Router not assigning network address

Question

I have the Verizon FIOS Actiontec router.  The wired connection is great but the wireless connection is nothing but trouble. My wireless computers see the wireless network and say they "connect" to it, but then they have a problem getting a "network address" from the router - about half the time I get no network address and so can't access my network or the internet.  The actual message is "Getting network address" - this stays on for a minute or two and then I get the message that I have no or limited connectivity and I can't connect - even though the network signal I get is "very strong".  I try rebooting my wireless computers, re-booting my router and sometimes it connects and sometimes it doesn't - there is no pattern.  If I leave my computer alone it will re-try the connection every once and a while and may eventually connect - usually if I wait long enough, but this may be hours or a day latter before it will eventually connect.  It is not a password issue because about half the time I have no problem at all, the other half of the time it may be hours or a day before I can connect.
Verizon sent me a new router and I have the very same problem.  I never had this problem when I used my own wireless router with DSL (before FIOS).  The same problem is true for both a desktop with a wireless connection and a netbook I have (all systems are running xp).  I even re-set up my old wireless router in serial with my Verizon router and both computers picked up and connected to the old router right away - I even got internet using this serial set up - but I have other problems with this set up so it really is not a solution - but it was useful in letting me know it is not something with my wireless computers.  I even uninstalled and reinstalled the wireless adapter to my desktop and that did not help.
Has anyone else had this problem?  Why is this happening?  What can I do to fix this?  Please help.

Answer 1

How to improve wireless networking on Verizon MI424WR
follow this guide, but you're best bet is to change the wireless channel.  that is a relatively painless procedure.  There are only three channels in N.America that are useable.  Those are wireless channel 1,  wireless channel 6 and wireless channel 11. 
you probably have some heavy interference on whichever wireless channel you are currently on.   One of the three listed should provide good results for you, but you'll want to cycle through each of them to find which channel is the best.
Log into your router
http://192.168.1.1
Default user name is 'admin'
Default Password is 'password1'  other variants are 'password', or 'admin'
Once you're logged into the router, stay in the first column and look for change wireless settings.
When you click on that your wireless settings will come up, and you'll see the channels as your number 3 option.  simply use the drop down list to choose channel 1, place a check mark where it says something to the effect of "keep these changes even after a reboot"  and then hit apply. 
wait for it to lock in, try to reconnect to your wireless and try it out for however long it takes to drop off again.  if it does not drop off then you are good, if it does, then change it from 1 to 6, and then if that does not work change it to 11.  
also take a quick look at the actiontec link at the top.  It's very basic but it gives some food for though with regard to things that potentially can interfere with that wireless transmission.