Hello All,
I have a problem with a wireless connection between my
Dell laptop with a Dell TrueMobile 1300 pcmcia wireless card and a
Linksys WAG545 router, I have covered all the angles so I am looking
for inspiration.
To set the scene I have 2 wireless routers [1 Linksys & 1 Netgear] and
2 broadband connections into my house, I have 1 PC connected to each
router and I have removed any wireless security just to take that out
of the equation, each router is on a different channel, I will call
the PC's A & B and routers 1 [Netgear] & 2 [Linksys].
I can connect PC A wirelessley to both routers 1 & 2 and get an IP
address from the local DHCP, my PC connection is configured to
dynamically get the IP, so that works on both routers/broadband
connection. PC 2 will only connect to Router 1 wirelessley, connecting
to router 2 always fails with "limited or no connectivity", if i do an
"ipconfig /all" I can see that windows has assigned my wireless
connection the default ip autoconfiguration address of 169.254.x.x, I
can however hardwire PC 2 to router 2 and it works fine, I get a
correct IP address allocated [192.168.1.xxx].
Something else I tried was configuring PC 2 with a static [manual] IP
address and this then DID connect to router 2 wirelssley OK however I
was getting issues where DNS names could not be resolved even though I
had stated both DNS servers to use.
The issue I have is why I only get the problem with PC 2 and router 2,
I know that each component is OK as it works in another combination,
the only thing I can think of is maybe a compatability issue between
the Linksys wireless configuration and the Dell configuration - but
what ??
Just to add, I have just tried a WPN111 USb wireless adapter in PC 2
and tried to connect to router 2 and this too fails, this really
confuses me. Both pcmcia wireless card and USB wireless fail when
trying to connect pc 2 to router 2.
>I have a problem with a wireless connection between my
>Dell laptop with a Dell TrueMobile 1300 pcmcia wireless card and a
>Linksys WAG545 router, I have covered all the angles so I am looking
>for inspiration.
Typo... that's a WAG54S.
<http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satellite?childpagename=US%2FLayout&packedargs=pag e%3D2%26cid%3D1115416835852%26c%3DL_Content_C1&pag ename=Linksys%2FCommon%2FVisitorWrapper&SubmittedE lement=Linksys%2FFormSubmit%2FProductDownloadSearc h&sp_prodsku=1121194967097>
ADSL modem and wireless router.
>To set the scene I have 2 wireless routers [1 Linksys & 1 Netgear]
Model number of the Netgear router please?
>2 broadband connections into my house,
Are they both DSL connections or is one cable modem? (Just curious.)
>I have 1 PC connected to each
>router and I have removed any wireless security just to take that out
>of the equation, each router is on a different channel, I will call
>the PC's A & B and routers 1 [Netgear] & 2 [Linksys].
Ok, no wirelss security. However, both routers apparently still have
their DHCP servers running. If you have both wirelss routers set to
the same SSID, that should create the maximum confusion as to which
one to connect.
- Are you using the same SSID on both?
- Are they both on the same RF channel? (not related to the
current problem but probably your next headache).
- Do they both have their DCHP servers active?
- Is there any ethernet interconnection between these two routers?
- Do either PC-A and PC-B have simultaneous connections to both
routers?
- Are your computers running Windoze 98, ME, 2000, XP, Vista, OS/X,
Linux, or some other operating system?
- What are the LAN side IP addresses of the routers? What are the
DHCP server IP ranges (hopefully not overlapping)?
- Any other networking devices on the system that might cause
problems? (ie. PC's, routers and wireless access points?)
I can deduce the answers to some of these, but it would best if you
supplied a better description of your system.
>I can connect PC A wirelessley to both routers 1 & 2 and get an IP
>address from the local DHCP, my PC connection is configured to
>dynamically get the IP, so that works on both routers/broadband
>connection.
>PC 2 will only connect to Router 1 wirelessley, connecting
>to router 2 always fails with "limited or no connectivity", if i do an
>"ipconfig /all" I can see that windows has assigned my wireless
>connection the default ip autoconfiguration address of 169.254.x.x, I
>can however hardwire PC 2 to router 2 and it works fine, I get a
>correct IP address allocated [192.168.1.xxx].
