Strange wireless connection problem

12 Oct 2006 7:40 AM

Gordon

This may be hardware -related, hence the cross post to uk.t.b.
A friend of mine has just migrated from AOL(!) to Bt Broadband(!!) and has a
very strange problem.
The set up is this:
BT Voyager 209 wireless ADSL router/modem, wired to a non wireless-enabled
laptop.
A PC using a D-Link USB Wireless adapter. Both machines on XP SP2
The laptop can connect to the internet, etc etc.
The PC is a different matter. if I set the wireless parameters to DHCP, then
wireless connectivity is none or limited. If I set the adapter to a fixed
IP, then wireless connectivity is very good. However, at that point, the PC
can't ping the router, I get a "Timed out" message. The firewall is
disabled. if we use the "BT Wireless detection" (???) function on the CD,
then it says it can't find the router, yet the adapter management software
has a good connection.

Anyone got any thoughts on anything I've missed?

12 Oct 2006 8:57 AM

Graham

"Gordon" <gor***@gbpcomputing.co.uk.invalid> wrote in message
news:4p69jpFh7r67U1@individual.net...
> This may be hardware -related, hence the cross post to uk.t.b.
> A friend of mine has just migrated from AOL(!) to Bt Broadband(!!) and has
> a very strange problem.
> The set up is this:
> BT Voyager 209 wireless ADSL router/modem, wired to a non wireless-enabled
> laptop.

Do you mean wired using ethernet, or wired using USB?

> A PC using a D-Link USB Wireless adapter. Both machines on XP SP2
> The laptop can connect to the internet, etc etc.
> The PC is a different matter. if I set the wireless parameters to DHCP,
> then wireless connectivity is none or limited. If I set the adapter to a
> fixed IP, then wireless connectivity is very good. However, at that point,
> the PC can't ping the router, I get a "Timed out" message. The firewall is
> disabled. if we use the "BT Wireless detection" (???) function on the CD,
> then it says it can't find the router, yet the adapter management software
> has a good connection.

How is the DHCP server in the router configured? How many addresses does it
issue?

Using the wired laptop, what does the DHCP server in the router tell you
about the attempts from the wireless PC to connect to the router?

Am I right that the router has a single ethernet port? If so, connect it to
a network switch, and connect both laptop and PC using wires - does the PC
then communicate with the router? Does the laptop continue to connect to
the router?

Disconnect the laptop. Plug the USB wireless adaptor into the laptop, and
install the relevant driver. Can the laptop now connect to the router using
wireless? Both with DCHP and with (sensible) manual settings.

Tell us what you find and we might have some more ideas ...

--
Graham