# Wireless range problem in my house



## beagan (Jun 10, 2008)

Hello. I'm hoping for some help here on the wireless range in my house. I have a wireless-g router and I get the weakest signal in my bedroom, only 30 feet away. The rest of the house works great all the way into my garage. I bought a wireless-n router hoping that would do the trick, but since the results were the same, I returned it. I've read up on it and it sounds like there may be interference with stuff in my walls. However, I do have a wired Cat5 run under the house going to my room from my router going into my PS3 for streaming movies. Is there any way I could use that to extend my wireless range. My IT guy said wireless extenders aren't worth it, but didn't go into it any further and I have never looked into them myself. Anyone with firsthand experience that can help or offer advice, is much appreciated. Thanks!!

*UPDATE:* See post #43 for the solution that worked for me


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## FHSPSU67 (Jan 12, 2007)

Possibly should have kept the wireless-n and moved the wireless-g to the bedroom and used the Cat-5 to hook it up.


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## RasputinAXP (Jan 23, 2008)

1. Metal cladding between the locations
2. 2.4GHz interference (cordless phones, microwaves)
3. Antenna pattern


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## larryk (Aug 17, 2006)

Why not add an ethernet switch in your room, and a second wireless access point to it ( and your PS3), set the WAP to have the same SSId as your main router. You should then have much better coverage at both ends of your house...
I used a Cisco WRT160N (refurb from Amazon for $24.00 and put DD-WRT on it, it has been running for 334 days without any hiccups)


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## hilmar2k (Mar 18, 2007)

My parents have a ridiculously big house (6400+ sq feet for two people) and therefore have some wifi coverage issues. The router is in my Father's office at one end of the first floor. There must be some interference, because even two room over (30 feet) wifi is very hit or miss. He bought a Netgear range extender and placed it at the edge of where he gets good wifi reception and that has completely solved his issue. He now gets wifi in his entire house from either the router or the extender.


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

Also, what networks are around you and what channel are you and they using?

I'd also see if there's a firmware update for it, or see if dd-wrt or openwrt support it.


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## harsh (Jun 15, 2003)

Consider moving your existing router around a bit.

A friend of mine discovered that his gun safe was causing all sorts of problems and placing the router on top of the gun safe fixed the problem.


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## billsharpe (Jan 25, 2007)

It's a good idea to place the router as high as possible in the room. My Verizon router is on top of the entertainment center. Computer in the guest house 60 feet away gets a decent signal from it.


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## lugnutathome (Apr 13, 2009)

Placement is indeed important although highest may not be as important as clear unobstructed lines from origin to destination. My main router is in the Telco/AV "head end" where all my various networks converge into the centralized backbone switches (SWMs/Terrestrial/network distribution) and this is located near one end of the home in the "crawl space" OK we could do jumping jacks down there but it extends coverage to most of the home and I added a wireless access point to the top floor at the other end of the home.

I get strong signal anywhere in the home and usable reception anywhere on my 2 acre parcel of land.

Don "all on that antique G stuff too" Bolton


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## beagan (Jun 10, 2008)

Thanks for all the feedback fellas. I have plenty of Cat5, so I think I'll play around with placement first. I'd rather not have to get another device if I can get it to work otherwise.


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## The Merg (Jun 24, 2007)

larryk said:


> Why not add an ethernet switch in your room, and a second wireless access point to it ( and your PS3), set the WAP to have the same SSId as your main router. You should then have much better coverage at both ends of your house...
> I used a Cisco WRT160N (refurb from Amazon for $24.00 and put DD-WRT on it, it has been running for 334 days without any hiccups)


I have two of those and they work terrific. I use one as my main router and one as a wireless extender upstairs in the master bedroom.

- Merg


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## beagan (Jun 10, 2008)

Well, moving the router didn't have any effect (though I'm limited to only a couple feet). Decided to get a wireless N router and it arrived yesterday. It was a Linksys E1000 refurb on amazon for $22. I was having a heck of a time getting it to setup correctly. I then re-read the post and realized I got the wrong Linksys that was recommended for $2 more, plus the E1000 v2.1 is not compatible with DD-WRT. So I've now ordered the recommended WRT160N. DD-WRT is very new to me, so I still have to research what that is. Thanks, and I'll keep you posted on the results.


