WiFi and router woes

Guden Oden

Senior Member
Legend
I got myself a wireless access point today. While I did swear I'd never buy DLink again, I cheated on that promise because Dlink stuff stacks on top of each other.

So here I am, trying to figure out how this stuff by trial-and-error. >.<

Ok, so my network looks like this right now:

ADSL Modem (DSL-300T)
|
|
Router (DI-604)---PC (Dell :p)
|
|
Switch (DES-1005D)
|
|
WiFi AP (DWL-2000AP+)

My only WiFi-enabled product right now (unless I drag my old PC out of storage and try and configure it using a USB WiFi dongle I was tricked into buying), is my xbox 360. So I have fiddled with it instead up until this point.

I have accessed the AP through my browser and configured basic parameters such as SSID and WEP key, and when I scan for networks using the 360, I detect the SSID I just configured. I just can't connect to it.

I've tried bypassing the switch and connecting the AP straight to the router. There's not supposed to be a router in the AP, so I don't think that should interfere. Especially as I can access its web interface. Or well, I could; I set the AP to using dynamic IP just to see what happened, and now it's disappeared. D'oh! :LOL: Guess I'll have to reset it and do everything from scratch again...

Any hints here of what could be the problem?

Thanks! :D
 
- Does your access point have MAC filtering?
- Have you tried changing to a different frequency channel?

My experience has been that interference is the root of any problems I've had (apart from the D'OH! I left MAC filtering enabled!). Even if you can't see other networks in a quick scan, that doesn't mean they're not active (could just have their SSID broadcast disabled). There are some Linux tools which will find "hidden" networks IIRC.

Interference can come from other sources, not just wireless networks, eg. I have one of those wireless video resender things to shunt my cable TV to my bedroom -- the frequencies it uses overlap with WiFi, so I can't associate with my AP when it's switched on. The signals can travel a fair way too, so unless you live in the middle of nowhere it could be your neighbours.
 
nutball said:
- Does your access point have MAC filtering?
- Have you tried changing to a different frequency channel?
1: Yes, but it's disabled (by default, actually).
2: No, not yet, but interference can't be THAT bad if I can see my network from the xbox... I'll try changing tho. Isn't wifi supposed to handle that channel shit automatically I thought... Bluetooth doesn't need telling which channel to use, it just does it automatically. :-?

Also, I'm (re)installing XP on my old PC right now, I'm gonna use it as a guinea pig... Still lots left of the installation (meh!), wonderful microsoft and their even wonderfuller installation programs.

Having made windowses for roughly a decade by the time XP was released you'd think they would have worked out how to make an installation as quick and painless as possible, but noooo... Takes forever! :(

Thanks for your input, it's appreciated!
 
Guden Oden said:
2: No, not yet, but interference can't be THAT bad if I can see my network from the xbox...

True, but it only needs to be "bad enough". If I have my interference-generating video resender switched on I can see my network, but I can't associate with it. Likewise if I set my wireless channel to the same as neighbour, I can see but not use.

I'll try changing tho. Isn't wifi supposed to handle that channel shit automatically I thought...

The network card will handle it automatically (well, the driver will), but on the access point it mostly likely be a manual setting (it is on my Linksys).
 
Channel is manual for the entire WLAN. Automatic for the clients--they connect to WLAN on a specific channel. Change to channel 11--it is apparently least likely to be affected by interference--and see what happens. Failing that, I will write up The Giant Wireless Guide. again. D: (In the past few weeks, I have gone from knowing a pretty good amount about wireless to knowing a hell of a lot, including way too much on how to deal with stupid modem->router configurations.)
 
Guden Oden said:
I got myself a wireless access point today. While I did swear I'd never buy DLink again, I cheated on that promise because Dlink stuff stacks on top of each other.

So here I am, trying to figure out how this stuff by trial-and-error. >.<

Ok, so my network looks like this right now:

ADSL Modem (DSL-300T)
|
|
Router (DI-604)---PC (Dell :p)
|
|
Switch (DES-1005D)
|
|
WiFi AP (DWL-2000AP+)

My only WiFi-enabled product right now (unless I drag my old PC out of storage and try and configure it using a USB WiFi dongle I was tricked into buying), is my xbox 360. So I have fiddled with it instead up until this point.