What happens when you connect PC-2 to Router-2 (Linksys) via a CAT5
ethernet cable? Does DHCP now work?
What happens when you turn off Router-1 (Netgear) and only have
Router-2 (WAG54S) running? Also, turn off PC-1 in case it's set to
bridge between wireless and ethernet. In other words, simplify the
system to only the basics. Does PC-2 now get a proper DHCP IP address
from Router-2 (WAG54S)? If that works, then there's something in the
configuration, wiring, or setup of the two routers or PC-1 that's
causing problems.
>Something else I tried was configuring PC 2 with a static [manual] IP
>address and this then DID connect to router 2 wirelssley OK however I
>was getting issues where DNS names could not be resolved even though I
>had stated both DNS servers to use.
It's possible to have garbage for the DNS servers and gateway IP's if
you have two DHCP servers responding. There's nothing wrong with
having two DHCP servers, but if there's a sneak path between them
somewhere in your system (i.e. PC-1 bridging, ethernet wiring, etc),
you might have problems.
>The issue I have is why I only get the problem with PC 2 and router 2,
>I know that each component is OK as it works in another combination,
What other combinations have you tried? I'm particularly interested
in wired ethernet configurations and tests when parts or pieces have
been eliminated or replaced.
Also, are you running the latest firmware on the WAG54S and drivers on
the Dell Truemobile 1300 device?
>the only thing I can think of is maybe a compatability issue between
>the Linksys wireless configuration and the Dell configuration - but
>what ??
Well, it's possible. I'll assume Windoze XP. Download and try a DHCP
test tool from:
<http://www.weirdsolutions.com/weirdSolutions/files/products/desktopSoftware/desktopQueryTool/querytool_free.exe>
Where is asks for device identifier, uncheck the ethernet box, and
type in almost anything.
On 16 Feb, 17:01, Jeff Liebermann <j...@comix.santa-cruz.ca.us> wrote:
> mark1.thompso...@btinternet.com hath wroth:
>
> >I have a problem with a wireless connection between my
> >Dell laptop with a Dell TrueMobile 1300 pcmcia wireless card and a
> >Linksys WAG545 router, I have covered all the angles so I am looking
> >for inspiration.
>
> Typo... that's a WAG54S.
> <http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satellite?childpagename=US%2FLayout&pa...>
> ADSL modem and wireless router.
>
> >To set the scene I have 2 wireless routers [1 Linksys & 1 Netgear]
>
> Model number of the Netgear router please?
>
> >2 broadband connections into my house,
>
> Are they both DSL connections or is one cable modem? (Just curious.)
>
> >I have 1 PC connected to each
> >router and I have removed any wireless security just to take that out
> >of the equation, each router is on a different channel, I will call
> >the PC's A & B and routers 1 [Netgear] & 2 [Linksys].
>
> Ok, no wirelss security. However, both routers apparently still have
> their DHCP servers running. If you have both wirelss routers set to
> the same SSID, that should create the maximum confusion as to which
> one to connect.
>
> - Are you using the same SSID on both?
> - Are they both on the same RF channel? (not related to the
> current problem but probably your next headache).
> - Do they both have their DCHP servers active?
> - Is there any ethernet interconnection between these two routers?
> - Do either PC-A and PC-B have simultaneous connections to both
> routers?
> - Are your computers running Windoze 98, ME, 2000, XP, Vista, OS/X,
> Linux, or some other operating system?
> - What are the LAN side IP addresses of the routers? What are the
> DHCP server IP ranges (hopefully not overlapping)?
> - Any other networking devices on the system that might cause
> problems? (ie. PC's, routers and wireless access points?)
>
> I can deduce the answers to some of these, but it would best if you
> supplied a better description of your system.
>
> >I can connect PC A wirelessley to both routers 1 & 2 and get an IP
> >address from the local DHCP, my PC connection is configured to
> >dynamically get the IP, so that works on both routers/broadband
> >connection.