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## bobnielsen (Jun 29, 2006)

With the WRT160N you also can run into the problem where not all versions are dd-wrt-compatible (V2 is not, others are). The WRT160V2 is still a good router, however I need to reboot mine every week or so because DHCP stops working.


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## dennisj00 (Sep 27, 2007)

To make it an Access Point only, with or without DD-WRT, set the IP to an unused IP address on your LAN, set the gateway and DNS to your main router and turn OFF DHCP.

Plug your LAN cable into one of the LAN ports. Don't use the WAN port unless you have DD-WRT on it -- you can then select the WAN port to be an additional LAN port.


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## The Merg (Jun 24, 2007)

bobnielsen said:


> With the WRT160N you also can run into the problem where not all versions are dd-wrt-compatible (V2 is not, others are). The WRT160V2 is still a good router, however I need to reboot mine every week or so because DHCP stops working.


That is true, but I believe the one being sold on Amazon is not v2.

- Merg


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## The Merg (Jun 24, 2007)

beagan said:


> Well, moving the router didn't have any effect (though I'm limited to only a couple feet). Decided to get a wireless N router and it arrived yesterday. It was a Linksys E1000 refurb on amazon for $22. I was having a heck of a time getting it to setup correctly. I then re-read the post and realized I got the wrong Linksys that was recommended for $2 more, plus the E1000 v2.1 is not compatible with DD-WRT. So I've now ordered the recommended WRT160N. DD-WRT is very new to me, so I still have to research what that is. Thanks, and I'll keep you posted on the results.


DD-WRT is firmware that you install onto the router that will replace the stock Linksys firmware. I find the DD-WRT firmware to be more stable than the Linksys and it has some additional features. One mentioned by Dennis is that you can turn the WAN port into another LAN port if you are using it was an Access Point.

- Merg


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

DD-WRT (or in my case OpenWRT) is almost always more stable and robust. Plus the 160N still has a major security vulnerability in WPS that cannot be disabled.

Well, I should say all WPS equipment was vulnerable but most have a functional disable feature. DD-WRT doesn't support it at all, so not vulnerable.


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## beagan (Jun 10, 2008)

I'm expecting my router in today, but probably won't get to it until Saturday. Since then, I've been visting DD-WRT.com and must say I am completely overwhelmed with the information/instructions over there. All I want to do is use my 50' Cat5 cable going from my main wireless router to this new one in my bedroom to somehow extend my wireless coverage. I'm hearing talk of access point, dd-wrt, openWRT, WAN/LAN ports, DHCP. Am I reading too much into this. Am I misunderstanding that I don't need any of this for my concern? Is there a cliff notes version of how to get this done? Thanks.


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## dennisj00 (Sep 27, 2007)

My post above turns the router into an Access Point. Just DON'T have DHCP enabled and don't use the WAN port. You can do this in the stock firmware.

DD-WRT isn't as complicated as it looks. If you can get to the GUI of the new router, you can install DD-WRT. Usually there's a small file that you download to install on the router, then the final file for operation with DD-WRT.

PM me if you have questions or problems.


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## beagan (Jun 10, 2008)

Thanks for the additional info. Can you tell me what the difference between an Access Point and DD-WRT? From what I described, does it sound like I need DD-WRT? Again, I'm only looking to extend my wireless coverage. Thanks!!


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## beagan (Jun 10, 2008)

Okay, I actually had time to go through all of this and have it setup as described, but can't seem to figure out how to set the gateway and dns to the main routers ip. I'm sure it's an easy step I'm just being blind too. The PS3is streaming well off a separate LAN on the bedroom router too. I imagine this last step will get me internet access. Thanks in advance.


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## beagan (Jun 10, 2008)

The only place I see to setup the gateway and dns to that of my main router is if I choose Static IP for my internet connection type. But then I can't figure out the 'Internet IP Address' to use. Sorry for all the newbie questions.


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## WestDC (Feb 9, 2008)

Look at This:

Go to a Pc click Start -run (TYPE) cmd (click) ok

at the Prompt (TYPE) ipconfig /all

that will display your current PC ip address & your Gatway (ip) address
as well as your DNS info.

just for your info


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## beagan (Jun 10, 2008)

Thanks for the info, but I'm still stuck. Here's what I have:

192.168.0.1 = Modem
192.168.1.11 = Main Router
192.168.1.2 = Bedroom Router (Access Point)

I'm now in the basic setup window for 'Internet Setup' on 192.168.1.2 and am trying to set the gateway and dns to 192.168.1.11 as instructed earlier. It appears that I only have the fields to input this data when I select 'Static IP'. Am I right in selecting this? If so, it's also asking me for 'Internet IP Address'. So, in this section I enter the following:

Internet IP Address: 192.168.0.1
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway: 192.168.1.11
DNS: 192.168.1.11

I then get the error: The Router IP address equals to the subnet address. Please correct it. 

