Which wireless access point or router do you have? It sounds like the security settings in the access point/router don't match the security settings for the WPC54G wireless adapter.
Is the wireless adapter configured to "obtain an IP address automatically", and is the access point/router configured to assign it one via DHCP?
Look at the output of "ipconfig /all" by opening a cmd.exe window (Start/Run cmd.exe). In the window that opens, type
ipconfig /all. If the IP address listed begins with 169.254, it's being automatically assigned by your operating system, because the system cannot obtain an IP address from a DHCP server.
Are the Macs able to obtain an address for their wireless adapters?
Just for completeness, please list the Latitude model number and the operating system/service pack level it's running.
Thanks for the reply Jim,
Yes I am getting a 169.254 in the autoconfig address.
I know the IP address my Mac is using. Can I insert this manually?
I have a latitude C610 running XP Pro (don't know of any service packs as I bought it used).
Mark
My settings on my Apple Airport Extreme Base Station say "share a single IP address (using DHCP and NAT).
I don't see any service packs so I will attempt to download at least #1.
Yes I am getting a 169.254 in the autoconfig address.
That means that the wireless adapter is configured as a DHCP client, but isn't receiving an IP address from a DHCP server. Have you checked the security and access control settings in the access point/router (which one)?
I know the IP address my Mac is using. Can I insert this manually?
Um...no, that's already assigned to the Mac!
I was able to manually insert the correct address but I still cannot connect. It's got to be something simple...
Again, you need to look at the security settings in the access point/router.
I have a latitude C610 running XP Pro (don't know of any service packs as I bought it used).
If you right click on "My Computer", then click on "Properties", the first tab will show what service pack is installed. If it's not at least Service Pack 1, you should update the system using "Windows Update". There were several hotfixes for wireless problems released by Microsoft after Service Pack 1.
Does the SSID setting for the XP client match the AirPort's? Is the AirPort set up to encrypt wireless traffic? If it is, have you installed the keys on the PC? Another possibility is that the AirPort is set up with a list of MAC (Media Access Control) addresses to which it will assign IP addresses. If the MAC address of the Linksys adapter isn't in the list, the adapter won't receive an IP address.
Windows Update will probably offer to install Service Pack 2. If so, you should make sure that all your personal data is backed up before attempting the installation. With no Service Packs installed, it will likely be a vary large download, over 100 megabytes. You might want to consider
ordering the Service Pack CD if your connection to the Internet is slow.
(edit) You might also find Apple's "Airport Admin Utility for Windows" useful in checking the settings of the Airport Extreme. It should be on the CD you received with the AirPort, or you can download it
here.
I appreciate all your help Jim. I installed service pack 1 but it did not help. I have heard of people having all sorts of problems after installing SP2 so I don't know if I want to risk it. I'm very frustrated. All this so I can take some online classes with a college that does not support Mac's. I'm sure it's something to do with my airport Extreme not liking Windows. I have had this wireless network for over a year and it was so easy to set up. I'm not very literate when it comes to computer speak so it's difficult to understand everything but if you or anyone has any other ideas I would appreciate it. I really do want to like Windows, in fact I like the XP interface, but they could make things a bit easier.
Yes, Apple's support of networking has always been very easy to set up, beginning with AppleTalk. It sounds like the AirPort support for Mac clients is strongly in that tradition. The only drawback comes if you try to bring something like XP into the picture. The Macs mostly set themselves up!
Did you take a look at the Windows AirPort manager? That would likely be a good way to learn about the AirPort's settings, and maybe figure out what the mismatch is!
I agree with you about Service Pack 2. There's a post-Service Pack 1
"wireless rollup" package that might be worth installing, though. The 32-bit version is listed about half way down the page.
http://www.linksys.com/edu/Â Linksys has a good educational section on networks and their features. There's a section about wireless security that explains the features that are available. You might also find this
"Networking 101" tutorial from about.com helpful.
OK, here's a silly? question. (I'm trying to think of a workaround) I have an old Linksys wireless B router. Could I somehow connect that also to my DSL, download the software on my Dell laptop, and have 2 wireless networks in my home, the new one hopefully working with my Dell? Or have I completely lost my mind?????
Actually that's got some potential! And a few problems...(edit) But see my added note at the end first...
The Linksys router could be connected so it could also share the DSL line via the LAN Ethernet port on the AirPort. If that's in use, you'd need to install a small hub allowing multiple wired LAN connections to be made.
There's one very important thing that could be learned if the Linksys router were set up with
no connection to the AirPort. It'll tell us whether the Linksys card in the PC is working correctly! If the Linksys wireless card is in its default configuration, it may receive an IP address from the Linksys router as soon as the Linksys router is powered up. At that point it doesn't matter whether the PC can get to the Internet or not. It'll tell us for certain whether the Linksys wireless card's working correctly.
