I'm not disputing the fact about the signal; I disagree that it will help the problem. I was within 20 feet of the router when all of this happened, which worked perfectly before. My solution is like any other solution, it worked for me. If you want to enter a house, you can go in the front, side or back door. You're still in the house! I think all of the solutions here are good, including yours. Suggesting better signal strength will help the signal strength, but may not address the problem. Much like an automobile that uses oil and saying that the solution is to add oil every time it gets low. Takes care of the problem, but is it the solution? I have no clear answer for the aquiring address problem, only what worked for me.

As far as changing the ip address settings, I doubt very many people keep them in their back pocket for handy reference. I agree that it would only take a couple of minutes, but why would one have to do that?

Again, I haven't seen one solution that solved everyones problem here, so let's just leave it at that.