Charter Cable + Belkin Router = :-(

I haven't been posting lately because I have been having maddening internet problems. I have a cable modem plus a router that I use to get internet on my Apple laptop. For more than a week I have started the day with service but then lose it after about two hours and can't get it back.

At first I thought it was the spotty cable "service" because it frequently goes out anyway without explanation. If you can actually get to a person instead of a recording they often just say "we know" and "we're working to restore service." A-holes. We pay more than 100 bucks a month for cable and internet and that's the best they can do.

Now I know it's the freaking router. Sleyed figured that out. It's a good thing too because I know I don't have the patience to deal with this kind of crap. He called multiple companies, sat on hold for HOURS, and updates the router firmware only to find out the new file wouldn't unzip. Eventually he got through to a guy in Pakistan, India, or who knows where who walked him through the update.

Well what do know? Now my laptop won't pick up the router signal at all. Sleyed figured out how to monkey with the software, firmware, or whatever it is from our desktop (which hooks directly to the cable modem) so that my laptop can find the signal. I thought that was a once and for all fix but this morning I found out that wasn't the case at all. Now, every single time I want to use the internet from my laptop - which is every FREAKING day! - the numbers have to be fixed or reset or whatever he does at the Belkin site.

Fortunately this only has to be done if I shut my laptop off. It can still find the router when I wake it up after putting it to sleep. Unfortunately Sleyed only had time to fix the problem - not teach me how to do whatever he does to make it all work. So guess what we get to do tonight...

Still - that is not a solution. I don't want to have to monkey around with starting up another computer to be able to use mine to connect to the internet every freaking time I want to go online on my computer where all of my files are. Pain in the ass is what that would be. Hopefully Sleyed can figure out a permanent solution.

What's doubly frustrating is that I have no clue how to solve these kinds of technology problems on my own.