Wireless Connection Problems

minimoneysaver

I'm after a little bit of help/advice... again! I was at my parents place this morning and my dad's laptop wouldn't connect to the internet wirelessly. After a very frustrating 1 1/2 hrs on the phone to Sky, I gave up. Sky didn't seem to understand the problem. The laptop has had connection in the past (it is a holiday place & laptop is left there, usually turns on and connects no problem). This time, no connection.
-Wireless switch is turned on and flashing on toshiba laptop.
-Wired connection through netgear yellow cable gives instant internet access.
-On Vista software, go to "connect to" and only option is PPPoE. The named SKY82*** is missing.

I have reset Netgear with pin at rear. After going in circles with Sky, my next thought was here. I do not have access to the computer, but will be going up next weekend, or can talk my dad through it.
Thanks again for your time and patience.

macman

It appears that either the router is not broadcasting properly, or the laptop is not detecting it. There's no problem with your WAN, as you say you can connect OK by ethernet. Are you saying that the laptop cannot see the wireless network?
Eliminate the laptop as a problem by taking it to another site and trying to connect wirelessly. If it's OK, it's the router.
If you have reset the router (which was a bit hasty), then you will have to set up the whole thing again via the web interface, as it will have lost not only your wireless encryption, but also your Sky username and password.
PPOA is the usual option to connect in the router setup.

minimoneysaver

I thought resetting the router was a bit hasty. That was one of the first things that the guy at Sky told me to do. He was running around my computer telling me to change all sorts of settings. God only knows what state it is in now. I didn't think to bring it back to my house to test it. Thanks for that suggestion. x

clarksonwayne

Don’t be blaming sky; you ring them for help on a subject that isn’t their responsibility and moan about them changing things. How ungrateful.


You pay them to provide you a WAN service and as we know there is nothing wrong with that.
Resetting the Netgear wasn’t hasty and needed doing in case it was the router throwing a strop. I take it after that you went through setting it back up.


Certainly do as Macman said and try it elsewhere. I don’t think there is a problem with your router, as they tend to be a little more obvious when having problems.

I would look in network connections and see if your wireless NIC is showing, if so make sure it’s active.

Wireless networks by nature are subject to interference by everything else that transmits on the unlicensed 2.5GHz frequency, other electrical impulses and solid objects.

chaddy7604

clarksonwayne wrote: »

Don’t be blaming sky; you ring them for help on a subject that isn’t their responsibility and moan about them changing things. How ungrateful.


You pay them to provide you a WAN service and as we know there is nothing wrong with that.
Resetting the Netgear wasn’t hasty and needed doing in case it was the router throwing a strop. I take it after that you went through setting it back up.


Certainly do as Macman said and try it elsewhere. I don’t think there is a problem with your router, as they tend to be a little more obvious when having problems.

I would look in network connections and see if your wireless NIC is showing, if so make sure it’s active.

Wireless networks by nature are subject to interference by everything else that transmits on the unlicensed 2.5GHz frequency, other electrical impulses and solid objects.

Nice opener, nail him to the cross will you :rotfl::rotfl:

How to make friends and influence people :rolleyes:

Inactive

chaddy7604 wrote: »

Nice opener, nail him to the cross will you :rotfl::rotfl:

How to make friends and influence people :rolleyes:

Indeed, and of course if Sky didn't employ numpties they could have sorted out the OP's problem.

They supplied the router.

minimoneysaver

Gosh, I was a little surprised by that comment from Clarksonwayne. If only that poster had been party to the conversation with Sky. Unfortunately I was, "Speaking," to a guy who didn't have a very good grasp of the English language and was clearly trying to read from an English text book/computer instructions. I use the term speaking very loosely, as it was most definitely a one sided conversation.

Inactive

minimoneysaver wrote: »

Gosh, I was a little surprised by that comment from Clarksonwayne. .

Best to ignore, he obviously failed at the school of charm and tact.;)

clarksonwayne

Inactive, Asda supply routers but you wouldn’t expect them to troubleshoot them, that ones for the manufactures. Netgear have a support number but it looks like the problems on the computer.


The man from sky may have been poor but he won’t be trained for your problem. He has tried to help when he could have just said ring Netgear or Toshiba.


The world would be a much better place if people showed a little respect.

Inactive

Asda are not an ISP taking money on a monthly basis from their customers for providing a service like Sky are.

If a Sky Digital TV Receiver went wrong, the customer wouldn't contact Pace or Amstrad, would they?.

theboylard

Sky will only support their own routers, you do not get the broadband username and password to use your own equipment as they are hardcoded into the router. They are not user readable by any normal means so you can't get them and use other kit.

The Netgear (and Sagem) routers that Sky supply - you don't get a choice - are preconfigured by Sky. You cannot change or amend the connection settings nor use them for another ISP unless you overwrite the firmware, easier on the v1 Netgear routers than the newer v2.

Resetting the router changes nothing on the network, it is a computer and occasionally gets its knickers in a twist so resetting it certainly won't hurt.

My leaning on this is it's the wireless adapter on the laptop - find device manager (google for how to find it) and look in network adapters. Is the adapter showing there? Is there a red cross on it? If so right click and show enable.

If you want to persist in speaking to Sky, try late at night - more chance of getting someone from the 2nd/3rd line support in the UK. After 11pm I never spoke to another continent.

There are many other things to check, I'd have a look at the forums at http://www.skyuser.co.uk/ as they know Sky well, maybe a bit better than some of the less than helpful posters here.

Good luck...