Puzzling internet access failure

[brevoort]

I'd appreciate some help on figuring out why I have suddenly lost the ability to connect to the internet wirelessly with my Netbook yet I still retain the abilility to share files on my network.

I have a Linksys Wireless Access Point to which my Netbook, using a WPC11 card, has been able to connect problem free for months. A Desktop is cabled into the access point and I have been able to slide files back and forth using an ftpserver on the desktop.

I have a pc laptop which until recently I would switch the WPC11 card into and back without problem. But several days ago I installed a WPC11 (vers 3) card into the laptop, reserving the vers1 card for the Netbook.

Everything worked fine for a few days and then this morning the Netbook refused to make any internet connection at all. I can ping nothing outside of the access point. I can access the desktop and the laptop wirelessly through their ftpservers without problem.

I have tried a full cold boot and restore on the netbook without effect.

Ideas?

Rick Grant

[diem]

Do you have the address of the access point/router set up in the 'default gateway' field on the netBook ethernet config? Or are you using DHCP? For whatever reason, the netBook does not know the address of the machine it should use to route out of your local net.

Alternatively, have you changed the access point config? Many of these include a firewall and all sorts of filtering options - perhaps it is preventing the WPC v1 card's MAC address from leaving the LAN, or somesuch? A reboot of the AP might be all you need.

[brevoort]

Originally posted by diem
Alternatively, have you changed the access point config? Many of these include a firewall and all sorts of filtering options - perhaps it is preventing the WPC v1 card's MAC address from leaving the LAN, or somesuch?

Your comment about filtering sent me back to the Linksys support pages and I found, under "My non-PC computer will not connect to the internet" a reference to settings under the Security Tab of the AP config software to allow the exclusion of IP addresses from filtering and firewalls.

Since I had no such options I downloaded and flashed the firmware to bring everything up to the latest version. Then by excluding a small batch of addresses I was able to finally access the internet.

But I had had a similar range of DHCP IP addresses in Zonealarm on the desktop and laptop before all this, I had also specified a starting DHCP IP address in the old configuration software, and I know that I had made no changes when I installed the vers3 card in the laptop.

It is almost as if the new card had talked to the router on installation and made unseen changes that went into effect some hours later.

In the meantime, things appear to be back to normal.


Rick Grant

[jhelton]

After installing and uninstalling Opera 5.14 between C and D drives, my wireless internet access has stopped (using mBook). It cannot see the network. All worked fine for about a month. Now I've reset everything and messed with settings in every combination. The access point and card are Linksys, card is WPC11(early, no version). I'm now just trying to get Opera 3.62 working. Using the NetUtils, it appears DHCP picks up the gateway address in the access point but Network continues to "disconnected."

Following the above and other advice, I have at least one a dumb question. The wireless card options are all in the Ethernet section of the Control Panel. But I wanted to put in DNS addresses, which are in the Internet Section. This section only points at modems and direct cable connect (not the Lucent/Orinco RLAN). But pointing to the WLAN card seems like the way to to. Thus, when I "dial up" I'd be using the Internet file and it'd point at the Ethernet WLAN.

Right now, "dial up" only works when it's using the WLAN directly. MY QUESTION: Does the Ethernet driver get information from the Internet file even though it is not listed as an Internet device? Give up on specifying DNS?

[diem]

In the Ethernet control panel, when you edit an ethernet setting, if you disable DHCP (which you'll have to do if you wish to specify your own DNS servers), you'll get access to the second tab across 'Addresses'. DNS servers can be specified here (along with IP address etc.). AFAIK, there is no way to obtain IP adress via DHCP but manually assign DNS.

[jhelton]

Turned off WEP and DHCP is working again. It helped to get the access point settings correct, of course. I'm still trying to get WEP to work, though, as security is important, at least on the other wireless machine. I'll hate turning WEP off just to use the mBook.

[brevoort]

Originally posted by jhelton
Turned off WEP and DHCP is working again. It helped to get the access point settings correct, of course. I'm still trying to get WEP to work, though, as security is important, at least on the other wireless machine. I'll hate turning WEP off just to use the mBook.

If you, or anyone else, gets WEP working in a Netbook with that card and access point I really want to hear the news.


Rick Grant
Calgary Alberta
International Strategic Communications
www.rickgrant.com