> >PC 2 will only connect to Router 1 wirelessley, connecting
> >to router 2 always fails with "limited or no connectivity", if i do an
> >"ipconfig /all" I can see that windows has assigned my wireless
> >connection the default ip autoconfiguration address of 169.254.x.x, I
> >can however hardwire PC 2 to router 2 and it works fine, I get a
> >correct IP address allocated [192.168.1.xxx].
>
> What happens when you connect PC-2 to Router-2 (Linksys) via a CAT5
> ethernet cable? Does DHCP now work?
>
> What happens when you turn off Router-1 (Netgear) and only have
> Router-2 (WAG54S) running? Also, turn off PC-1 in case it's set to
> bridge between wireless and ethernet. In other words, simplify the
> system to only the basics. Does PC-2 now get a proper DHCP IP address
> from Router-2 (WAG54S)? If that works, then there's something in the
> configuration, wiring, or setup of the two routers or PC-1 that's
> causing problems.
>
> >Something else I tried was configuring PC 2 with a static [manual] IP
> >address and this then DID connect to router 2 wirelssley OK however I
> >was getting issues where DNS names could not be resolved even though I
> >had stated both DNS servers to use.
>
> It's possible to have garbage for the DNS servers and gateway IP's if
> you have two DHCP servers responding. There's nothing wrong with
> having two DHCP servers, but if there's a sneak path between them
> somewhere in your system (i.e. PC-1 bridging, ethernet wiring, etc),
> you might have problems.
>
> >The issue I have is why I only get the problem with PC 2 and router 2,
> >I know that each component is OK as it works in another combination,
>
> What other combinations have you tried? I'm particularly interested
> in wired ethernet configurations and tests when parts or pieces have
> been eliminated or replaced.
>
> Also, are you running the latest firmware on the WAG54S and drivers on
> the Dell Truemobile 1300 device?
>
> >the only thing I can think of is maybe a compatability issue between
> >the Linksys wireless configuration and the Dell configuration - but
> >what ??
>
> Well, it's possible. I'll assume Windoze XP. Download and try a DHCP
> test tool from:
> <http://www.weirdsolutions.com/weirdSolutions/files/products/desktopSo...>
> Where is asks for device identifier, uncheck the ethernet box, and
> type in almost anything.
>
> --
> Jeff Liebermann j...@comix.santa-cruz.ca.us
> 150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
> Santa Cruz CA 95060http://802.11junk.com
> Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558
to try and answer most of the questions:-
the 2 routers have different SSID's
they are on different channels [in original post]
the 2 pc's/routers are completely seperate, no bridging.
pc 2 does work when connected over cat 5 to router 2 [in original
post]
both are winxp platforms
both had dhcp servers running [range 192.168.1.100-149]
In my earlier post I mentioned that I had tried dynamically
configuring the wireless connection IP and this had not entirely
worked, i.e. the wireless icon stated that it was connected but from
the PC i could not ping the router IP, well I have got it working now,
I switched of DHCP on router 2 [which I did not do initially], I can
now ping the router [192.168.1.1] over the wireless connection. A
further complication was that once the wirelss connection was up and I
can talk to the router I then have to setup a VPN connection into my
ISP as this is my corporate broadband, this did not work until I
enabled RIP on the router.
I am happy that I can at least get connected now even though it is a
static address I have configured, I have read loads of posts however
which elude to the same issues with Linksys routers and Dell laptops
not acquiring DHCP addressing.
mark1.thompson45@btinternet.com wrote:
A
> further complication was that once the wirelss connection was up and I
> can talk to the router I then have to setup a VPN connection into my
> ISP as this is my corporate broadband, this did not work until I
> enabled RIP on the router.
>
> I am happy that I can at least get connected now even though it is a
> static address I have configured,
I would have thought that having DHCP enabled on the router would have
caused problems for your VPN connection. You would surely have to have
the company server provide DHCP or use a static IP. I am willing to be
corrected on this as I am in learning mode.
>the 2 routers have different SSID's
>they are on different channels [in original post]
Good. That should work.
>the 2 pc's/routers are completely seperate, no bridging.
Ok, that eliminates that possibility.
