Key Post: Can't get onto internet on wireless network

Hi all,

I bought [broken link removed] router from Komplett a short while ago. Just got NTL broadband installed and attempted on friday to set up a wireless network.

I have a laptop and so set up and configured the router through my laptop, using it as the wired pc.
All was fine and with modem, router and laptop all cabled together I was successfully able to connect to the net.
I then unplugged the modem and router from my laptop and attempted to connect to the wireless network. Again...this was successful. No prblems in connecting to the network.

However, I couldn't access the internet wirelessly. Anyone any ideas? The first part was really easy but now I'm totally lost.

Re: Can't get onto internet on wireless network

Thanks sueellen. I read that thread...but my question is possibly more specific to my own problem (I think!).

Re: Can't get onto internet on wireless network

have you checked your browser settings? Usually you should use the LAN connection making sure that the wireless network card is configured properly for TCP/IP on you laptop.

Mine is set to never dial a connection and always use the default ( Lan) connection. Make sure your LAN connection automatically detects settings.

P

Re: Can't get onto internet on wireless network

Yeah...that's all setup okay, I think. I can connect fine if the wireless networ is disabled and my modem is plugged directly into the laptop.

The wired configuration was successful...in that I was able to connect to the modem via the router when all three were connected. The problem then only arises when I plug everything out of the laptop and connect wirelessly.

Re: Can't get onto internet on wireless network

Can you reach the router config wirelessly?

Re: Can't get onto internet on wireless network

Do you get a message saying that no wireless connection is available ? Or does it just say nothing about the wireless connection on your PC ?

I spent two days on this problem and then just pressed Fn + F2, and then the wireless came up...

Re: Can't get onto internet on wireless network

p.s. I got to do this set up in a few days when my router gets delivered... let me know how it goes

Re: Can't get onto internet on wireless network

On my wireless router, you can tell it to only accept certain MAC addresses. Did you turn this feature on by accident?

wireless

couple of things to check. Open a dos prompt by clicking > start > run > type "cmd" and press enter.
type ipconfig and see if you have an ip address. If youre on your home network you should have an ip of 192.168.1.XXX if you dont (or even if you do) try this, type
>ipconfig /release
and then
>ipconfig /renew

then try your internet connection again. If you still cant get on and you DO have an IP address as above then it sounds like a proxy problem or a router config problem.
1, open your network settings for your lan and make sure youre not using a proxy server.
2, check the config of your router, can you get on to the www if youre connected via a cable?

Re: wireless

Ok guys. To answer your questions...didn't specify a specific MAC address.
I can connect to the wireless network fine. When I do an ipconfig I get (while wireless network is enabled) 192.xxx.etc...

There's no proxy server in use that I'm aware of.

There's nothing wrong with connecting to the network or bringing up the router config page.

The problem it appears, after looking at it again last night, is the ISP gateway. The router isn't seeing it. The NTL modem and router are cabled together.

Here's the status of the router...

*************************************
Status and Logs
Status Usage Logs

General Information
3C number 3CRWE554G72T/3CRWE554G72TU
Software version V1.00.08
Boot loader version V1.00.00
Wireless version V1.0.1.0
Hardware version 01
Serial Number MURA49B9E6B2E

Access From the Internet
Discard PING from the internet side Yes
Firewall Switched On Yes

Internet Settings
PPP over Ethernet Enabled No
Internet IP Address 0.0.0.0 Dynamic IP
Subnet Mask 0.0.0.0
ISP Gateway Address 0.0.0.0 Disconnected
DNS 0.0.0.0 ; 0.0.0.0
Remaining Lease Time Requesting
MAC Address 00-0F-CB-9E-6B-2F

LAN Settings
LAN IP Address 192.168.1.1
LAN Subnet Mask 255.255.255.0
Router's DHCP Server Enabled
DHCP Range 192.168.1.2 to 192.168.1.254
LAN Port MAC Address 00-0F-CB-9E-6B-2E

Wireless Settings
Wireless Networking Enabled Yes
Channel 11
Service Area Name/SSID 3Com
WPA Encryption Disabled
WEP Encryption Disabled
Wireless MAC Address 00-0F-CB-9E-6B-2E

Hardware Status
Port Speed Duplex
Cable / DSL Port 100 Full Duplex
LAN Port #1 No Link No Link
LAN Port #2 No Link No Link
LAN Port #3 No Link No Link
LAN Port #4 No Link No Link
*************************************

At the moment in the "Internet settings" section, it's set up to obtain an ip automatically...but I think this might be wrong? And the "Clone Mac address" section is using the routers mac address.
Should I be using PPPoE for ip allocation? It says for DSL only? I'm a bit crap when it comes to stuff like this.
Any help would be really appreciated.