I've googled this like crazy too and nobody mentions selecting 'Static IP'. But then where else am I to input this data?

Thanks!!!


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## WestDC (Feb 9, 2008)

I have a wired lynksys router and a lynksys wireless Access point

My wireless access point is set to Static Ip 192.168.1.245 any wireless connection is DCHP 


What if you set your wireless access point (static ip) 192.168.1.245

Does that help or am I taking you the wrong way?


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## dennisj00 (Sep 27, 2007)

Don't set anything for Internet or WAN and don't use the WAN port. All the access point is is another node (IP) on your LAN. Set the gateway to the same as your PC.

DD-WRT is firmware (operating system) for the router.


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## RasputinAXP (Jan 23, 2008)

beagan said:


> Thanks for the info, but I'm still stuck. Here's what I have:
> 
> 192.168.0.1 = Modem
> 192.168.1.11 = Main Router
> ...


You entered the same IP address for the router that the modem was using. Also, you cannot span networks like that. If the modem is on 192.168.0.x, my assumption is that it's not just a vanilla modem, it's one of those combined router-modem things, which are a pain in the ass. All of your equipment needs to be on 192.168.0.x, subnet 255.255.255.0, DNS server 192.168.0.1.

Is your modem acting as a router? Does it serve IP addresses, or have more than one Ethernet port on it?


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## beagan (Jun 10, 2008)

RasputinAXP - My DSL modem is not a router. It's a speedstream I got from sbcglobal before at&t bought them out. It only has one ethernet port. It sounds like you're suggesting I rename my routers to have the same mask as my modem of 192.168.0.?, correct?

dennisj00 - I'm only using the LAN (not WAN port) on the bedroom router. When you say, set the gateway to the same as my PC, are you also saying to select the type to be a static IP address? That's the only place I see to do such a thing. Also, what's the benefit of DD-WRT? If this ends up working fine with out of the box firmware, what is to gain with DD-WRT?

Is anyone able to post a screenshot for their working access point settings screen? I'm at work now and will try later tonight. Thanks again for all the feedback. I really appreciate it!


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## dennisj00 (Sep 27, 2007)

From your earlier post. . . 

192.168.0.1 = Modem
192.168.1.11 = Main Router
192.168.1.2 = Bedroom Router (Access Point)

Internet IP Address: 192.168.0.1
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway: 192.168.1.11
DNS: 192.168.1.11

.................

It appears your main router is 192.168.1.11 -- so that should be the Gateway and DNS for anything on your LAN. Forget about the 192.168.0.x network. . . that's your DSL modem.

Your new router should work fine as 192.168.1.2 (a static IP) set with 192.168.1.11 as gateway and dns. (and mask 255.255.255.0).

You don't need dd-wrt.


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## beagan (Jun 10, 2008)

Ugh. Still no success. I'm still not sure if I'm in the right spot for entering this data since nobody has confirmed my inquiry if 'Static IP' is the right spot to set this up. It sounds so simple to set the gateway and dns up to the 192.168.1.11, but where do I do this at? I think that's the thing holding me up. Here's some pics of my setup page. Please help guide me to success. Thanks!

Main Router
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/337/mainrouter.jpg/

Access Point
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/443/accesspoint.jpg/

The above screenshots are giving me the following error: The Router IP address equals to the subnet address. Please correct it.


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## dpeters11 (May 30, 2007)

Personally, I'd set the router DNS to 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220 and set the access point to dhcp but I must be missing something. I like to keep things simple.


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## dennisj00 (Sep 27, 2007)

In the second image. . . the Internet Connection section is for the WAN connection - set it to disable.


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## beagan (Jun 10, 2008)

Gosh, I feel like a complete moron each time I write something up that appears so simple...I can't find the word WAN at all in the 2nd image. And the only option to 'Disable' anything on that screen is DHCP server, for which I already have selected Disabled. I can't express enough how little I know about computers.

