Acer Aspire netbook cannot see wifi network

[Guest]

Hello, earlier this year I bought an Acer AspireOne netbook with Windows 7 startup operating system. It's been working fine until recently when it suddenly does not see our home wifi connection. It shows a list of all our neighbours routers, just not ours. We have various other devices that can see and connect to it just fine (other PCs & laptops, iPhones & smartphones, MacBook Pro etc) A system restore cured the problem the first couple of times, but now that doesn't work. I've tried resetting & restarting the modem & router dozens of times but it does not appear in the list of available networks for the netbook. Any suggestions (nothing to technical please). Thanks in advance.

 

[Pyree]

Do you know if you are broadcasting SSID or not? If you are not and you are using a hidden SSID with pre-configed profile, sometime it just drops out and you cannot find your network. You can fix this by logon to router, enable SSID broadcast and search again. Once you have everything working again, you can hide SSID again. But then, you may drop out again and have to repeat the steps. So, it is your choice to hide it or not.

 

[Guest]

Hi thanks Pyree but it's not a hidden SSID.
I'm currently trying to do a recovery to the factory settings on the netbook & starting again from scratch to see if that cures the problem.

 

[Pyree]

Maybe try to find an update driver from Acer for your netbook's wifi adapter, if they are available. Sorry that I am not much of help. Probably have to call in someone in this forum with better skill in networking to solve this.

 

[Gi Jan]

I have an Acer AspireOne 521 and it is soooooooo slow. I've tried everything...no go. I 'thought' it came with Wi-Fi....but it's only Wi-Fi compatible so I gues I need to puchase a Wi-Fi adapter? Since you say you can pick up your neighbor's signal, I was wondering....is one Wi-Fi adapter really better than another? I'm seeing that the prices really vary. Thanks!

 

[eibgrad]

Yes, some wireless adapters are better than others. I sometimes use the Alfa series of wireless adapter, which come in various versions (G, N, 1000mW, 2000mW, etc.). Using these you'll probably find there are a lot more wireless hotspots around you then you realized.

http://www.amazon.com/Alfa-AWUS036H-802-11b-Wireless-network/dp/B002WCEWU8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1340843755&sr=8-1&keywords=alfa+awus036h

http://www.amazon.com/Alfa-AWUSO36NH-Wireless-Long-Rang-Network/dp/B0035APGP6/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1340843807&sr=1-1&keywords=alfa+wireless+N

However, if you're just talking about your run of the mill USB dongle, probably not a big difference. The form factor doesn't lend itself to good antennas, and they tend to overheat under heavy usage (and heat is the enemy of a wireless signal).

 

[racahill]

Hello, earlier this year I bought an Acer AspireOne netbook with Windows 7 startup operating system. It's been working fine until recently when it suddenly does not see our home wifi connection. It shows a list of all our neighbours routers, just not ours. We have various other devices that can see and connect to it just fine (other PCs & laptops, iPhones & smartphones, MacBook Pro etc) A system restore cured the problem the first couple of times, but now that doesn't work. I've tried resetting & restarting the modem & router dozens of times but it does not appear in the list of available networks for the netbook. Any suggestions (nothing to technical please). Thanks in advance.

Hi BlackcatPJ
had the same issue, although on an older version of everything (WinXP + Acer Aspire 3690). I did not go for system restore though. After i set the channel from "Auto" to a specific value (in my case 2) on my router it started to work. Maybe give it a try and you'll see.

I downloaded netstumbler (http://www.netstumbler.com) utility and it displayed all the Wi-Fis around and all of them had channel up to 11. My SSID was nowhere to be seen. After i changed the channel to 2, it suddenly appeared on the list of all Wi-Fi networks.
HTH
Radek