What happens if you bring your son's computer in to close proximity to the wireless (presumably) router? I understand the laptop works in his room, but it has a different adapter with a different antenna oriented differently at a different height with different nearby objects.

It is important to note that routers do not do wireless. That's why in the beginning, wireless users had a router, and the WAP (wireless access point) was a separate device that plugged ("uplinked") into a spare Ethernet port. Well, that's not right. In the very beginning, routers only had one Ethernet port and one WAN port - it was later makers added smart hubs, or switches.

And now more recently, as electronics grow even smaller, they have more room to plug more modules in the main board, so they add wireless access device "modules" to your network device NOT to your router. Your router is another module in the network device and it simply connects your network (everything on your side of the router, including the switch and all plugged in to it) to another network, in this case, the Internet. You have a 3-in-one network device that includes the switch, WAP and Router.

Now you can get 4-in-one packages - WAP, 4 or 8 port Ethernet Switch, Router, and Cable or DSL modem - some have print servers too.

The distinction is important - for example, your PC that is attached via Ethernet to one of the Ethernet ports, if it can access the Internet fine, your router is probably good! It is communication between the WAP and the wireless client that seems to be the problem.

It is often necessary to play with antenna locations and orientations - on both ends. It is also important to note that walls, floors, ceilings, pipes, wires, microwaves, wireless phones, neighbors and their networks and electronic devices all contribute to lousy RF connections.