WRT54G V.3 troubles, may install DD-WRT tonight. please help.

my WRT54G V.3 has stopped working, i have reset it several times back to factory and my lappy still cannot access it. its SSID shows up when xp scans it, then it says "detecting network type" for about 2 minutes, then it says it cannot access the network, because it may be out of range.

detecting network type


not in range


the only problem is i am three feet away from it right now, my arm can reach the router that is too far away

i have reset the router and updated the firmware, even with everything open without security it still cannot connect. right now i am on a neighbors network barely using the net so i don't dent his performance. please help me so i can leave my friends wifi.

i have to work until 7pm PST, so i'll be back in four or five hours. if you know anything that would solve the problem with the linksys firmware or any tips for installing DD-WRT firmware please share them. the only thing i know about DD-WRT for my router is i have to install the compact firmware version right?

please help

 

You may need to reconfigure your laptop. However, to rule out overlooking a router setting, lets check the router first.

As you have already tried to connect without security, check that your router is willing to access new connections (I don't use LinkSys products so I'm not familiar with your router, this setting might not be available on your router).

If you have access to another wireless device, try connecting that to your router. If that connects fine, then it is your laptop at fault. You should try reconfiguring the wireless connection (completely remove it and make a new connection to your router) and run the fantastic networking wizard. If you have any third party wireless software or firewall software, have them disabled as they could interfere. If you have made any driver changes to your wireless card recently, you may wish to revert to an older driver or find an alternative driver.

 

thats the thing hat has been bothering me, i haven't changed anything recently that would cause a problem, and my WPA2 password is 163 characters, i doubt i was hacked by someone

 

I like the Tomato Firmware (http://www.polarcloud.com/tomato)

 

My experience with Linksys firmware has been that it will just lock up because it can, and you have to do a hard reset.

After you get it reset, and connect to it via wire, upload and flash it with dd-wrt. It's really great stuff.