My mum is having internet problems but dont know how to help!

[lostboy87]

Hi,

My mum recently got a an acer laptop for her birthday and is having problems with the net.There are 3 PC's in the house all running on a shared wireless network with no problems (the internet is constant)
My mum can connect to the internet but it is very temperamental,sometimes it will run for a good hour or so but mostly will only connect for a few minutes at a time before disconnecting again.So its on and off all the time,it says the signal strength is excellent so it has nothing to do with that.Like i said the other 3 PC's are fine and keep there connection.
Any idea's or suggestion's? would be great if i could sort this for her,she just wanted her own internet instead of using others and she is getting anoyed and ringing me for help all the time.
Thanks for reading and hope you know what could be causing this.

[Vagrant]

What happens if the laptop is right next to the modem/router?

[lostboy87]

It still goes on and off!

[twix123]

Has your mother tried connecting to the modem using an ethernet cable to see if that eliminates a possible problem with the wireless connection?

[galeck1947]

Have you tried to make sure that your router has the latest firmware upgrade done
I would do this first by logging on to your router and initating a check for a update if one is available download and apply it.

[OBonio]

What sort of wireless network is it? 11b, 11g, 11n? I have issues with my 11n network when it's set to work as all 3 (ie, all 11b, 11g and 11n clients should be able to connect) but my phone which only supports 11g will see the network dropping in and out like a yoyo. I forced the network to only support 11b and 11g and that solved the issue, albeit at a slower speed than I'd want it to be.