>pc 2 does work when connected over cat 5 to router 2 [in original
>post]
I missed that. Sorry. That means that broadcasts are not going
through the wireless part of the Linksys router.
>both are winxp platforms
>both had dhcp servers running [range 192.168.1.100-149]
I would not run both DHCP servers with overlapping ranges. If you
happen to accidentally create a bridge between the two networks
(easily done), then the DHCP servers would get confused as both are
issuing IP's from each others address pool. I suggest changing it to:
Router-1 .100 -> .129
Router-2 .130 -> .159
That also has the benifit of letting you know which router issued the
IP address.
>In my earlier post
I'm not going to go searching for your earlier post.
>I mentioned that I had tried dynamically
>configuring the wireless connection IP and this had not entirely
>worked, i.e. the wireless icon stated that it was connected but from
>the PC i could not ping the router IP, well I have got it working now,
>I switched of DHCP on router 2 [which I did not do initially], I can
>now ping the router [192.168.1.1] over the wireless connection.
Do the two routers perhaps have the same IP address (192.168.1.1)????
Are they in the same class C IP block (192.168.1.xxx)? The
aformentioned description sounds like either accidental bridging or
duplicate IP's.
>A
>further complication was that once the wirelss connection was up and I
>can talk to the router I then have to setup a VPN connection into my
>ISP as this is my corporate broadband, this did not work until I
>enabled RIP on the router.
Bingo. You definately have the two routers bridged somewhere. RIP
broadcasts from each router is advertising that they both have the
best route to the internet. Your computer can't seem to decide which
is the best route and getting lost. You can see the effect with
traceroute to something on the internet. Methinks you'll find that
your path is going through BOTH routers or the wrong router. Turning
on RIP means that the two routers are now talking to each other and
negotiating the best route to the internet. This is the way it's
suppose to work when you have multiple routes to the internet and can
only happen when you have an accidental bridge (or ethernet LAN) that
will connect you simultaneously to BOTH routers.
>I am happy that I can at least get connected now even though it is a
>static address I have configured, I have read loads of posts however
>which elude to the same issues with Linksys routers and Dell laptops
>not acquiring DHCP addressing.
90% of those are problems with ASCII versus Hex WEP keys. MS does not
supply sufficient diagnostics for mere mortals to figure out what
point during the connection process has failed. All the user sees is
a permanent "Aquiring IP address", so they think DHCP has failed.
Please re-read my rhetorical questions from my previous posting. You
managed to answer perhaps 1/3 of my questions. I didn't spend 30
minutes writing this so that you can convince me that you've done
everything correctly and that it should work. At the very least,
kindly try just the WAG54S and PC with all the other stuff turned off
and see if it works.
Were you the inspiration for the SNL skit, "Nick Burns, your company's
computer guy"? Your arrogance and self-superiority really remind me
of Nick Burns. If trying to help people on this NG is such an
inconvenience for you, why bother responding? I haven't seen anyone
as rude and condescending as you on any tech NG's in quite a while.
On Feb 16, 12:05 pm, Jeff Liebermann <j...@comix.santa-cruz.ca.us>
wrote:
> mark1.thompso...@btinternet.com hath wroth:
>
> >the 2 routers have different SSID's
> >they are on different channels [in original post]
>
> Good. That should work.
>
> >the 2 pc's/routers are completely seperate, no bridging.
>
> Ok, that eliminates that possibility.
>
> >pc 2 does work when connected over cat 5 to router 2 [in original
> >post]
>
> I missed that. Sorry. That means that broadcasts are not going
> through the wireless part of the Linksys router.
>
> >both are winxp platforms
> >both had dhcp servers running [range 192.168.1.100-149]
>
> I would not run both DHCP servers with overlapping ranges. If you
> happen to accidentally create a bridge between the two networks
> (easily done), then the DHCP servers would get confused as both are
> issuing IP's from each others address pool. I suggest changing it to:
> Router-1 .100 -> .129
> Router-2 .130 -> .159
> That also has the benifit of letting you know which router issued the
> IP address.
>
> >In my earlier post
>
> I'm not going to go searching for your earlier post.
