Dodge DeBoulet

I'm wondering if you've run afoul of a situation that used to be quite common; router manufacturers would use the same default BSSID (the name of the wireless network that your computer connects to) for every wifi router they manufactured. You would often see multiple "Linksys" or "Netgear" networks in a densely populated area.

Visiting my brother in a rural Maine town a couple of years ago, I discovered that his neighbor across the street had the same BSSID as his and my laptop would attempt to connect to it (failing, of course), even though my brother's router was closer. We changed my brother's BSSID and the problem disappeared.

Modern wifi routers usually use a unique name as the default BSSID such as the manufacturer's name followed by some randomized characters, like "Linksys663yq." I always change it to something more recognizable/personalized.