There's no software that needs to be installed on the PC to access the Linksys router. If the PC receives an IP address from the Linksys, the IP address will be in the range assigned by the Linksys. For most Linksys routers, the range of IP addresses that their DHCP servers assign begins with 192.168.1.100, and the default IP address of the router is 192.168.1.1. At that point, you should be able to access the Linksys router's built-in Web server at http://192.168.1.1/ Note that you won't be able to get to the Internet wirelessly at this point, but you should be able to reach the Linksys wireless router.
I don't see having both routers in service will be of any long-term benefit, but it would certainly help sort out the problems if the Linksys router could assign an IP address to the Linksys card in the laptop.
(edit) If the AirPort Extreme is set up as a "closed" network, you'll need to enter the AirPort's SSID in the laptop's wireless connection setup. I finally found an
article that explains a bit about the AirPort's advanced settings, accessible with the AirPort Admin utility on the Mac. See the section about Mac OSX.
This information might be enough to enable you to configure the Linksys wireless card so it can use the AirPort!
I plugged in my Lionksys router and reset it to get rid of any old configuration. My Dell saw it without it being connected to anything with the default settings. I then connected it to the LAN poprt of my Airport Extreme and it gave me a strong signal. I then.......was unable to connect to the internet. Same old thing but hey, we know the card is working, right? Next question.....should I be using Infrastructure or ad hoc? I have tried both and it hasn't helped. I need a vacation, oh, that's right, I'm on vacation!!!!
That's good news - it means that the Linksys card's OK, but not configured to talk to the AirPort. Did the laptop get an IP address from the Linksys?
should I be using Infrastructure or ad hoc?
Definitely infrastructure - "ad hoc" is used when there's no access point.
I then connected it to the LAN poprt of my Airport Extreme and it gave me a strong signal. I then.......was unable to connect to the internet.
Did you connect the WAN port of the Linksys to the LAN port of the AirPort, and then reboot the Linksys?
Here's what I think needs to be changed on the AirPort, quoted from a
ZDNet review:
"Under the general-settings page of the Admin Utility, the AirPort Extreme offers standard security choices, couched in Apple's usual nonstandard terminology. An option called "Create a closed network" lets you disable SSID broadcasting, which makes it hard for hackers to locate your wireless network. People who want to join the network must know the SSID and enter it exactly. On this tab, you can change the base station name, or SSID; enable WEP encryption; or set and change a password."
From one of the Macs, using the AirPort admin utility, uncheck "Create a closed network". That should enable XP to find the AirPort as easily as it found the Linksys.
I haven't yet been able to find a full description of the AirPort admin utility. If the AirPort is broadcasting its SSID, which is what having that setting unchecked does, then XP should have been able to find the AirPort as easily as it found the Linksys router! The IP address you received from the Linksys is the first one in the range it assigns to DHCP clients, so that worked fine. Maybe we should try to set the Macs up to use the Linksys instead of the AirPort Extreme? (Half-serious suggestion...) Which model Linksys router is that one?
In Airport utility, under "network", "Share a single IP address" is checked with"use 10.0.1.1" as the chosen address. Does this mean all computers on the network must use this address? Just a thought.
I don't know what that means, but it can't possibly be that all networked machines share the same IP address. I'll see if I can find some better documentation on that device. As I said, that's turning out to be hard!
If you spot some good documentation on the Web, post the URL. I'll do the same.
(edit) Here's aÂ
bizarre thread I just found describing a mysterious recovery from a very similar problem. One of the notes references a PDF file from Apple about setting up Windows clients. Do you happen to know where that document can be found?
In Airport utility, under "network", "Share a single IP address" is checked with"use 10.0.1.1" as the chosen address. Does this mean all computers on the network must use this address? Just a thought.
jwatt
4.4K Posts
0
September 3rd, 2004 16:00
Which wireless access point or router do you have? It sounds like the security settings in the access point/router don't match the security settings for the WPC54G wireless adapter.
Is the wireless adapter configured to "obtain an IP address automatically", and is the access point/router configured to assign it one via DHCP?
Look at the output of "ipconfig /all" by opening a cmd.exe window (Start/Run cmd.exe). In the window that opens, type ipconfig /all. If the IP address listed begins with 169.254, it's being automatically assigned by your operating system, because the system cannot obtain an IP address from a DHCP server.
Are the Macs able to obtain an address for their wireless adapters?
Just for completeness, please list the Latitude model number and the operating system/service pack level it's running.
Jim
rnmac97
11 Posts
0
September 3rd, 2004 17:00
rnmac97
11 Posts
0
September 3rd, 2004 17:00
Yes I am getting a 169.254 in the autoconfig address.
I know the IP address my Mac is using. Can I insert this manually?
I have a latitude C610 running XP Pro (don't know of any service packs as I bought it used).
Mark
rnmac97
11 Posts
0
September 3rd, 2004 17:00
I don't see any service packs so I will attempt to download at least #1.