I have accessed the AP through my browser and configured basic parameters such as SSID and WEP key, and when I scan for networks using the 360, I detect the SSID I just configured. I just can't connect to it.

I've tried bypassing the switch and connecting the AP straight to the router. There's not supposed to be a router in the AP, so I don't think that should interfere. Especially as I can access its web interface. Or well, I could; I set the AP to using dynamic IP just to see what happened, and now it's disappeared. D'oh! :LOL: Guess I'll have to reset it and do everything from scratch again...

Any hints here of what could be the problem?

Thanks! :D

Is there a reason why you purchased a new AP instead of a new wireless router with built-in switch? If there isn't a reason then I would say your network seems unecessarily clunky.
 
The Baron said:
First things first: PPPoE or PPPoA? That changes everything.
You have to stop speaking in greek if I'm to understand you! :D

I've been fiddling with PCs for nearly ten years now, but when it comes to networking I'm still at the stage of blindly twisting wires together and then hoping everything works when I open my eyes. ;)

Anyway, update #2: I got the old PC set up finally - I fell asleep (!) while applying the appx 3.000.000.000 updates, patches, security fixes and band-aids a SP1 install of XP needs to get up and running. Then I configured up the old PC to use the WiFi USB dongle, scanned for my network, and lo and behold, there it was. Pulled out the ethernet connector and tried some downloading and surfing and stuff over teh intarwebs and the network works just fine. Speed more than acceptable, and the wireless link sits at a solid 54Mbit/s with a full set of green bars for signal strength... So the AP definitely works the way it's supposed to...

I JUST CAN'T CONNECT TO IT FROM THE DAMN XBOX! :-?

And Nano, I have more stuff connected to my 'clunky' network that I didn't bother to mention. Getting a separate AP was not only the cheapest option, but also the most practical. A WiFi router is more expensive, and also physically much larger, which would prevent me from stacking the ADSL modem on top of the router to make a nice compact unit.
 
Guden Oden said:
And Nano, I have more stuff connected to my 'clunky' network that I didn't bother to mention. Getting a separate AP was not only the cheapest option, but also the most practical. A WiFi router is more expensive, and also physically much larger, which would prevent me from stacking the ADSL modem on top of the router to make a nice compact unit.

That's why I asked. As far as size and cost, I'm not sure where you buy your net gear, but where I live that AP is TWICE the cost of a wireless router/switch. I don't get the size comment either. My wireless router/switch is as small as your 604. In fact the DI-524 is the exact size as your 604...

http://www.dlink.com/products/resource.asp?pid=62&rid=299&sec=1

http://www.dlink.com/products/resource.asp?pid=316&rid=1079&sec=1

Post moderated - you've just come back from a ban which you received for being patronising and rude; do it again and you'll get another ban.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Well if someone is asking for advice they should be honest and not pretend such and such advice doesn't work for them because of such and such which was pointed out to be false and false.
 
NANOTEC said:
Well if someone is asking for advice they should be honest and not pretend such and such advice doesn't work for them because of such and such which was pointed out to be false and false.
Shut up.


ANYWAY...
I got the network to run just fine in open access mode (with a password set, heh), apart from not being able to connect with the 360. I haven't quite figured out to make the stuff work shared key/WPA/WPA-PSK modes, but that's not really a priority anyway right now. I don't even know which mode is the most desireable from a security (and performance?) standpoint. The 360's going to sit attached via wired ethernet to my switch (that's part of what I need that thing for, PC-E).

So I got everything up and running, but after having copyed 43-ish gigs across wifi, I'm like...so how fast IS this thing running anyway? Coz that copy took almost FOREVER, like half a friggin day!

So how do I check network connection speed in an easy manner, other than dragging a file of a known size into a folder on the destination and timing with a stopwatch? I was hoping to find a program that can offer me a little more comprehensive information than that...

Any tips greatly appreciated, kkthx! :D
 
Back
Top