Need network help

[KyzrSoze]

I use wireless networking to get much of my daily work handled, and for the past few days I have been frustrated with my laptop. For 6 months I have been able to connect to wireless networks at 3 different locations (two different buildings where I have office space, and my home). My wireless networking card just detected the network and connected.

Last week the wireless router at office “A” was moved and connected to wired network 20 feet away in order to share dsl. A few configs were changed on the router and it stopped working for me. My card would indicate a connection, but was not receiving an IP address from the router. I tested it when I got home and it would not access the internet there either. The card still indicated a connection, but no network access. I reinstall windows – no change at either location, still no network access.

So I think ok, weird coincidence, but my wireless card must be bad. I buy a new card, reinstall widows and the new card. It works at the office now, but when I get home it indicates connection and still no network access and dsl doesn’t work. It seems to be getting an IP from the router now, but no dsl.


Any ideas?????? &( :eek: =((

[Y2kGoofball]

weird,

i would have assumed if anything obviously the office wouldnt have worked due to changed config (that is until you also updated the config on your laptop rto recieve the office IP address) but I wouldnt have been so sure on the home also doing it

Ok I dont know too much about networks, wireless networks at that.

did the network card come with, or did you use, some sort of software which "auto sets up". Ive known some cards to come with such software which will auto detect the router etc for ease of the end user, the problem being often it sets itself up to just lock onto that one router

What Windows are you using, XP pro? If so did you try to run a setup a home network thingy when your at home? You may need to setup a second network connection. Obviously the cards working as you said, not only is it indicating a connection but it works at the office

I dunno because I dont have a network at home and ive only ever briefly played with them, although I did once hear of a guy who had this happen although his dropped the connection shortly after establishing it which I put down to a card error (I dont know how that story ended tho because I was booted from the job due to my lack of network skills ^_^ ), but as you said youve changed the card and reinstalled windows

Sorry I cant be of much help other then to suggest trying to setup a second network for home

[chris]

Check with the network administrator, they might be able to assist you.

I'm guessing it's an IP address issue, and perhaps on the router they are only accepting specific ranges of IP addresses within the company network. Perhaps your machine falls outside of that range of IP addresses. (the addresses would be like 192.168.0.1 through to whatever they've set, maybe 192.168.0.16 or something like that).

It's just a guess

Sorry for this reply being very brief, but I'm sort of busy at the moment.

Good luck with solving the network problems. :)

[KyzrSoze]

Check with the network administrator, they might be able to assist you.

^_^ ^_^

[KyzrSoze]

There really is no network admin at either office, just a contractor that gets paid by the hour. That leaves me as "the guy in the building with the most computer knowledge" - not much to brag about.

The good news is that the connection now continues to work at the office, but not at home. All of the routers that I access have WEPs, and I have the correct codes. They are all configured to hand out IPs automatically, and it seems that I am getting an IP address from each router when I connect, unless my machine is holding the IP for the office and not getting a new one at home.

???

[Myshkin]

Kyzr,

I connect with my laptop to new networks all the time, and sometimes I have had trouble connecting... so I'll tell you what I do:

1. Do you have a wired connection on the laptop as well? One thing that works for me often is to DISABLE the wired connection, and then for some reason it immediately works, Normally this works when I get an IP address from the router but not a default gateway. Once you are connected again, you can re-enable the wired connection.

2. I don't know what PC network card you have, but with the software for my Linksys it sometimes works when I change the profile from one to another and back. Since it sounds like you have actually re-installed and changed NIC's, this seems less likely.

3. I've found in some cases that the SSID matters, yet when I am connecting to public routers (cafes, some airports) it often doesn't. Either way, check it.

[Bage]

Hi,
Have you tried to setup your ip-config to accept DNS-adr
automatically (just as ip-adr)?

Good luck !

/Bage

[KyzrSoze]

Thanks for the continuing help all. :)

@Myshkin

Yes, up until a few days ago, My machine would connect to almost any wireless network that I encountered - with no changes in the settings.

My new card is a Linksys G card, and it seems to work much better without the Linksys software installed. I have disabled the wired connection as well, and there is another connection - it has '1394' in the name. I disabled it as well. Maybe i should not have.

All of the routers that I access broadcast the SSID, so i dont have to enter them manually.

I assume that changing workgroups is only necessary if I need to access other computers or resources that must be accessed through another computer on the network, so I have not fiddled with that.

@Bage

I believe that I have everything set to "accept automatically" but I will check that.

I initially had the experience that it would work fine at the office and not at home, then not work at the office the next day. After a full format and reinstall it continues to work at the office but not at home.

:confused:

[chris]

The other connection with 1394 in its name is i.Link, aka IEEE1394. It is used commonly for connecting media devices like digital video cameras, etc.

It can apparently be used for networking though.

[KyzrSoze]

The other connection with 1394 in its name is i.Link, aka IEEE1394. It is used commonly for connecting media devices like digital video cameras, etc.

It can apparently be used for networking though.

Hmmm...That's good to know.

[Myshkin]

Ah well, it is beginning to sound like an issue with the configuration of your home router.

About the SSID: the reason I mentioned it was because one of the major wireless networks in one or two airports (T-Mobile in BWI immediately come to mind) required the SSID to be set on the user NIC in order to function, even though T-Mobile broadcasts its SSID. I remember this because I connected to the T-Mobile server that I saw present (the SSID was showing in the Linksys software) but I have a "roaming" configuration that works with most open systems. It did not work with T-Mobile, I had to actually change the SSID in the Linksys software to "tmobile" and it worked fine.

Don't worry about the workgroup, your assumption is correct.

[OBF]

Howdy KyzrSoze!
Hmm, WEP's, hmmmM. That may be the problem with the home unit. If you're not using it there, then you may need to tell the laptop not to challenge when making connection. If it is setup a home, then reenter the key and any other information required.

On...All else fail... you could setup a manual IP, that, however, may bugger you up on other setups =((

[KyzrSoze]

@Myshkin

Ah well, it is beginning to sound like an issue with the configuration of your home router

After reading this I went through the configs on my home router last nite. I have never changed anything since the initial working config...8 months ago I think. I havent havent looked at these settings in that long, so I cant ssay for sure if anything has changed. Maybe a power spike popped it or a power outage reset the settings or something. My PC is wired to it, so I will try to start over with the configs and see what happens.

If it turns out to be a damaged router I will have to laugh. The router at office 1 got popped when we moved it to tie into the wired network and DSL (for future reference, it seems that on some Netgear routers plugging the transformer in upside down in the wall plug will damage the router). Then after it was replaced my wireless networking card goes bad. Now My home router may be a goner as well. A very strange set of circumstances indeed. :D =[


@OBF

I am glad to hear that some of my "shot in the dark" attempts to fix this problem were at least on the right track. I do have a WEP on on my home unit, and I have tried re-entering all of that info. The contract support guy at the office set up the manual IP on my machine in a failed attempt to make it work again (before I replaced the first card) and I could not get the the new card to work until I wiped and reinstalled windows. I just could'nt find and fix all of the settings that he changed.


Well, I guess I have appointment with my home router and a hammer later tonite. :D

[KyzrSoze]

Btw - Thanks again for all of the help. You guys are all certainly more help than the Dell support guys that I have dealt with in the past. Though, (movie quote) "Who you gonna brag to about that?"

[Hammer]

I have a wireless MS router. In the instruction manual it say's if you have probs connecting or you get dropped, disable 801.2. Hope it helps.