Using wireless usb adapter

[Erika]

Hi. Need some help and don't know where to start.

I grabbed my husband's old XP laptop and am trying to use it in my
office or anywhere else in the house with a wireless adapter. There's a
cable modem in his office, about 50 feet away from my office. His laptop
has a usb adapter and is not plugged into the cable modem. My desktop is
connected with a wireless access point on the desk that is plugged into
a usb port on my computer box. I wondered if we have enough stuff
floating through the air so I can use a new usb adapter on the old
laptop in my office and pick up a wireless signal?

This is only part one but I'm going to stop here and see if anyone knows
if I even could get wireless with a usb adapter.

Hardware isn't my thing. Hope I explained this ok. Appreciate some
comments. Thank you!

 

[smlunatick]

Hi. Need some help and don't know where to start.

I grabbed my husband's old XP laptop and am trying to use it in my
office or anywhere else in the house with a wireless adapter. There's a
cable modem in his office, about 50 feet away from my office. His laptop
has a usb adapter and is not plugged into the cable modem. My desktop is
connected with a wireless access point on the desk that is plugged into
a usb port on my computer box. I wondered if we have enough stuff
floating through the air so I can use a new usb adapter on the old
laptop in my office and pick up a wireless signal?

This is only part one but I'm going to stop here and see if anyone knows
if I even could get wireless with a usb adapter.

Hardware isn't my thing. Hope I explained this ok. Appreciate some
comments. Thank you!

Are you sure that you have a wireless access point unit and not
another style of USB wireless adapter? Wireless access point usually
have Ethernet (RJ-45) style connections and plug directly onto a
network hub/switch/router.

USB wireless adapters will work correctly providing that each wireless
access point/router/adapters use the same signals:

802.11a only works with 802.11a compatible devices
802.11b only works starting at 802.11b to 802.11n (unless otherwise
specified in the devices)
802.11g works with 802.11g devices and is backwards compatible to
802.11b.
802.11n works with 802.11n and is backwards compatible with 802.11g
and 802.11b.

hHow far have you tried the wireless adapter? What type of "building
materials" are in between the area and wireless access point? Any
"metal?" Metal blocks most wireless signals.

 

[Erika]

Are you sure that you have a wireless access point unit and not
another style of USB wireless adapter? Wireless access point usually
have Ethernet (RJ-45) style connections and plug directly onto a
network hub/switch/router.

USB wireless adapters will work correctly providing that each wireless
access point/router/adapters use the same signals:

802.11a only works with 802.11a compatible devices
802.11b only works starting at 802.11b to 802.11n (unless otherwise
specified in the devices)
802.11g works with 802.11g devices and is backwards compatible to
802.11b.
802.11n works with 802.11n and is backwards compatible with 802.11g
and 802.11b.

hHow far have you tried the wireless adapter? What type of "building
materials" are in between the area and wireless access point? Any
"metal?" Metal blocks most wireless signals.

Got no idea if I really have a wireless access point. There's a black
box about the size of a pack of cigarettes on my desk. On the bottom it
says wireless USB adapter. That's all it says. It's plugged into a usb
port on my computer.

My new adapter is an 802.11g.

Actually I was going to drop this thread and just go over to the XP
newsgroup and try to get it working. Forget the theory. But, since you
asked ...

I installed it using the CD that came with it. The instructions say that
you have to disable automatic wireless configuration in XP. When I went
to control panel -> network -> there was no tab about wireless. So then
I found out you have to be logged on as an administrator to change
wireless permissions. Ok. So I went to -> users and Jeff shows up as an
administrator. Ok. (background: I recently had to use the restore disks
to completely reformat the computer. There is no password for the
administrator) So it appears that I *AM* logged in as administrator.

So this is where I'm stuck. How to disable wireless zero configuration?

Thank you, and tell me if I should take my troubles to the software
group.

 

[Pavel A.]

Hi,

It seems that your USB black box is just went out of fashion
(hope this does not sound too technical

In this season, the fashion is letting Windows to manage this stuff.
So maybe you will want to invest into a new adapter
and get brand new drivers, latest security features (WPA)
and a whole year of technical support.

Of course, the Windows system itself should have all the needed updates & other nesessary grooming.

Please visit microsoft.public.networking wireless newsgroup for more information.

Regards,
--PA

 

[Erika]

Hi,

It seems that your USB black box is just went out of fashion
(hope this does not sound too technical

In this season, the fashion is letting Windows to manage this stuff.
So maybe you will want to invest into a new adapter
and get brand new drivers, latest security features (WPA)
and a whole year of technical support.

Of course, the Windows system itself should have all the needed updates & other nesessary grooming.

Please visit microsoft.public.networking wireless newsgroup for more information.

Hi, Pavel. I went to the xp-newbies group and someone told me how to
wireless zero configuration, and all is well. Thanks for your comments!