>
> >I mentioned that I had tried dynamically
> >configuring the wireless connection IP and this had not entirely
> >worked, i.e. the wireless icon stated that it was connected but from
> >the PC i could not ping the router IP, well I have got it working now,
> >I switched of DHCP on router 2 [which I did not do initially], I can
> >now ping the router [192.168.1.1] over the wireless connection.
>
> Do the two routers perhaps have the same IP address (192.168.1.1)????
> Are they in the same class C IP block (192.168.1.xxx)? The
> aformentioned description sounds like either accidental bridging or
> duplicate IP's.
>
> >A
> >further complication was that once the wirelss connection was up and I
> >can talk to the router I then have to setup a VPN connection into my
> >ISP as this is my corporate broadband, this did not work until I
> >enabled RIP on the router.
>
> Bingo. You definately have the two routers bridged somewhere. RIP
> broadcasts from each router is advertising that they both have the
> best route to the internet. Your computer can't seem to decide which
> is the best route and getting lost. You can see the effect with
> traceroute to something on the internet. Methinks you'll find that
> your path is going through BOTH routers or the wrong router. Turning
> on RIP means that the two routers are now talking to each other and
> negotiating the best route to the internet. This is the way it's
> suppose to work when you have multiple routes to the internet and can
> only happen when you have an accidental bridge (or ethernet LAN) that
> will connect you simultaneously to BOTH routers.
>
> >I am happy that I can at least get connected now even though it is a
> >static address I have configured, I have read loads of posts however
> >which elude to the same issues with Linksys routers and Dell laptops
> >not acquiring DHCP addressing.
>
> 90% of those are problems with ASCII versus Hex WEP keys. MS does not
> supply sufficient diagnostics for mere mortals to figure out what
> point during the connection process has failed. All the user sees is
> a permanent "Aquiring IP address", so they think DHCP has failed.
>
> Please re-read my rhetorical questions from my previous posting. You
> managed to answer perhaps 1/3 of my questions. I didn't spend 30
> minutes writing this so that you can convince me that you've done
> everything correctly and that it should work. At the very least,
> kindly try just the WAG54S and PC with all the other stuff turned off
> and see if it works.
>
> --
> Jeff Liebermann j...@comix.santa-cruz.ca.us
> 150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
> Santa Cruz CA 95060http://802.11junk.com
> Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558
>Were you the inspiration for the SNL skit, "Nick Burns, your company's
>computer guy"? Your arrogance and self-superiority really remind me
>of Nick Burns. If trying to help people on this NG is such an
>inconvenience for you, why bother responding? I haven't seen anyone
>as rude and condescending as you on any tech NG's in quite a while.
Yep. I'm also rude, arrogant, obnoxious, irritating, tactless,
boorish, and sometimes even hostile. I also spend an inordinate
amount of time helping people solve problems for free in this
newsgroup. Checking Google, that's:
<http://groups.google.com/groups?as_ugroup=alt.internet.wireless&as_uauthors =Jeff+Liebermann>
4,780 answers in about 1.5 years. For total newsgroups, it's been
about 15,000 answers since the stone age.
When people asking questions bother to supply sufficient information
needed to answer the question (such as the model numbers), when they
bother to do a simple Google search *BEFORE* asking, and when they
answer perhaps 80% of the questions that I ask in return trying to
figure out what they own and how they're doing things, then I'll be
nice, diplomatic, and courteous.
In the past, I've tried almost everything from diplomacy to absurdity
to get people to format their questions in a manner that can be
answered. Since you apparently haven't read any of my previous
postings, that means:
1. What are you trying to accomplish?
2. What do you have to work with? (Hardware, OS, versions,
topology, environment, numbers).
3. What have you tried and what happened? (error messages).
That has failed miserably. Almost every question I've tried to answer
in several weeks has been deficient in one or more of these areas.
Frankly, I've given up trying. The result is that when someone (in my
opinion) screws up, I waste no effort being nice about pointing out
the problem. The good news is that very few make the same mistake
twice. The bad news is that there seems to be an infinite supply of
those willing to repeat them.
