Wireless disconnects

[Chris Murphy]

Router A is a Rev 2 linksys WRT-54G, running DD-WRT v23 SP2  
(09/15/06) vpn. Router B is a linksys WRT-54GC running manufacturer's  
firmware.

Powerbook G4 laptop (about 1 year old) with an Apple Airport Extreme  
(802.11g) card in it, running OS X 10.4.8 and all latest Airport  
updates applied. This one has very frequent disconnects, despite a  
strong signal as reported by iStumbler.

Macbook Pro, less than a year old, also with Apple Airport Extreme  
(802.11g) and latest software. It has disconnected a couple of times,  
but with no where near the problems as the Powerbook is having.

The powerbook system log reports the following:

Mar 5 11:28:09 ColorPower kernel[0]: AirPort: Link DOWN (AP deAuth 0)
Mar 5 11:28:09 ColorPower kernel[0]: AirPort: Link Active: "altitude"  
- 000f6646aed0 - chan 9
Mar 5 11:29:01 ColorPower kernel[0]: AirPort: Link DOWN (AP deAuth 0)
Mar 5 11:29:04 ColorPower launchd: Server 0 in bootstrap 1103 uid 0:  
"/usr/sbin/lookupd"[2767]: exited abnormally: Hangup
Mar 5 11:29:05 ColorPower configd[38]: posting notification  
com.apple.system.config.network_change
Mar 5 11:29:07 ColorPower lookupd[2789]: lookupd (version 369.5)  
starting - Mon Mar 5 11:29:07 2007
Mar 5 11:29:10 ColorPower kernel[0]: AirPort: Link DOWN (out-of-range 0)
Mar 5 11:29:32 ColorPower kernel[0]: AirPort: Link DOWN (out-of-range 0)

Each time I try to reconnect to the AP, I get an OS error saying the  
AP doesn't support the encryption type (WPA2). If I turn off  
encryption or use WEP, I don't have these problems. They only occur  
when using WPA or WPA2. The errors I receive in the GUI are one of  
the following:

The wireless network "altitude" does not support the requested  
encryption method.

There was an error joining the Airport network "altitude".

Neither console, nor system logs report anything when these messages  
are received, so I have little to go on as to exactly what's causing  
the problem. I will click "Try Again" over and over and over and it  
will make no difference, then if I move (literally) even 2 feet  
toward the AP, clicking "Try Again" works and I have a full signal.

In the above instance, it's clearly the AP that is bumping me as the  
first line error is (AP deAuth 0) but the log also contains (client  
deAuth)- which I also have from time to time but not as often.  
Anyway, the network is randomly completely unusable as this will  
happen ever minute or two for hours, and then inexplicably go away  
the moment I move toward the AP and then back to my original location.

Suggestions?



Chris Murphy
Color Remedies (TM)
New York, NY
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Co-author "Real World Color Management, 2nd Ed"