Intel Pro/Wireless 2100 and DHCP problem

Jlggles,

Thank you for using the Dell Community Forum.

First, make sure that updated drivers and firmware are loaded on the network card and router. 

"the network still appears and has a strong signal strength"

This makes me think that the router can't see the Internet.  Try to isolate where the issue is by removing the router from the equation.

I have the same issue. I am troubleshooting it now, it definitely has something to do with the WEP encryption config. The WAP is a Netgear WG602. Configured with no security, the Intel card connects without issue. Something that is being configured in the WEP encryption is not allowing an IP address assignment from the WAP. I'm just not sure what that is. The key generation appears simple enough from both WAP and on the Netgear, its all wizard driven. Its the IP address assignment that is "stuck". The wireless card is associated with the WAP, but no traffic is being passed back from the router because there is no IP. I will post the answer if I can debug it.

Has anyone had any luck with this? I appeared to have the same problem with my i500M and SMC wireless router. I using NetGear previously and the DHCP worked with encription turned on, but I had intermittent connection problem with NetGear.

Now with SMC router, the connection seems to be better but DHCP is not working when encription is turned on regardless of the signal strength. I believe the TCP/IP protocol failed to work wirelessly in this configuration since setting the IP address manually also doesn't work.

I have struggled with this problem with a Dell D600 with Windows 2000 and an Intel 2100 Wireless.   The card could see the network but it could not get an IP address from DHCP; essentially it could not get on the network.  I had reinstalled drivers, changed settings etc, until I took a look in the properties page of the wireless card from Network and DialUp connections.   In ProSet, I had configured the network to use 64 bit WEP with Alphanumeric characters as the key (insted of Hex) when talking to my Orinoco Wavelan II AP.   In the properties page of the connection, the WEP settings were showing a check for HEX chaaracters instead of Alphanumeric.  Once I set the WEP settings to Alphanumeric by hand on the Properties page of the network connection, my card got an IP address and could access all of the network.   I rebooted about four times and undocked/docked a few times to see if the connections would work continually.   I am very happy to report success!

I do find it odd that the ProSet software set my network connections for HEX characters rather than the Alphanumeric characters.   I also find it odd that once I set them, the ProSet would work properly.

Anyway, considering the struggle I went through, I am sure someone selse has a similar problem.  Hope I helped.

I've got the same prob. with 600m and the Centrino 2100 3A mini PCI card.  Dell, Microsoft and Intel all point the finger at each other.  Don't worry, though, it's not NetGear, SMC, Linksys, D-Link, Cisco or Belkin.  I've tried 2 NetGear routers, and, of course, get the same problem.  The Eth interface for the router comes up soooo s l o w l y that it times out for a DHCP.  Also, probably related, is that the Network properties box doesn't come up until the Eth interfaces are all up.  When I made my first pass at Dell tech support, they told me to upgrade the router firmware.  Sure, sure.  Then I had to update the 2100 drivers.  OK, ok.  Then try the Intel Pro set stuff.  Ha.  Now Dell wants me to run the hardware diagnostics tests.  Oh, what do you know.  The stupid hardware diagnostics run hung during the video tests.  Surprise, surprise.  Well, at least they can't blow me off now and say that the diag tests show it's not a HARDWARE problem.  The tech said that if it didn't show any erros, they'd want me to run the "repair" setup.  But they can't tell me what it does, because it's written by Microsoft, and you know, it's not Dell's OS, they get that from Microsoft. 

Well, I got news for you Dell.  I didn't PAY BIG MONEY to Microsoft, or Intel.  I bought a complete system from Dell that included all the buggy parts.  Fortunately, I bought the 3 year Complete care, so you can bet I'll do my darndest to make Dell miserable and jack up their customer service costs untill they get right with me on this. 

Thank you the original quirinus 

I was having the same problem where my SMC pcmcia card could connect to my network but my Intel Pro/Wireless could not.  I used your suggestion and I am happy to say it worked like a charm.  I suggest all who are having a DCHP problem try using 64bit hex manual encryption.

I have the same problem, and I tried doing what quirinus said.  But I don't see an option for "alphanumeric wep key".  When I go into PROSet, all I see are 5 characater ASCII and 10 hex key.