If you have a better way to extract the necessary information from
those apparently unwilling, unable, or too lazy to supply the basics,
I'm all ears as it will make answering questions so much easier.
As to why I bother to answer questions? I don't know. If I thought
too much about it, I probably would stop and do something else.
On 16 Feb 2007 10:26:09 -0800, mark1.thompson45@btinternet.com wrote:
: On 16 Feb, 17:01, Jeff Liebermann <j...@comix.santa-cruz.ca.us> wrote:
: > mark1.thompso...@btinternet.com hath wroth:
: >
: > >I have a problem with a wireless connection between my
: > >Dell laptop with a Dell TrueMobile 1300 pcmcia wireless card and a
: > >Linksys WAG545 router, I have covered all the angles so I am looking
: > >for inspiration.
: >
: > Typo... that's a WAG54S.
: > <http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satellite?childpagename=US%2FLayout&pa...>
: > ADSL modem and wireless router.
: >
: > >To set the scene I have 2 wireless routers [1 Linksys & 1 Netgear]
: >
: > Model number of the Netgear router please?
: >
: > >2 broadband connections into my house,
: >
: > Are they both DSL connections or is one cable modem? (Just curious.)
: >
: > >I have 1 PC connected to each
: > >router and I have removed any wireless security just to take that out
: > >of the equation, each router is on a different channel, I will call
: > >the PC's A & B and routers 1 [Netgear] & 2 [Linksys].
: >
: > Ok, no wirelss security. However, both routers apparently still have
: > their DHCP servers running. If you have both wirelss routers set to
: > the same SSID, that should create the maximum confusion as to which
: > one to connect.
: >
: > - Are you using the same SSID on both?
: > - [etc., etc., etc.]
:
: to try and answer most of the questions:-
:
: the 2 routers have different SSID's
: they are on different channels [in original post]
: the 2 pc's/routers are completely seperate, no bridging.
: pc 2 does work when connected over cat 5 to router 2 [in original
: post]
: both are winxp platforms
: both had dhcp servers running [range 192.168.1.100-149]
That looks like a problem. If both DHCP servers are assigning addresses from
the same range, you may create some nasty routing ambiguities. Try changing
one of the ranges to 192.168.2.100-149 or something similar.
: In my earlier post I mentioned that I had tried dynamically
: configuring the wireless connection IP and this had not entirely
: worked, i.e. the wireless icon stated that it was connected but from
: the PC i could not ping the router IP, well I have got it working now,
: I switched of DHCP on router 2 [which I did not do initially], I can
: now ping the router [192.168.1.1] over the wireless connection. A
: further complication was that once the wirelss connection was up and I
: can talk to the router I then have to setup a VPN connection into my
: ISP as this is my corporate broadband, this did not work until I
: enabled RIP on the router.
:
: I am happy that I can at least get connected now even though it is a
: static address I have configured, I have read loads of posts however
: which elude to the same issues with Linksys routers and Dell laptops
: not acquiring DHCP addressing.
I've used a lot of Linksys routers and a lot of Dell laptops, and I've never
seen such problems. I've had various problems, some of them intractable, with
Linksys routers and access points, but I can't remember any that have been
DHCP-related.
On Fri, 16 Feb 2007 18:41:35 +0000, Kev <invalid@invalid.invalid> wrote:
: mark1.thompson45@btinternet.com wrote:
: A
: > further complication was that once the wirelss connection was up and I
: > can talk to the router I then have to setup a VPN connection into my
: > ISP as this is my corporate broadband, this did not work until I
: > enabled RIP on the router.
: >
: > I am happy that I can at least get connected now even though it is a
: > static address I have configured,
: I would have thought that having DHCP enabled on the router would have
: caused problems for your VPN connection. You would surely have to have
: the company server provide DHCP or use a static IP. I am willing to be
: corrected on this as I am in learning mode.
Not all VPN methodologies require a client to have an IP address on the
destination network, if that's what you're implying. Checkpoint Securemote,
for example, lets you keep your client-side IP and use your own DHCP server.
Linksys Wireless "DHCP" problem. 
Linear Mode