..

obtain an ip automatically is ok for your internet settings, if yours is the only pc using the router you should have an IP of 192.168.1.100 on your lan and the router then takes the dynamic IP assigned to you by NTL.

can you try switching off the firewall on the router and see if thats interfering with it?

did you check to see if you have web access when using a cable with the modem? if so then you'll know its a wireless problem.

Re: ..

Yeah...it's definitely a wireless issue alright. Internet access is fine just through the modem. Actually, after posting this on Boards I think it might be a an issue with the NTL modem whereby it automatically looks for the NIC in the laptop and releases its ip only...ignoring the router.

www.boards.ie/vbulletin/s...p?t=225961

I'm going to try smccarrick's solution tonight.

..

hmmm worth a try i suppose but I didnt encounter the behaviour mccarrick posts. I have ntl cable broadband with a linksys wireless router. Had been working away for months with it on cable, got the router just after xmas, plugged in and had it working in 5 minutes without it having to release any addresses. If what hes saying is true the ntl modem wouldnt have picked up the mac address of my router.
Also,when accessing the www via cable, is the cable coming from the 3 com router after going through the ntl box? that would further dispove the theory. (not trying to knock his suggestion, i just cant see how its true based on my experience)
One other thing he notes that I did too, and it that could be key, was to set it up intially without any security and then build your level up from there.
Post back anyway, always interested to see probs i may encounter myself.

Re: ..

can you open up the router config pages from within ie
http://192.168.1.1 (192.168.1.1) using either the wired or wireless connections. if so, you can see the routers wan and lan status and whether it sees your wireless card. i would also make sure that all wep stuff is disabled on the router and the wireless card at least until you get it up and running.

Re: ..

Thanks a lot guys for all the advice. I'll definitely post back my experience tonight

I have no security enabled right now. Wep is off. So it's an unsecured network I'm connecting to.

And...yes, I can connect to http://192.168.1.1 (192.168.1.1) through my browser when wirelessly connected. The status I get is listed a few posts back. The problem appears to be the isp gateway...I think.

Re: ..

The NTL modem will just stick with the MAC address of the first ethernet device it detects when it powers up. This isn't a once off setting that exists for the life time of the device; it is a setting which is refreshed with every power-down/power-up cycle.

So power off the router and the NTL modem. Then power up the modem and wait for it to settle (about 20 secs). Then connect the WAN port on your router to the ethernet port on your NTL modem.

See how things are then.

(P.S. Also try pinging the NTL modem (192.168.100.1) to see that you're getting past the router.)

Re: ..

father...you're dead right. That's what smccarrick was saying on Boards too. That's how I fixed it in the end. Then I turned on WEP encryption and it all went pear-shaped Fixed it all in the end...am I right in saying that WEP encryption is only for wired encryption and WPA for wireless? It appears as a secured network now and all is well.

security

Glad to see you got it fixed. As to your question on wep and wpa, you can use both protocols on wireless

From MS...

Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP)

The Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) protocol encrypts data before it is transmitted across a wireless network. Only devices that have a valid WEP key can decrypt the data.

Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA)

WPA is an implementation that is based on a subset of the IEEE 802.11i standard. WPA, when used with the Temporal Key Integrity Protocol and the Michael Message Integrity Check (MIC) algorithm, provides enhanced security for wireless networks.

To use WPA on your device:

Your wireless network must support WPA. The access points must be configured for WPA.
Your wireless cards must support WPA. You may need to upgrade your wireless card drivers.

Re: security

Hi car,

I don't know much about encryption...but I just enabled WPA and it now appears as a secured network. Just had to provide a decent password for the security.

When I enabled WEP encryption the wireless network immediately dropped off and gave my laptop an ip of 169...instead of 192...I tried this twice and same result each time. Couldn't get onto network as soon as I enabled it. It's a brand new laptop so I assume it has the necessary WPA software installed in the NIC. Seems to work anyway. I presume it's very hard to hack this? I'm only slightly paranoid about this as there appears to be at least 7 wireless netwrks in my vicinity and you never know who might try to hack in!! It's unlikely but I'd like to be sure all the same.

Another question. I have ZoneAlarm and avg running. Should I still turn on the router firewall? Is it necessary or just good practice anyway?