Wireless problems / Asus router?

[flyer]

Hi, I am brand new to this forum but hope somebody may be in a position to help me? My set up is as follows...
Internet(NTL 2MB service)>>Cable modem>>ASUS Wireless router>>laptop (with Netgear PCMCIA wireless card.)
This all worked beautifully till last week, internet connection got lost & I can't get it back via wireless! The setup below works fine...
Internet>>Cable modem>>laptop!!
But, when I put the router between the modem & the laptop, the router tells me it is disconnected!! I've had dropouts before but they have always just come straight back with a reboot, I s'pose I'm lucky to have the internet back for work but why has the router suddenly decided it doesn't want to accept a connection? I'm on my second router as the first one did this & I thought it was an ASUS thing & replaced it but this one does exactly the same?
Long post - I'm sorry. Did use "search" prior to posting but couldn't find anything directly connected to my problem? Any assistance will be very, very gratefully received.

[grandmaster]

Have you tried Resetting the router back to factory and reconfiguring it?

Could just be a username and password issue.

[flyer]

Cheers for the quick response grandmaster, tried that & no joy I'm afraid. Even hooking up the new router with it's virgin fresh software hasn't helped.
Cheers again for the input though...

[JohnHorb]

:welcome:

Have you switched everything off, then powered on the modem...wait...power on the router...wait...power on the laptop? Certainly, unless the laptop MAC is cloned into the router, you need to power-cycle the modem for it to accept the new device.

[bdav]

Does the router think its got a lead going to the modem (should have a light on the front/diagnostics). Have you tried a different network cable? Is it a cross over cable or straight? Try swapping laptop ethernet cable with Cable modem ethernet cable.

[flyer]

Hi Johnhorb & Bdav, done all of that John, even left everything switched off all last night! Bdav, the "WAN" light on the front of the router is flashing which according to the manual indicates it is "tx" & "rx" ing (Confusing however as it flashes with no cable going into the wan port on the back too:confused: . Swapped all the cables around too. The netgear card is still finding the router and connecting to it as well.
If anybody wants to buy a 5 day old router let me know!! I think I am to be forever banished to the pokey little office upstairs!:(
Thanks again for taking the time to look in and for your suggestions so far.
All the best...Flyer
Oh yeh, sorry about posting in the wrong forum too!