Tricky wireless problem

RogerS · 22 Nov 2005

I use a NetGear WG511v2 wireless card in my laptop. It talks happily using WEP (for security purposes) with my NetGear router. However to get to that stage, I have to go into Network Connections, disable Windows from controlling the wireless connection, sit and wait for NetGear to take over etc. This is a real pain.

If I reboot, Windows forgets my request not to control the connection and as XP doesn;t seem to support WEP, my laptop can't connect and get its IP address from the router etc. This is getting to be a right royal pain in the proverbial.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

I do need to encrypt my data between my laptop and router. Living in a block of flats in London I don't want some techhead eavesdropping.

beejay · 23 Nov 2005

Hi Roger,
I had a similar experience with my wireless broadband when I installed it a year ago. The Router and card were Linksys supplied by BT and from day one the only way I could get the 2 to connect was by sitting the laptop on the same desk as the main PC. I use these for my business in 2 home offices but BT just didnt seem to care about the problem so I had to call in local experts on 2 occasions to try to sort the problem but alas they couldnt. The offices are only 12 feet apart but nothing seemed to get them to connect. Also on the main pc, the connection is lost at least once a day requiring me to go into the linksys settings page to reconfigure the set up,, a real bind if it goes off when Im out of the office as I cant then pick up any e-mails until I get back
My only solution to the wireless problemwas to put in a second broadband connection for the laptop using the domestic line. BT's lack of assistance has really ticked me off to the point that Im just about to drop them completely and switch to another provider.
I wish you better luck with yours than I had with mine and when you do find the cure I'd be very interested to hear how it was managed as I can maybe revert to a single broadband connection here.
Regards, beejay
http://community.webshots.com/user/eunos9

Shady · 23 Nov 2005

XP is a pain for wireless: just one thought Roger: although not a full 'cure' this may help, I too have a similar set up, and find that XP will 'lose' the net - and because it's secure, it doesn't appear when I 'view available wireless networks'.

However, if I right click on the network icon, and then click 'repair', the details (wep key, SSID etc,) are obviously all somewhere in the laptop, because it pops straight back in -worth a try?

RogerS · 23 Nov 2005

Nice idea, Shady,but after thinking about it for a couple of minutes XP decided that it didn't want to play, that it wasn't going to reset my IP address via DHCP and I could basically take a hike.

Thank you, Bill, yet again. :evil:

Shady · 23 Nov 2005

Only other thought - have you told XP to turn it's own firewall off while getting it all set up? May help (and, of course, with a hardware firewall in the router, leave it off) Sorry if that's 'egg sucking', but it just ocurred to me.. HTH

RogerS · 23 Nov 2005

Hi Shady..yes it's off. I use Zone Alarm but that's not the issue I feel. More the fact that Windows XP refuses to remember critical settings...like my print preferences for example...as well as my request for it to keep its sticky mitts off my wireless connection :twisted: