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I have set up a wireless network at one of my family members, using a Sitecom router. I know they are cheap, but I have installed several over the years, I know the trick, and overall they work just fine.
Not this time though. They have multiple devices that they connect to their wireless network: a HP laptop, an old iPAQ, an old IBM Thinkpad and a iPod Touch.
The problem is strange. Sometimes, when none of the devices are connected, and they connect the first one...say the HP laptop, but it could be anything...the connection fails. Trying to repair the connection on the laptop side does not help. However, as soon as they try to connect with a second device, say the iPod Touch, that device connects successfully. What is odd is that as a result of the second device connecting, the first one now also is able to connect.
The order of connecting could be different and the same situation occurs, so I cannot isolate the issue to a single device. The issue also does not occur always, perhaps only once in 3-5 attempts. The connection from the router to the internet is stable and works always, yet the connection from the devices to the router seems flaky.
The router is configured to use DHCP, it is WSPA2 passphrase protected. Client IPS or MACs are not hardcoded. I have walked through the entire setup and cannot spot anything odd in the setup.
This is a longshot, but...any idea why it sometimes takes a second device to make a wireless connection after which the first device can connect after initial failure?