laptop wont connect until it feels like it

albertross_2

If the router is expecting 63 random ascii, that is more secure than 63 hex. ascii A is 41 in hex, ABC is 414243

As for your problem, I'm at a loss.. are the aerials screwed in tight, clutches at straws..

netstumbler doesn't find everything, (non ssid broadcasting networks, wireless video senders etc.. btw).

Jay-Jay_4

You're all talking Russian to me but I'll add my two penneth anyway.

My Toshiba laptop sometimes won't connect when I switch it on, I get the page that says 'No internet connection available' and even though I can see my wireless thingy working I can't actually connect to it.

I follow the link on the 'No internet connection' page and select that I'm using wireless then click the boxes and it connects.

Don't know if that's remotely the same thing let alone helpful but can I have a point for trying?

espresso

Fault finding is a process of elimination, so you must try everything that you can. I suggested using a HEX key because when ASCII characters are used for the pass-phrase, they then get converted by the router onto a 256 bit HEX string. Manufactures can handle this conversion in different ways and some ASCII characters in the pass-phrase string can cause problems with certain makes of equipment. If a HEX string is used, these problems don't arise whatever equipment is used. Have you established if this is an encryption problem? i.e. do you still have problems connecting with encryption switched off? Even if you have tried using a different wireless channel, you could still be getting interference from hidden channels or other types of wireless equipment. Are you using mixed mode i.e. b & g? Have you tried setting it to only use g or b to see if it makes any difference to your connection problem?

gt568

espresso wrote:

Are you using mixed mode i.e. b & g? Have you tried setting it to only use g or b to see if it makes any difference to your connection problem?

This advice solved a connection problem I was having.

happyhero

zenmaster wrote:

You've not answered Browntoa's question regarding whether you are using XP or the wireless card's own software to manage the connection.

In my experience I have invariably found the proprietary software to be rubbish and XP's wireless zero to be pretty good (despite the fact that it seems to report a lower signal strength).

I am using XP's settings I think ie I go to the provided XP bits to do anything. I vagualy remember some software for the card from when I first got it, could this be interfering, or is it one or the other does the job?

I think the software may still be on the laptop possibly.

Albertross wrote:

If the router is expecting 63 random ascii, that is more secure than 63 hex. ascii A is 41 in hex, ABC is 414243

As for your problem, I'm at a loss.. are the aerials screwed in tight, clutches at straws..

netstumbler doesn't find everything, (non ssid broadcasting networks, wireless video senders etc.. btw).

Losing me a bit on the Hex, so what settings should I use, Hex or Ascii and do you think it will make a difference? No netstumber finds nothing else apart from the networks I already mentioned, sometimes. this program doesn't seem to let me do much other than look, ie I can see others which has helped me with the channel bussiness but cant see anything else i can really do with it, have I got that right? I can see others might add some more software etc to do other things but for me its just as I said, right?

espresso wrote:

Fault finding is a process of elimination, so you must try everything that you can. I suggested using a HEX key because when ASCII characters are used for the pass-phrase, they then get converted by the router onto a 256 bit HEX string. Manufactures can handle this conversion in different ways and some ASCII characters in the pass-phrase string can cause problems with certain makes of equipment. If a HEX string is used, these problems don't arise whatever equipment is used. Have you established if this is an encryption problem? i.e. do you still have problems connecting with encryption switched off? Even if you have tried using a different wireless channel, you could still be getting interference from hidden channels or other types of wireless equipment. Are you using mixed mode i.e. b & g? Have you tried setting it to only use g or b to see if it makes any difference to your connection problem?

I will try changing it. No I have not tried altering b and g but I will give it a go

johnmc

Tried resetting the router to defaults and reinstalling the software on the laptop?

Does Netstumbler show the router as 802.11b or as 802.11g? IIRC (I'm at work) my router has the option to only connect to "g". Is that set? Just a guess, but if it's only looking for "g" and your laptop only supports "b" then it may not read the connection request.

happyhero

johnmc wrote:

Tried resetting the router to defaults and reinstalling the software on the laptop?

Does Netstumbler show the router as 802.11b or as 802.11g? IIRC (I'm at work) my router has the option to only connect to "g". Is that set? Just a guess, but if it's only looking for "g" and your laptop only supports "b" then it may not read the connection request.

resetting to defaults I have tried often and it doesn't seem to make a difference.

Regarding netstumber, where does it show the 802 bit as i don't see that displayed anywhere?

I have also just set it to "g" and will now watch if it makes any difference.

My network can be up to 63 characters, do you know whether I should be using Hex or Ascii and how do I make up one of these keys, ie what characters do I use?

What I am still curious about and think it is a clue to the problem is why whenever I can't connect does trying to connect to my neighbours connection instantly get mine started connecting. What does it actually do that is helping me. It works every time, but how. Nothing else helps but that does.

albertross_2

Expresso will disagree with this hex/ascii stuff, but..

if the router is expecting an ascii 8-63 character password, then you should use a readable password, not hex.

If you use hex, then it will just assume that you are using the letter F followed by the number 8, when you input F8, not read it as F8 in hex.

Each ascii character is represented by two hex nibbles, so the letter A is decimal 65, which is 41 in hex, so you would need a box twice as long as you have to input an ascii password of 63 characters, if you were using hex representations.

to get a really secure 63 character password, copy and paste one from https://www.grc.com/passwords, making sure there are no quotation marks in it.

--

Are there any power saving settings on your wireless card, that's the only thing I can think of that might kick it into life when connecting to the neighbours. What channel are you using on the router? I'd avoid 1, 6, 11 for now, until you resolve this problem.

happyhero

albertross wrote:

Are there any power saving settings on your wireless card, that's the only thing I can think of that might kick it into life when connecting to the neighbours. What channel are you using on the router? I'd avoid 1, 6, 11 for now, until you resolve this problem.

There are no power settings I am aware of, not sure how you would get to check this, but I have checked that I am using XP to control my card and not the software that it came with. Threre didn't seem to be any power saving settings on the few pages you get with the software so I assume there is no power saving option unless you can get to something in XP that will control that sort of thing.

I have changed channel a few times but I am on channel 5 now which seems to give me a stronger signal at the moment ( early days yet). I have also set my router to g only instead of b&g mixed. b i for older equipment anyway isn't it? I did notice a setting there though for long range b&g and tried it but if I had to guess I would say it was worse. What is it for, is it to help your signal reach further? If so why did my signal not seem to get stronger?

Its a real pity with the neighbour thing, that there is no way to monitor what is actually happening that helps, like putting a car on a analyser or a person on a heart monitor etc, and the reproducing the situation.

albertross_2

Re the power save mode..it's in the settings you found earlier.

802.11 Authentication Type, 802.11b Preamble, Map Registers, Network Address, Power Save Mode, Radio On/Off, and Transmit Power

Not sure about the range, is is a mimo or pre-n router?