Are you suggesting I don't do anything in the Internet Setup section? Leave it blank, thus disabling it? If so, this goes back to my question on 'Static IP'...is this not the place to enter gateway and dns? It won't let me leave the Internet IP Address blank if I try to enter those two others.

Also, here's the only options I have under Internet Setup:
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/209/captureksw.jpg/

We have to be getting close...thanks again!


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## moghedien (Dec 3, 2007)

beagan said:


> Gosh, I feel like a complete moron each time I write something up that appears so simple...I can't find the word WAN at all in the 2nd image. And the only option to 'Disable' anything on that screen is DHCP server, for which I already have selected Disabled. I can't express enough how little I know about computers.
> 
> Are you suggesting I don't do anything in the Internet Setup section? Leave it blank, thus disabling it? If so, this goes back to my question on 'Static IP'...is this not the place to enter gateway and dns? It won't let me leave the Internet IP Address blank if I try to enter those two others.
> 
> ...


I have a Cisco router(E1000) that I am using as a wireless access point, and it works just fine. Like you, I have the cat5 plugged into one of the router's LAN ports, DHCP Server is disabled, but I'm using the "Automatic Configuration - DHCP" setting instead of "Static IP"

Here are some things you could look at:
1)Make sure the cat5 you're plugging the access point works; can you connect another internet device successfully using the same cable?
2)Reboot the access point after you make changes to the configuration to make sure they will take effect.
3) If you are using "Wireless Security" make sure that the settings match...


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## dennisj00 (Sep 27, 2007)

Yes, just set the Internet connection to 'DHCP'. . . with nothing plugged into the WAN it will get no address.

The DD-WRT firmware has a disable option here.


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## beagan (Jun 10, 2008)

Well, I've officially made matters more complicated. While trying every combo from the suggestions above I accidentally changed the access points IP to the same IP as my router (192.168.1.11). When I input that IP in my browser it still brought up my router. I then changed that IP so I can access the other assigned the same number. Unfortunately, once I made the change to my main router (to 192.168.20.105) I can't get into the Access Point at all any more. 

newly assigned 192.168.1.11 brings up nothing
the old 192.168.1.2 brings up nothing
doing a hard reset and trying 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.1.245 brings up nothing

How can I get back into the menu of the (intended) Access Point router


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## beagan (Jun 10, 2008)

dennisj00 said:


> Yes, just set the Internet connection to 'DHCP'. . . with nothing plugged into the WAN it will get no address.
> 
> The DD-WRT firmware has a disable option here.


Once I can get back into the router I'll try this. So, do I still need to assign the gateway and dns ip? If so, where? I understand now that you're using DD-WRT, so we're probably looking at different available options.


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## beagan (Jun 10, 2008)

moghedien said:


> I have a Cisco router(E1000) that I am using as a wireless access point, and it works just fine. Like you, I have the cat5 plugged into one of the router's LAN ports, DHCP Server is disabled, but I'm using the "Automatic Configuration - DHCP" setting instead of "Static IP"
> 
> Here are some things you could look at:
> 1)Make sure the cat5 you're plugging the access point works; can you connect another internet device successfully using the same cable?
> ...


1) Yes, the same cable is streaming to my PS3 just fine

I'll try the other two when I can get back into the router's GUI (access point). Thanks for your patience everyone.


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## beagan (Jun 10, 2008)

Okay...a few reboots later and I'm back and running in each of the routers GUI screens. The bad news is that I still don't have wireless in the bedroom with auto config dhcp setup. The wireless security on the AP appears to be the same as the router. SSID is the same on both, along with passwords.


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## beagan (Jun 10, 2008)

Another question, when/if this gets up and running, while on my iPad I can see which IP address it's using for the Router in the settings for wifi network. So my main router works fine in the living room for my iPad and I see it's IP (192.168.20.105). So, when/if this works in the bedroom will I see the AP's IP listed in this same section (192.168.20.110)? Thx.


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## moghedien (Dec 3, 2007)

beagan said:


> Another question, when/if this gets up and running, while on my iPad I can see which IP address it's using for the Router in the settings for wifi network. So my main router works fine in the living room for my iPad and I see it's IP (192.168.20.105). So, when/if this works in the bedroom will I see the AP's IP listed in this same section (192.168.20.110)? Thx.


