Linksys Wireless Connection to Internet

ManAtHome

Well it confirms that your PC isn't seeing the broadband modem (DHCP should be filling in the IP/subnet/gateway numbers at the top). Time for a quick hardware check:

Not familiar with your modem but there should be a light on it telling you whether there's anything connected to the LAN port. Try unplugging the wireless access point and see if a light goes out, then back on when you plug back in.

Similarly, there's a LINK (amber) light on the front of the WAP - this should go off/on as you unplug/replug. These 2 indicate that the WAP is probably talking to the modem ok.

If all ok so far, try running the Ipconfig/Ping again and watch the ACT (green) light on the WAP - this should flicker to show data is moving between the wireless card and the WAP.

If this still looks good the hardware should be ok (software tests may be delayed by the footie..!)

pvsol

The wap seems to be talking to the modem ok - the lights go on and off as suggested.
When we ping on the remote computer the green ACT light does flicker on the WAP but nothing happens on the computer.
Ipconfig info is all still blank

ManAtHome

Ok, software side - warning before you change anything, write down the current setting so's you can go back if you need to.

Go into your network settings, Start/Settings/Control Panel then double-click the Network icon (not the dial-up Networking). You should be looking at a list of adaptors and services.

Find the TCP service for your wireless card (should say something like TCP/IP -> Linksys WPC.......) - double-click this to bring up the Properties window. This has several tabs - some of them interesting....

IP Address tab - should select 'Obtain an IP address automatically'

Gateway tab - should have IP address of the broadband modem in the 'Installed Gateways' box at the bottom (should be 192.168.1.something or 10.0.0.something). Not sure if you really need anything in here - my Win2000 PC works ok without, so maybe just speeds up gateway detection.

DNS Configuration tab - select 'Disable DNS'.

Bindings tab - should have 'Client for Microsoft Networks' ticked.

Only other thing at this stage is Internet Explorer connection settings (Tools/Internet Options, then the tab in the middle) - should have 'never dial a connection' selected. Click the LAN settings button at the bottom and check that 'automatically detect settings' is ticked.

I assume you've used the Linksys WLAN utility to check the wireless link? Only bit left will be the WAP config (don't think that does much) then possibly the modem (do you know if it has a firewall?).

By the way, what do you get when you start up IE - does it just hang for a while then give you a '404' error.? Should have asked this earlier really (gulp).

pvsol

The IP address - obtain automatically was selected
The Gateway tab had no address in there so I have added 192.168.1.251
Disable DNS is selected
Bindings Tab - Client for Microsoft networks is selected
The Internet Explorer settings were as you suggested
When i go into internet explorer it tries to open the bt broadband home page and then comes up page cannot be displayed - cannot find server or dns error.

The internet is working fine on the other computer which is wired to the broadband link

Thanks for all your help on this I do appreciate it - can you suggest anything else?

ManAtHome

HOk, next bit is checking the WAP settings.... Hope this matches up - I have a combined modem wirelessy thing (WAG54G), so am looking at this and the manual for your (WAP 11 v2.2) device.

You should be able to login to the WAP by typing http://192.168.1.251 into IE - should come up with a login screen. Note that you should be able to do this from both of your PCs.

As the IP you mentioned is the default, you should be able to get into the config screens by leaving userid blank and entering 'admin' (without the quotes) as the password. This should take you into the administration screens - setup tab.

You should have the 'specify an IP address' selected with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0. If so, what may be worth trying is to select the 'obtain an IP address automatically' then apply the settings and see if it fills in a gateway address (if it does, you'll need to remove the 192.168.1.251 from the PC Gateway tab). Worth checking that the AP Mode is still set to 'Access Point' while you're here. Note that you can see the gateway address on the 'status' tab if everything's working ok.

Next thing to check is the 'Filter' tab - this is a security thing allowing you to limit access to the WAP. I have mine set to 'enable' with MAC addresses of my wireless devices entered (in the MAC1 to MAC10 list). If yours is the same, try setting to 'disable' - this will allow any wireless device to connect. A MAC address is really just a network adapter serial number - you can either allow specific ones to connect or allow 'anyone' (not as bad a s it sounds, but the 'anyone' option is good when you're having problems).

Only other thing I can suggest is going into the Password tab and selecting the 'Restore Factory Defaults' option - this gets you back to 'just taken it out of the box' status.... unless you know somebody locally with a(ny) wireless broadband - whereabouts are you?

pvsol

When I type in the 192.168.1.251 address on both computers - I get the page cannot be displayed message???????

ManAtHome

Bit more software needed - start here http://www.nonags.com/nonags/lan.html then find (IE Edit/Find (on this page)) 'softperfect' (without quotes) should take you to the SoftPerfect Network Scanner, click on the first link to download it (around 600k). Note that it may not automatically start, but there is a 'if it doesn't click here link'.

You only need to double-click netscan.exe to run it (doesn't install or anything). There are a couple of boxes near the top where you enter the IP range to scan, use From: 192.168.1.0 and To: 192.168.1.255 then click the 'start scanning' button just to the right of the To: address. This should return a list of all the connected devices.

If you log-in to windows on your PCs, the computer name(s) should be in the list, anything else will be your modem and the WAP. You can check what the modem is by running the IPCONFIG on the PC that connects directly (not the wireless one).

The 192.168.1.251 is the default address for the WAP as you entered it (message #25), we're both thinking you didn't change it when you installed, really now just checking whether anything else has changed it...

Worth also trying a scan from 10.0.0.0 to 10.0.0.255 this is the other range commonly used for home networking.

Note that some of the functions in Netscan don't do a lot and some do too much - I just use it for scanning...

dan.mcl

This is exactly the problem i had only yesterday! This is how i solved it (for those of you wanting to cut to the chase "fimware upgrade") again same symptoms, both computers can see each other, but nothing outside of teh network. If you physically connect one of the computers to the back of the router using one of the LAN ports using a normal CAT5 cable. Check the front and make sure that the lights under the socket you connected it to come on. The "internet" lights probably wont be on! If so then follow the following steps.


1. ftp://ftp.linksys.com/pub/network/WRT54GV3.0_3.03.6_US_code.exe (you might need to plug your computer directly into the internet connection bypassing your router, but make sure to plug it in to the router again physically when you are done downloading.)

2. Run the downloaded file. When it asks for the IP address it will be 192.168.1.1 unless you have changed it

3. Let the updater do its magic.

4. TADA your internet connection will now be restored. and your router will have the latest firmware on it. It might take a few minutes for the change to come into effect, if it still doesnt work try disconnecting the power to the router for a few seconds and then plugging it back in.

ManAtHome

Hi Dan, thanks for the post but pvsol has a Wireless Access Point (WAP) plugged into a modem/router (single port I believe).

At the moment it looks like the PC with the wireless card can see the WAP and the PC hardwired into the modem can see the internet, but the WAP can 'sort of' see the modem (getting a LINK light but obviously not passing traffic).

Hang around though - I'm currently trying to get pvsol into the WAP config which has some of the settings you'll have on your WRT and I have on my WAG (woohoo - most acronyms in one sentence prize?). Then it's really down to swap the cable (WAP to modem) and/or bin the WAP....

Thanks again - several heads better than one (it is in my case anyway).

Dave_G_5

Quite often on these linksys routers/modems etc, if you just pull the power lead out of the back, wait a few seconds and plug it back in then all of a sudden it will start working again. Easiest thing to try first!