Wireless networking problem

[jcage]

Is there a utility that helps better identify WindowsXP wireless
networking problems? I have an XPhome machine on my network and
though the antennae and the little monitor in the system tray show
they're connected to the network (signal strength good, status good,
etc), I can't get onto the local network. I've used 'obtain
automatic', the numbers from my ISP for the various settings, etc and
the same frustration continues to occasionally return. It'll be good
for a while and then nadda and the really frustrating part is that
those two indicators tend to indicate that all is well. Somewhere,
there must be some sort of utility that illustrates what condition
isn't being met.

thanks for any help.

John

 

[Patrick Keenan]

Is there a utility that helps better identify WindowsXP wireless
networking problems? I have an XPhome machine on my network and
though the antennae and the little monitor in the system tray show
they're connected to the network (signal strength good, status good,
etc), I can't get onto the local network. I've used 'obtain
automatic', the numbers from my ISP for the various settings, etc and
the same frustration continues to occasionally return. It'll be good
for a while and then nadda and the really frustrating part is that
those two indicators tend to indicate that all is well. Somewhere,
there must be some sort of utility that illustrates what condition
isn't being met.

thanks for any help.

John

Connect via wire to your router and make sure that the SSID is unique.
Change it, and use the wireless utility to re-scan for wireless networks in
your area to learn the names of the wireless networks in your area.

It's entirely possible for Windows to decide that another nearby network
with the same SSID is the one that it really wants to connect to, even if it
doesn't have the encryption key.

There are also wireless networking problems that have nothing to do with
Windows, but are flaws in the wireless hardware, firmware, or drivers.
For example, one Netgear router I installed has an issue where *nothing* can
connect to it if more than one of the four possible encryption keys is
filled in.

HTH
-pk

 

[Big Al]

It might help to know a bit more about your hardware you use, router?
Cable/DSL Modem? No router, direct connect to modem? Just what.

Is there a utility that helps better identify WindowsXP wireless
networking problems? I have an XPhome machine on my network and
though the antennae and the little monitor in the system tray show
they're connected to the network (signal strength good, status good,
etc), I can't get onto the local network.

Understand that a wireless connection to the router does not imply a
connection to the internet. Signal strength is the radio portion of
the connection. It just means the two units are listening, and you are
close.

I've used 'obtain
automatic', the numbers from my ISP for the various settings, etc and
the same frustration continues to occasionally return. It'll be good
for a while and then nadda and the really frustrating part is that
those two indicators tend to indicate that all is well. Somewhere,
there must be some sort of utility that illustrates what condition
isn't being met.

Connect via wire. If you can't get on the internet then its the router
and or modem depending on your hardware setup. You did not specify what
you use. My old ISP gave me a cable modem (good for one connection)
and I connected a 4 port linksys router to get multiple pc's connected.
But my current ISP gave me a combo unit that does everything, even
wireless. Still if you wire into the 'router', and don't get internet,
skip the wireless problem, its not the wireless, save your
troubleshooting time.

And then again, not all hardware works perfect and together etc. I
bought an on sale router at compusa 2 years ago for $9 thinking it was a
good deal and it dropped connection every hour. I changed to a good
name brand and had no issue. Money can buy happiness.

Not sure where you are typing your 'settings' but if wired to a 'router'
you can get into it via a web browser and sometimes see the connection
status with your ISP. My router has that diagnostic.

Have fun.

 

[jcage]

Thanks for the replies, guys... I use this machine and one other on my
home wireless network. All components are Motorola and all settings
are the same (obtain IP automatically with a prescribed DNS entered as
per my ISP). I generally use the obtain automatically for the
'alternate' tab too and again, one XP machine ALWAYS finds the network
fine but the other one occasionally experiences problems. This always
occurs on a reboot. The troublesome machine doesn't lose it's
connection once connected, just acts up on a reboot. To view the
system tray, for all intents and purposes the machine is online but
when you open the browser, the 'cant find webpage' error comes up.
After clicking 'repair' on the connection, it generally still does not
work and again, the wild part is that the antennae and monitor in the
system tray don't provide ANY hints. That's why I was hopeful for
some sort of after market utility that may indicate more precisely
where the issue is.

 

[Big Al]

Thanks for the replies, guys... I use this machine and one other on my
home wireless network. All components are Motorola and all settings
are the same (obtain IP automatically with a prescribed DNS entered as
per my ISP). I generally use the obtain automatically for the
'alternate' tab too and again, one XP machine ALWAYS finds the network
fine but the other one occasionally experiences problems. This always
occurs on a reboot. The troublesome machine doesn't lose it's
connection once connected, just acts up on a reboot. To view the
system tray, for all intents and purposes the machine is online but
when you open the browser, the 'cant find webpage' error comes up.
After clicking 'repair' on the connection, it generally still does not
work and again, the wild part is that the antennae and monitor in the
system tray don't provide ANY hints. That's why I was hopeful for
some sort of after market utility that may indicate more precisely
where the issue is.

Again. Wire it to the router... How does it work. Eliminate the
wireless. If you router is screwed, adding wireless to it won't make it
better.