Wireless Trouble With AT&T 2WIRE! Help!

Question

Just, HELP.   Frustration time, times two.   We have AT&T DSL, using a Gateway 2WIRE modem/router, and we have two DELL laptops. One's an Inspiron 1501 with an Intel 3945 abg card, the other's a new Vostro using the DELL 1505 abgn card.   The Inspiron connects no problem. The Vostro refuses. It sees the modem clearly, but the modem does not see the Vostro. I've been through AT&T tech torture five times, who keeps throwing me back to DELL, and through DELL in depth wireless tech twice, where wireless support techs etherneted into my Vostro trying to connect. No go.    DELL tech sent me an Intel 3945 card because the Inspiron connects, thinking the card was the problem. No success. They tried the DELL 1505 software, and somehow disabled it and tried Windows WLAN software. Neither worked. The router doesn't see the Vostro.   After another goround with DELL techs ethernetted into the Vostro using the Intel card, they thought it might be a bad box. So they sent me a SECOND Vostro. But still, no good.   The Vostro connects to another local unsecured Wi-Fi we know about as a test, so we know the Wi-Fi works on the Vostro, but the 2WIRE can't see the DELL Vostro, only the Inspiron.   I've been at this for weeks with no luck.   Both laptops are running Win XP Home.   Anyone else been through this? What do I do? Just give up on DELL and get another system?   Jeeze.   Respectfully getting it off my shoulders and wondering if there's a solution.

dgkpcon · Answer

This is going to sound like a stupid question and i am sure dell did do this but is your radio enabled on the vostro's wireless card?

emersont · Answer

Thanks for the reply, and I appreciate it. But yes, I've tried turning on/off the radio, and the hardwire Wi-Fi catcher on the Vostro.   As an additional note to anyone interested, I've also tried uninstalling all security software, spyware, virus checker, even the Windows Firewall. The second Vostro has NO installed security software and no firewall installed.   I also turned off the WEP security on the 2WIRE router, but still the router doesn't see the Vostro, so it's not an encryption issue. The Inspiron E1505 with the Intel 3945 card sits right next to the Vostro. At one point DELL had me put the same Intel 3945 card in the Vostro and install the Intel drivers and software downloaded from the DELL site. Sitting right next to each other, the Inspiron works, the Vostro does not. A second Vostro fared no better, so it's not very likely a hardware failure in the Vostro box.   As far as signal strength, I'm sitting right on top of the router.   Jeeze. VERY frustrating.   If it's a problem with the 2WIRE router, why does it see anc connect to the other Inspiron E1505 DELL laptop? I even tried the same card as the laptop that works, and different card software, including the native XP Windows software.   I just have no clue. The only thing I can think of is some firmware build issue on the box that's invisible to the router, a specific driver build issue for the card, or a very wierd quirk with the AT&T SBC 2WIRE DLS router.    Anyone got a clue?

emersont · Answer

Followup:   I read several posts here, and one avenue that appears to solve this problem, if anyone else finds the trouble, is to temporarily disable 2WIRE MAC filtering, follow the instructions to find new networks, which will finally show the outside wireless network. Then get the wireless network hardware address of the newly detected wireless network using the 2WIRE control, and MANUALLY enter the hardware address. Re-enable MAC filtering, SAVE the 2WIRE MAC settings, reboot the wireless system, and at least for ME, this solved the problem.   Whew.

Networking, Internet, & Bluetooth

Wireless Trouble With AT&T 2WIRE! Help!

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