Is it my laptop or this Belkin wireless router? Should i return and get linksys?

My original problem is below, basically my Toshiba tablet from about 4 years ago ran into a couple of problems with the new wireless router I got. I am able to connect on it, but the connection doesn't last very long, eventually i get a limited or no connectivity error. So i'm wondering, is this problem due to my Belkin N wireless router or my the laptop? The wired part of the connection works fine. I bought a new hp dv5t and i'm wondering whether i'll be having problems with the wireless connection. So that would help me decide whether it's the belkin router so i can return it and get a linksys wireless N router.


I am using a laptop, a toshiba tablet and i'm having wireless problems. I use a belkin n wireless router. I just got this router and initially my problems that i got were something about unable to get certificate for network [SSID]. In addition to that, i get the "This connection has limited or no connectivity..." The limited or no connectivity did not allow me to access internet at all, and this would happen ever couple minutes (maybe just even 1). I would then have to repair the internet connection (sometimes didn't work, said that unable to renew ip address), which would make the connection work for a couple of minutes then i get the pop up of the limited or no connectivity again.Now after disabling my WPS after being told so by a Belkin customer service, the certificate for network ssid is gone. The limited or no connectivity problem still came up though, so i called again. This time i got told to update firmware, which i did. This allowed my internet to last longer before have the limited or no connectivity. But then it just happens again where i have to repair and the whole process repeats. After than i disabled my WSZ (something like that? anyone care to to remind me what the command for it was?) that keeps checking for wireless access points. This improved it too, but it still occasionally happens. After a repair, sometimes it will last over 10 minutes, other times less than 1 minute. Also, even when connected, i sometimes still get no connectivity, says 1Mbps, and other horrible rates (which eventually leads to the "This connection has limited or no connectivity."

Anyway, can anyone help me out with this? In conclusion, i need a fix for my internet. It sometimes works, sometimes doesn't, when it doesn't, i get this error message:
"Wireless Network Connection
This connection has limited or no connectivity. You might not be able to access the Internet or some network resources. For more information, click this message."
I have a belkin wireless N router with this WPA/WPA2-Personal (PSK) encryption with TKIP+AES

 

I have a similar issue with my Vostro 1500, and a linksys router.. ill look into my hardware to see if its N or not,

 

Belkin hardware has a long history as to being nothing but trouble. So I would guess the trouble lies with the Belkin Router.

You need to set security for WPA2 AES (personal), TKIP can be broken. Make sure your security string is a min of 20 chr long using all printable chr. I use the randon generator on www.grc.com site. Just transfer a couple to a note pad for future use.

Also make your SSID Visable, hidding it causes problems with connection issues.

 

What does making my SSID visible do? I don't want it to be seen by possible hackers. And Why just go AES when i can go AES+TKIP? For the security string, i just use a passphrase.

Update:

I tried it on another laptop my sister brought back home from work. It runs on Vista, so wasn't exactly the same as XP, which i'm used to. Anyway, i tried to connect with WPA protection on, it did not work at all, tried to connect but it kept saying there was problems. Unlike on the XP, this one i was not able to connect at all, while on the XP laptop, i was able to but with constant disconnects. After that, i decided to go unsecured, and it worked, but i am definitely not going to leave it that way.

So is this probably the router problem?

 

Turning off your SSID doesn't do a single thing to stop a hacker from finding your network - the network is still broadcasting and any halfway decent wireless sniffer will spot your network in an instant, even if SSID is not being used. Turning off SSID is really only useful for stopping the bored consumer user from "seeing" your network through the default Win network discovery tool, and then only if, for some ungodly reason, you're running a naked network.

As blue said, it might cause some connectivity problems, so I'd try both with and without SSID, and if you notice any connectivity differences, then I'd simply leave SSID turned on.

 

But the sniffer will need beside the password the SSID name that it doesn't see, so it is still a better protection, don't you agree?

 

It's another minor stumbling block to put in the way of someone trying to access your network, so to the extent that all you need to do is make the connection process annoying and non-automatic, it can be useful, but it's usefulness is very limited as an actual security measure. I tend to think that it should be turned off by default just to keep a nosey parker from trying to connect to your network in a moment of boredom, sort of like locking your screen door, but that it's value as a security measure is so limited that it should be turned on if turning it off causes connection problems.

In particular, the OP seemed to be under the misapprenhension that turning off SSID would prevent hackers from getting into his network, and that is most emphatically not the case - finding a non-broadcast SSID is, from what I've read, a trivial issue for anyone worthy of the name "hacker."

 

I agree that if the deterring the SSID to be broadcasting is causing other issues, especially connection wise, is better then to turn it on.

I have always said that if someone want to break in your house he will. But if the thief spend a lot of time then he will be catch by the police, the same way, by the time the hacker finds the SSID, the ISP would have already renewed the IP address, do I make sense?