User has trouble connecting Kindle

>> Q: I’ve been reading with interest your recent articles regarding IP addresses on home networks. I have a bit of a different problem, however I’m wondering if it might stem from the same issue. First, here’s my setup:

My ISP is Network Tallahassee, DSL/VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) bundle. They have provided us with a combination modem/router/tel system in a black box from Zoom. It as well handles our VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). We have a printer and a desktop hard wired into it, as so then as a phone system. Via Wi-Fi, we connect an iPhone, iPad, Kindle, laptop and AppleTV. The home network is secure WAP.

The problem is that

The problem is that, often, one of these WiFi devices is not allowed onto the network, afterwards having been on it just fine, before in the day. This is normally the Kindle, however has happened with the laptop as then. The device can connect just fine one minute, and the then time it tries afterwards "sleeping," it can’t join the network. The only error message is "cannot connect to chosen network."

>> A: Nearly everything you said in your email is spot-on Robin. Sounds like your place is in effect wired and your family is making the most of modern research. One thing that didn’t make sense was your reference to "secure WAP." WAP is an old protocol used for information exchange with mobile devices just as cell phones. You might have meant "WEP." If so, you’ll want to change that as before long as you can. See my article on that subject for more information. For the rest of your problem, I think you’ve already put your finger on it, you just can’t fix it if you don’t have access to configure your device. Rebooting the router fixes the problem because it forces every single connected device to re-negotiate its IP address. However either the router doesn’t support as many simultaneous connections as your setup needs, or its DHCP server is configured with a range of addresses in other words too small. Fixing either of these is going to require you to engage your ISP. In my experience, many so-called customer service agents have in mind as their primary goal to get you off the phone as quickly as possible, whether they solve your problem or not.