signal-- laptop ok, desktop not(?!)

[aimee2180]

So this is a weird one... I have a wireless router, from which I get full (good to excellent) signal strength on my laptop- sitting on top of my wooden desk- but only very low to good signal strength on my desktop- sitting on the floor below my desk. Why would this be?!
My wireless router is a DLink DI-524, my desktop (PCI) card is a DLink DWL-G510, and my laptop (miniPCI) card is an Intel PRO/Wireless 2915ABG. (You'd think the 2 dlink products would work well together!)
Even when I pull my desktop out from underneath the desk and turn it around (so there's no desk blocking it at all), the best I can get is around 55% signal strength. The last place I lived I didn't have this problem- my desktop would get a very good signal strength most of the time.
I've tried moving the desktop card antenna around to point in various directions and angles, but the most I could get was 68% (which quickly deteriorated). I checked the router and the desktop wireless card and are both set at 100% transmit power. I moved the router up a little bit so it sits at about 3' high. I've also tried changing which PCI slot the wireless card is in, in case that made a difference (very little).
Any ideas or suggestions would be helpful! Thank you all
-Tamar

 

[blue68f100]

It may be a heat issue in the desktop. Heat kills.
Have you updated your drivers. Or did MS replace D-link with theirs?

Have you run NetStumbler to see if there is anything interfering with your signal?

 

[aimee2180]

Well, I updated my drivers and at first I was getting a really good signal, even putting the desktop back underneath the desk. But now it's back down to a low signal strength. I don't think it's much of a heat issue, since I'm only running a P3-800MHz. I'll try running NetStumbler, though. Thanks!

 

[blue68f100]

NetStumbler may show another AP using the same channel. Or I have run into Channel Bonding AP not playing nice. I never have like the PCI card units unless I could relocate the antenna.

I have any where from 3 - 5 AP in my area, depending on which end of the house I'm in.

All of the radio's used in 11abg products run hot, just touch one and see how hot they get, particular if you have a lot of trafic on them.

If you LT & PC are close together move them 5-10' apart and see if that helps, unless you are using adhoc.

 

[kep55]

I had the same problem. My notebook is curently three feet from my D-Link DWL-510 equipped PC. Network Stumbler, which I loaded after reading this thread, thank you very much, shows power of of -54 dbM and has remained constant for the past half hour. I installed new drivers from D-Link, and now the card works, but with a SN of -68 dbM. Perhaps aimee2180 needs to recheck the date of his new drivers? I was getting no signal before the new drivers, the antenna was facing the wall away from the router.

 

[blue68f100]

There are some chip sets that do not play well with each other. I hav seen this on several notebooks and router combo's.

Here is an example of it. http://homepage.mac.com/techedgeezine/2004-0402_g-turbo_shootout1.htm

Most internal wireless cards built into the older and low cost notebooks are not very good. I have one of those in mine. The reason I use a pcmci card.