addition, cordless phones have been known to hamster numerous or all channels of the spectrum as they see fit. I am saying that because you may find that--depending on your circumstances--if you draw a ball around your router (make the diameter 100-200 feet), any cordless phone (possibly neighbors) MAY be the culprit.

-Good guess. In fact, both the phones in my house and (strangely) the microwave, when used, cause my connection to immediately go dead. However, even with the phones are unused, I find that my connection is still interrupted at regular intervals. I will have to try unplugging them to see if my connection stability improves.

(3) Hello security. Referring to the above concept of the ball around your WLAN router, any other PCs that are equipped for wireless LAN access may connect to your router and use bandwidth. So make sure you have activated the encryption ... personally I would go as high as I can ... i.e. WPA security with AES encryption. Belkin supports it, check your manual. (Obviously I don't know about the router).

-Yep, I encrypted it, no worries here.

(4) During the Belkin installation at your PC, you should have had an opportunity to run a Custom Installation and let Windows manage the WLAN card. This option will improve the stability of your connection, don't ask me why, personally I think it has to do with a better implementation of dealing with less than perfect conditions. If you didn't install that option, there is either an option in the management screens or you uninstall the driver and subsequently reinstall with the proper selection.

-Yes, I allowed Windows to manage the WLAN card on installation.

(5) I bet you do this already, but just in case, open Internet Explorer (yes, gotta be IE) and select Update Windows from the Tools menu. Do whatever the screens ask you to do and ensure you have all the updates ... Somewhere long ago there was a WLAN update.

-Service Pack 2, if I remember correctly, had the WLAN update. I do have it.

Thanks for all the ideas, looks like I'll be testing the Phone-versus-Internet theory tonight. However I'm not sure if this could really be a "fix", unless I can just run to the store and grab a phone that's on a different frequency. I really don't know that much about wireless phones =/

Shynai_The_Storm · Aug 22, 2005, 04:51 PM // 16:51

Okay, played with the phones and had no difference...

Posted in another online forum about this and was told to play with the channels on my adapter, got this:

Played with the channels on the Belkin utility on my computer today, got this (all decimal numbers are rates):

1 = start at 48.0 --> 2.0 Mbps after 10 sec, froze

2 = start at 36.0 --> froze during loading game

3 = start at 24.0 --> froze while connecting to game server

4 = start at 48.0 --> 18.0 --> 11.0 --> 5.5 froze during loading game

5 = start at 36.0 --> 24.0 --> 18.0 upon entering game, 5.5/freeze after 15 sec

6 = start at 48.0 --> fastest load time yet --> 18.0 and freeze after 10 sec --> 5.5 and froze after 30 sec

7 = start at 48.0 --> slow load time --> 18.0 and freeze 3 sec after entering --> 18.0 and froze after 30 sec

8 = start at 54.0 --> 54.0 and timed out during connection --> 5.5 and won't even use firefox

9 = start at 48.0 --> lagless for 10 sec, then flux between 18.0/11.0/5.5 and freeze after 20 sec, lagged out after 40 sec

10 = start at 36.0 --> fast connect/login, decent load --> 18.0 and freeze upon entering --> 5.5 --> quickly rose to 36.0 and stayed there while using firefox w/uberfast load times --> 5.5 and lagged out after entering game again --> back up to 36.0 on firefox again =/

11 = start at 48.0 --> slow login and loading --> 11.0/5.5 lag, freeze, kick 10-20 sec after entering. --> steady 36.0 using Firefox =/

So all eleven channels were pretty bad, but some did fine browsing the internet...all of 'em froze when I ran Guild Wars

However, I only played with the channel on my own computer, would changing the router channel have a better shot at making a difference?