Problems with Netgear WPN824v2 wireless router

[ruffz]

I've been using this wireless router since we moved into our new house in June. I idle on mIRC 24/7 and notice that my connection hiccups as many as 5 times a day and knocks me offline temporarily. I've used Netgear's official PCI adapter, the WPN311, since day one. A while back I got tired of the disconnects and ordered a usb 2.0 adapter and a high gain antenna off newegg, and ended up having the same problems, although my wireless signal was significantly stronger - around 100%. The router is in the master bedroom upstairs and my computer is in another bedroom on the same floor. Laptops downstairs have no problem maintaining a solid connection. I'm about to give up on this router and buy a new one, but I wanted to see if anyone here has had similar problems and managed to fix them. I think Netgear may just not be a very good brand since I used to have one of their wired routers and it was a pain in the butt too.