Help with Wireless Connection needed

[rdhw]

Originally Posted by dilligaf1701

every few mins I get a pop up on the task bar telling me my signal strength - it's a tad irritating.

This normally only occurs when XP recovers from having lost the signal. Is it losing the signal that frequently?

[dilli-theclaw]

Originally Posted by stuartbe

Will have to check the XP one when I get home... I have a couple of pcmcia Belkin 54g cards and one pci card. I have never got the signal strenght popup. Is the signal weak where you are using the laptop ?

I get a 'very good' signal all the time.

The belkin util tells me it's about %74 if that's any help.

[dilli-theclaw]

Originally Posted by rdhw

This normally only occurs when XP recovers from having lost the signal. Is it losing the signal that frequently?

It's not cut me off or anything.... Last night while I was down in the living room it was connected without problems for about 5 hours.

[Stuartbe]

If you are connecting via the router make sure you select " infrastructure mode " only and not auto....

Make sure that the belkin util is not loading as well as the xp one as this can cause conflicts. The belkin tray util loads from the registry. You can use msconfig to turn it of or remove the key from hkeylocalmachine\software\currentversion\windows\r un

The filename is something like btwtray.exe

HTH

[dilli-theclaw]

Originally Posted by stuartbe

If you are connecting via the router make sure you select " infrastructure mode " only and not auto....

Make sure that the belkin util is not loading as well as the xp one as this can cause conflicts. The belkin tray util loads from the registry. You can use msconfig to turn it of or remove the key from hkeylocalmachine\software\currentversion\windows\r un

The filename is something like btwtray.exe

HTH

Thanks for that - I will try when I get home... Just about to go out with the family

[smurph]

Thanks Stuartbe!! -

Another question - How to enable Mac Filtering. I understand it will only allow my equipment to connect to the router even if someone hacks the SSID and WEP encryption codes. There are two options on the router config screens, but they are not intuitive. Nor is the manual very helpful.....

1)Private MAC filter - I tried adding the MAC address's of the computers and the router here. This resulted in loss of my internet connection, but not the connection between the computers and the router....any ideas.

2)Station MAC filter - I'm not sure about this one.....

Thanks in advance

Smurph

[Stuartbe]

Originally Posted by smurph

Thanks Stuartbe!! -

Another question - How to enable Mac Filtering. I understand it will only allow my equipment to connect to the router even if someone hacks the SSID and WEP encryption codes. There are two options on the router config screens, but they are not intuitive. Nor is the manual very helpful.....

1)Private MAC filter - I tried adding the MAC address's of the computers and the router here. This resulted in loss of my internet connection, but not the connection between the computers and the router....any ideas.

2)Station MAC filter - I'm not sure about this one.....

Thanks in advance

Smurph

Can you let me know the make and model of the router + the firmware ver. - and I will check it out for you.

[smurph]

Linksys BEFW11S4, firmware version 1.44.3 18/2/2003.

Thanks again.

[Stuartbe]

Hmmmm. the user guide is as clear as mud - I see what you mean.....

Can you do a screenshot of the two section for me....

It looks like the station mac is the wan mac !!!

BTW - you should not need to put the routers mac address in the filter only the wired and wireless clients.

[snodvan]

Good thread this one but my head is going round and round with all the acronyms and funny terminology. Remember - I qualify for a bus pass ie bit long in the tooth. I am technically somewhere around Post 10 from Debsy but with no real objection to having the main machine switched on as well as a laptop.

What I have is a 2Ghz main machine now fitted with a Belkin 802.11b card+mini ariel (presume that is OK) and a 3GHz laptop with an 11Mbit/s wireless LAN card also 802.11b. Both on XP Home. I have loaded the software that came with the Belkin thing and now have a screen icon, and the software for the laptop was already loaded when purchased. SOMEHOW I have now to get these things to talk to each other. Any clues folks? We will takle all this security stuff (sounds heavy but is clearly important) once I have the laptop through to the web.

Part of that contact is clearly going to be setting up IE and Outlook with all the appropriate connection settings. I remember doing that ages ago but no longer remember what I did - and anyway there was someone by my shoulder giving propmpts. I am going to need help again.

[Stuartbe]

Originally Posted by snodvan

Good thread this one but my head is going round and round with all the acronyms and funny terminology. Remember - I qualify for a bus pass ie bit long in the tooth. I am technically somewhere around Post 10 from Debsy but with no real objection to having the main machine switched on as well as a laptop.

What I have is a 2Ghz main machine now fitted with a Belkin 802.11b card+mini ariel (presume that is OK) and a 3GHz laptop with an 11Mbit/s wireless LAN card also 802.11b. Both on XP Home. I have loaded the software that came with the Belkin thing and now have a screen icon, and the software for the laptop was already loaded when purchased. SOMEHOW I have now to get these things to talk to each other. Any clues folks? We will takle all this security stuff (sounds heavy but is clearly important) once I have the laptop through to the web.

Part of that contact is clearly going to be setting up IE and Outlook with all the appropriate connection settings. I remember doing that ages ago but no longer remember what I did - and anyway there was someone by my shoulder giving propmpts. I am going to need help again.

Do you have a router on this setup or are you going to use the pc for setup.......

P.S. App. for the abr. for all the tech. stuff. I wont do it again

If I get to techy just tell me to shut it and speak english

[snodvan]

Originally Posted by stuartbe

Do you have a router on this setup or are you going to use the pc for setup.......

P.S. App. for the abr. for all the tech. stuff. I wont do it again

If I get to techy just tell me to shut it and speak english

Stu
No I do not have a router. I have no objection to buying one (=quick trip to PC World) but would not be sure what to buy other than to stay with Belkin because that is the card type I have in the main machine. Looking at PCW site there seem to be all sorts of different types varying from £75-120. Guy in PCW was useless when I asked for advice - he clearly knew less than me.
Most of the router seem to be of a type 54g - which I know is faster but which I presume is still compatible with my 11b system.

I kept away from a wireless router so far because I have another pC linked to the main PC using wire/ internet sharing connection. That works fine and I do not want to disturb it. Having that system I must anyway have the main machine 'on' for the second tower to access the net. That is FINE because it means I can control access to the net by "younger" members of the household.

Cheers

[smurph]

Stuartbe - you are a gem - two queries at once!!

EDIT - OK I have found the solution, for anyone else looking for MAC address filtering info for Linksys routers go see

Linksys knowledge base - MAC filtering

Thanks again

Originally Posted by snodvan

Stu
No I do not have a router. I have no objection to buying one (=quick trip to PC World) but would not be sure what to buy other than to stay with Belkin because that is the card type I have in the main machine. Looking at PCW site there seem to be all sorts of different types varying from £75-120. Guy in PCW was useless when I asked for advice - he clearly knew less than me.
Most of the router seem to be of a type 54g - which I know is faster but which I presume is still compatible with my 11b system.

I kept away from a wireless router so far because I have another pC linked to the main PC using wire/ internet sharing connection. That works fine and I do not want to disturb it. Having that system I must anyway have the main machine 'on' for the second tower to access the net. That is FINE because it means I can control access to the net by "younger" members of the household.

Cheers

You'll have to set the cards up in Point to point mode, and bridge on the PC. The laptop will access the t'internet via the networked PC.

A wireless AP would mean the laptop would be accessing the t'internet directly and not via the PC.

[snodvan]

PCW site indictes BELKIN 54g F5D7230UK4 as 'backward compatible' to 11b systems so that is OK. Any comments? I am sure that with some hunting I would be able to get it for less than the £99.99 that PCW are asking - but I will charge it to the business anyway because the laptop really is for business use.