Wireless Niagnosis

[Terry Smythe]

I'm running WinXP Home on a laptop that does not have internal wireless
capability, so I want to use a PC card. I have 3 of them, Belkin, D-Link
and SMC, all Wireless G capable. When installed, each will recognize my
home wireless network (Linksys Wireless Router), likes its strength, and
reports successfully sending packets to it.

However, not a single byte coming back. With each it is a one-way trip.
Been at it all day trying to get 2-way wireless communications going, but
without success.

Can anybody suggest a wireless diagnostic utility that might help?

Thoughts of others.

Regards,

Terry Smythe
Winnipeg, Canada

 

[John]

Have you tried the Ping command, try pinging th Router and see if it is
succesfull....

 

[smlunatick]

I'm running WinXP Home on a laptop that does not have internal wireless
capability, so I want to use a PC card.    I have 3 of them, Belkin, D-Link
and SMC, all Wireless G capable.     When installed, each will recognize my
home wireless network (Linksys Wireless Router), likes its strength, and
reports successfully sending packets to it.

However, not a single byte coming back.      With each it is a one-way trip.
Been at it all day trying to get 2-way wireless communications going, but
without success.

Can anybody suggest a wireless diagnostic utility that might help?

Thoughts of others.

Regards,

Terry Smythe
Winnipeg, Canada

Do you get a "valid" IP address from the router?
Check you "firewall" software settings.

 

[Terry Smythe]

With Command windows and wireless status windows open side by side, and
Windows Firewall turned off, the ping command successfully sent 4 packets,
but nothing came back.

I just checked 2 other wireless capable laptops in my home and curiously,
they too are behaving same way, which is now suggesting that my Linksys
Wireless Router is misbehaving.

Thoughts of others?

Regards,

Terry Smythe
Winnipeg, Canada

 

[Mark L. Ferguson]

A wireless router can be set to an "SSID" or 'workgroup name". Try joining
the laptop to that workgroup.

 

[Terry Smythe]

Turns out that the problem never was with the laptop. It has been working
correctly all along. Undocumented within the Linksys manual is the need
for an "encryption key" downstream from the "network key". The Linksys
documentation makes it very clear in its Setup that a "network key" is
needed. Absolutely nowehere in it is there any reference to an
"encryption key", which I discovered by poking around in the Linksys setup
software. With that in hand, a quick insertion in the laptop's PCMCIA
wireless card's setup and all is well immediately.

Regards and many thanks for the tips, appreciated.

Terry Smythe
Winnipeg, Canada

 

[smlunatick]

Turns out that the problem never was with the laptop.   It has been working
correctly all along.   Undocumented within the Linksys manual is the need
for an "encryption key" downstream from the "network key".     The Linksys
documentation makes it very clear in its Setup that a "network key" is
needed.     Absolutely nowehere in it is there any reference to an
"encryption key", which I discovered by poking around in the Linksys setup
software.      With that in hand, a quick insertion in the laptop's PCMCIA
wireless card's setup and all is well immediately.

Regards and many thanks for the tips, appreciated.

Terry Smythe
Winnipeg, Canada

The "encryption key" would probably be the WEP or WPA "passphrase."
WEP and WPA is a specialized control which "secures" your wireless
access point, allowing only the people/PCs you want to have access
thorough it.