Difficulties with wi fi

[ohnoherewego]

i have wi fi and a lap top. The wi fi connction is unreliable; if I'm working on line for an hour or so I will lose connectivity at least once. The IT guys hve been in and apparently this is as good as it gets. The thing is next week I have to do a timed online test so need to ensure I don't lose connectivity for an hour and a half. Is there another way I could ensure this such as a dongle? Any ideas greatly appreciated.

If your laptop has an ethernet port (RJ45 connection) then a cable would guarantee you a reliable connection.

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You might find an ethernet cable in Poundland (a short cable of say 1 metre) but longer cables can be found in places like Asda, PC World, etc.

Unfortunately you cannot easily get a really cheap cable eg 5 metres for under a tenner off Ebay if you need the cable at the start of the week. ('cheap' by comparison with the 15 to 20 quid you might have to pay at Maplin or PC World).

check both router and laptop have a socket first

Any way you can borrow an ethernet cable from the IT guys (from work, I assume, or did you mean some firm?)

Final note (sorry, I tend to write a fair bit!) is that if a cable doesn't improve stability, then are you sure it is the link between laptop and router causing the problem, and not the internet link itself?

Depends on ISP and router but some allow you to see how long the connection to your ISP has been established, and how long since your router was powered on. Usually these will be similar numbers (assuming you have a reliable connection to the exchange, and don't turn things on and off yourself).

If the link to the exchange is working well, another possible problem is for a short time allowed on the router's settings (in many office enviroments where staff 'hot desk' or work from home some of the time, the router gives out temporary addresses for their computers, and the next day someone else might get the address instead. Usually possible to set the timer for 24 hours or more but could be set low and that may give symptoms like temporary disconnections).

Thank you. I'm off to investigate cables!