Your router is still going to be *.105. Your router is still the DCHP server, where your internet device(s) will get their information in order to connect to the internet. You will use the *.110 address to configure the access point, but that's about it. Your access point should be seamlessly integrated into the rest of your network, once it's up and running...


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## beagan (Jun 10, 2008)

Still no luck. Going to look elsewhere for help. Hopefully I can find someone that is using the same setup (no DD-WRT) that can guide me. Thanks!


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## beagan (Jun 10, 2008)

Success finally!!! I ended up switching my main router (WRT54G2) with the newly purchased refurb (WRT160N). So the WRT54G2 ended up being my access point. I didn't mess with any of the gateway or dns info. Why it worked when I swapped them, I have no idea...the configuration was the same.

To anyone having this same problem, the following is what worked for me:

*Main Router* (from Modem)
Basic Setup Tab...
Local IP Address: 192.168.20.110 (I made this number up)
Internet Connection Type: Automatic Configuration - DHCP
DHCP Server: *Enable*
Wireless Settings Tab...
Wireless Configuration: Manual 
Network Mode: Mixed
Network Name (SSID): _make up your own here_
Wireless Security: WPA2 Personal
SSID Broadcast: Disable
Encryption: TKIP or AES
Passphrase: _make up your own here_
Administration Tab...
Router Password: _make up your own here_

*2nd Router (Access Point)*
Basis Setup Tab...
Internet Connection Type: Automatic Configuration - DHCP
Local IP Address: 192.168.20.105 (I made this number up)
DHCP Server: *Disable*
Wireless Settings Tab...
Wireless Configuration: Manual 
Network Mode: Mixed
Network Name (SSID): _use the same as the Main Router_
Wireless Security: WPA2 Personal
SSID Broadcast: Disable
Encryption: TKIP or AES
Passphrase: _use the same as the Main Router_
Administration Tab...
Router Password: _use the same as the Main Router_

Remember to select SAVE on each screen that you make the above changes on. I left everything else as the default factory settings. I hope anyone else struggling will find this info useful. Good luck!!

Thanks again to everyone for all the tips and advise. I really appreciate it!!


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## klang (Oct 14, 2003)

In the wireless settings you probably want to manually set both routers to use the same channel numbers. That should allow you to seamlessly move between the two routers. At least that's what works with my pair of AirPort Extreme's.


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## beagan (Jun 10, 2008)

I have a new concern on this topic. The access point has been working great and I am very pleased with taking these steps to increase my wireless range. However, I have one problem. My Kindle Fire doesn't seem to want to recognize the access point. I can tell by the poor strength of signal it's still trying to reach my main router when I'm in my bedroom. As I walk down the hallway towards my router the signal strength increases. I thought perhaps the access point needed to be rebooted. But then popped out my iPad and that works flawlessly, super fast speed in the bedroom. So, the question is, why does the iPad work great in that room (right next to the access point), but the Kindle Fire doesn't? I found some posts online stating that there may be a limitation to a single device, but I'm not sure how to confirm that. Any suggestions? Thanks.


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## The Merg (Jun 24, 2007)

beagan said:


> I have a new concern on this topic. The access point has been working great and I am very pleased with taking these steps to increase my wireless range. However, I have one problem. My Kindle Fire doesn't seem to want to recognize the access point. I can tell by the poor strength of signal it's still trying to reach my main router when I'm in my bedroom. As I walk down the hallway towards my router the signal strength increases. I thought perhaps the access point needed to be rebooted. But then popped out my iPad and that works flawlessly, super fast speed in the bedroom. So, the question is, why does the iPad work great in that room (right next to the access point), but the Kindle Fire doesn't? I found some posts online stating that there may be a limitation to a single device, but I'm not sure how to confirm that. Any suggestions? Thanks.


Try disconnecting the network on the Kindle Fire and then tell it to connect to your network again as if it was a new device. The WAP should not have a limitation of one device.

- Merg


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## beagan (Jun 10, 2008)

Thanks for the suggestion. I tried that today (again) and it worked. When I tried it the first time yesterday, it was still trying to connect to the further away router. Maybe I didn't give it enough time. I'll see how it goes for the next week or so. Thanks!


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## The Merg (Jun 24, 2007)

beagan said:


> Thanks for the suggestion. I tried that today (again) and it worked. When I tried it the first time yesterday, it was still trying to connect to the further away router. Maybe I didn't give it enough time. I'll see how it goes for the next week or so. Thanks!


No problem.

- Merg


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