Netgear USB Troubleshooting
Netgear makes several products related to home and corporate computing. One such product is the Netgear USB adapter. This adapter is made for computers that do not have a wireless card and acts as an external receiver for nearby wireless signals. If you are having trouble using your Netgear USB Adapter, there are plenty of troubleshooting steps you can take to remedy the issue.
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General Troubleshooting
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Before trying to figure what specific issue you are having, take several general troubleshooting steps to make sure it is not an isolated issue. Try disconnecting your router, unplugging the adapter and rebooting your computer to get rid of any random error issues.
Power Issues
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If the light on the USB adapter is not lit or flashing, that means there is an issue with the power flow. To correct this, connect the USB adapter to a USB 2.0 (high-speed) port, and make sure the adapter has been properly installed. If the power still is not flowing correctly, try restarting your computer and inserting the USB adapter before the boot menu comes up.
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Configuration Utility Will Not Launch
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If you have installed the bundled Netgear Configuration utility, but it will not launch, then you probably have outdated drivers on your computer (most likely left over from another adapter) that are preventing it from launching. To combat this, you can install new drivers directly from the Netgear website to ensure the drivers are downloaded correctly (see link in Resources).
Slow Connection
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If your connection to the Internet is slow through the Netgear adapter (but is normally fast through a wired connection), then your computer is probably low on virtual memory. Since the adapter needs its own management software and drivers, it is more of a drag on your system than a wired connection. To free up some virtual memory, close other data-intensive programs that are running (like media players or feed managers) and try to restart your browser.
SSID Will Not Appear
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The SSID is the unique name given to a router so that a wireless adapter can locate it. If your Netgear USB adapter cannot locate it, the router's SSID may be hidden (to protect from unauthorized users) to check for this, open your Internet browser and type in your router's IP address into the address bar. Click Settings > Enable Wireless Router Radio Box. Make sure this is enabled, and then disconnect from the router setup page. Try searching for the SSID again.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit ambrojo via sxc
