Broadband access is now becoming faster and faster, with most suppliers now supplying wireless routers, it becomes easy to add all of your computers, game consoles and other devices. I say easy, but this is not always the case, as many of our customers find out the hard way.
We have been asked to solve many wireless and network router issues. Quite often we are able to solve these issues with relative ease, after simply altering the customers router configuration. Many of the issues however, are caused by faulty hardware! Time after time we have opened brand new, branded equipment from its box to find it simply doesn't work.
Increasingly we find that the hardware, mostly routers, have faults in the software within the router causing a huge range of issues, to then be solved by a future Firmware software update distributed by the manufacturer. Some brands seem to launch their prize new product, only to produce update after update solving issues within the router. This causes all manor of inconvenience to the end users. Security issues, connection issues, stability issues, nothing is sacred.
Considering his fact, we no longer use any router new to the market, and hold off advising our customers until the product has stood the test of time, or sometimes simply waiting for the steady stream of updates/repairs to stop!
Wireless adapters on the other hand suffer a different problem. Electrocution! USB memory sticks also used to suffer this problem, but seem to have become resilient in recent years. When I say electrocution, short circuit may be a better phrase. Many of our customers have not followed advice to shut down the USB port before disconnection hardware, but very often are completely unaware of this prior to speaking our engineers. In our investigations, we have found that many wireless network USB adapters will stop working after being disconnected in this way. Please, be warned, always shut the USB port down or shut the entire machine down before you pull the network adapter out. If you don't, you may get away with it once, may be twice, but not every time. This is also relevant to the Xbox 360 wireless adapters, be sure to turn off the console before disconnecting.
After this damage has been done, the USB network adapter will often still appear to be functioning. More often than not, the PC will still recognise the adapter and load the relevant drivers, but not see any networks. Other times the adapter can see the network, but is unable to communicate in both directions. Occasionally, Windows will simply not recognise the device ever again! Sadly, there isn't anything you can do at this stage other than return the network adapter to the shop and try to get a replacement or money back.
Our advice to you as a consumer is to research your wireless router by reading up as much as you can, search the forums for comments and issues that other users are suffering with and generally wait for at least 6 months after the product has been release upon the public. As for the wireless network adapters,
TURN OFF THE POWER BEFORE YOU UNPLUG!
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