Connection Problems

1) My set up consists of, one desk top PC with Windows XP and one new Lenovo laptop with Windows 7. I have, Netgear wireless ADSL2. My apartment has some steel beams in the walls so I could hardly ever get internet reception if I used my laptop in the living room. I bought a TP-Link, model TL-PA211KIT and my son set this up and also moved my router from the end room, where the desktop is, to the living room. I now have perfect reception on the desk top but I am having trouble with the laptop, which is only a few feet away from the netgear.
My connestion drops and I get ' Limited Access' when I click on the connection icon.
2) My previous laptop was a Dell Inspiron and I had an engineer to set that up for me and he gave me a set of five pairs of odd numbers, which i thought was a password. Were these some kind of configuration numbers for the NETGEAR? After moving house and and recently buying a Lenovo laptop, the connection was shown as unsecured so my son tried to sort that out and my network now has a name. However, I am puzzled about these sets of odd numbers (what were they for?) and why, when the Netgear is nearer to the laptop I can't get a good internet connection yet, I have a good connection with the desktop which is further away.
I am sorry if this is rather muddled but I am a technophobe and a pretty frustrated one at that. Help!

 

Hi Shaxta,

I'm guessing that the five sets of two numbers is your wireless key. Can you tell us who your service provider is? (ISP)

I'm assuming that your desktop computer is connected wirelessly, rather than by Ethernet cable?

 

Oh crumbs, Frank! I honestly don't know the difference between wireless and ethernet cable but i think I am wireless. My ISP is Virgin and i am what they call a National customer; not a cable customer.

 

Ok...

Start your laptop and make sure that wireless is enabled/switched/turned on.

Note: To turn the wireless on you need to do one of two things..
1) Switch the wireless switch that is on your laptop to the on position.
2) Press down and hold the FN key on the keyboard and look for a wireless icon on one of the F keys and press that as well.

So now we have the wireless Enabled/Turned on we must connect to your personal network.

Left click on the wireless icon on your Taskbar and you should read something like "Wireless networks are available". Or maybe "Connections are available".

Click to see the list of available networks that are within range of your laptop. Your network name should be on the list. It will either say it is connected, or that another unsecured network is connected or trying to connect.

If in some way another network is connected, but with a weak signal...Right click on that network and choose "Disconnect".

Now click on your own network and choose "Connect" from the options given.

A small window should open inviting you to type in the security key (The 10 numbers/letters that the engineer wrote down for you)
Note: Have a look on the back or underside of the router...the numbers may be printed on there. It may say "Wep key" or "Security key" or something similar.

Type the numbers/letters into the box provided and click OK.


Please let us know if you are able to do the above, and if so, how you get on.

 

Thank you so much! Made the operation so easy to understand and it has been successful. Thanks again