Mark
jwatt
4.4K Posts
0
September 3rd, 2004 17:00
That means that the wireless adapter is configured as a DHCP client, but isn't receiving an IP address from a DHCP server. Have you checked the security and access control settings in the access point/router (which one)?
I know the IP address my Mac is using. Can I insert this manually?
Um...no, that's already assigned to the Mac!
I was able to manually insert the correct address but I still cannot connect. It's got to be something simple...
Again, you need to look at the security settings in the access point/router.
I have a latitude C610 running XP Pro (don't know of any service packs as I bought it used).
If you right click on "My Computer", then click on "Properties", the first tab will show what service pack is installed. If it's not at least Service Pack 1, you should update the system using "Windows Update". There were several hotfixes for wireless problems released by Microsoft after Service Pack 1.
Jim
jwatt
4.4K Posts
0
September 3rd, 2004 18:00
Windows Update will probably offer to install Service Pack 2. If so, you should make sure that all your personal data is backed up before attempting the installation. With no Service Packs installed, it will likely be a vary large download, over 100 megabytes. You might want to consider ordering the Service Pack CD if your connection to the Internet is slow.
(edit) You might also find Apple's "Airport Admin Utility for Windows" useful in checking the settings of the Airport Extreme. It should be on the CD you received with the AirPort, or you can download it here.
Jim
Message Edited by jimw on 09-03-2004 12:44 PM
rnmac97
11 Posts
0
September 3rd, 2004 20:00
Mark
jwatt
4.4K Posts
0
September 3rd, 2004 20:00
Yes, Apple's support of networking has always been very easy to set up, beginning with AppleTalk. It sounds like the AirPort support for Mac clients is strongly in that tradition. The only drawback comes if you try to bring something like XP into the picture. The Macs mostly set themselves up!
Did you take a look at the Windows AirPort manager? That would likely be a good way to learn about the AirPort's settings, and maybe figure out what the mismatch is!
I agree with you about Service Pack 2. There's a post-Service Pack 1 "wireless rollup" package that might be worth installing, though. The 32-bit version is listed about half way down the page.
http://www.linksys.com/edu/Â Linksys has a good educational section on networks and their features. There's a section about wireless security that explains the features that are available. You might also find this "Networking 101" tutorial from about.com helpful.
Jim
rnmac97
11 Posts
0
September 3rd, 2004 20:00
Mark
jwatt
4.4K Posts
0
September 3rd, 2004 22:00
Actually that's got some potential! And a few problems...(edit) But see my added note at the end first...
The Linksys router could be connected so it could also share the DSL line via the LAN Ethernet port on the AirPort. If that's in use, you'd need to install a small hub allowing multiple wired LAN connections to be made.
There's one very important thing that could be learned if the Linksys router were set up with no connection to the AirPort. It'll tell us whether the Linksys card in the PC is working correctly! If the Linksys wireless card is in its default configuration, it may receive an IP address from the Linksys router as soon as the Linksys router is powered up. At that point it doesn't matter whether the PC can get to the Internet or not. It'll tell us for certain whether the Linksys wireless card's working correctly.
There's no software that needs to be installed on the PC to access the Linksys router. If the PC receives an IP address from the Linksys, the IP address will be in the range assigned by the Linksys. For most Linksys routers, the range of IP addresses that their DHCP servers assign begins with 192.168.1.100, and the default IP address of the router is 192.168.1.1. At that point, you should be able to access the Linksys router's built-in Web server at http://192.168.1.1/ Note that you won't be able to get to the Internet wirelessly at this point, but you should be able to reach the Linksys wireless router.
I don't see having both routers in service will be of any long-term benefit, but it would certainly help sort out the problems if the Linksys router could assign an IP address to the Linksys card in the laptop.
And by the way, here's an http://gabeanderson.com/life/2003/09/11/airport_extreme_linksys_wrt54g.php article I just found about using an Apple AirPort wireless card with a Linksys router!
(edit) If the AirPort Extreme is set up as a "closed" network, you'll need to enter the AirPort's SSID in the laptop's wireless connection setup. I finally found an article that explains a bit about the AirPort's advanced settings, accessible with the AirPort Admin utility on the Mac. See the section about Mac OSX.
This information might be enough to enable you to configure the Linksys wireless card so it can use the AirPort!
Jim
Message Edited by jimw on 09-03-2004 05:08 PM
rnmac97
11 Posts
0
September 4th, 2004 00:00
I plugged in my Lionksys router and reset it to get rid of any old configuration. My Dell saw it without it being connected to anything with the default settings. I then connected it to the LAN poprt of my Airport Extreme and it gave me a strong signal. I then.......was unable to connect to the internet. Same old thing but hey, we know the card is working, right? Next question.....should I be using Infrastructure or ad hoc? I have tried both and it hasn't helped. I need a vacation, oh, that's right, I'm on vacation!!!!
Mark
jwatt
4.4K Posts
0
September 4th, 2004 00:00
That's good news - it means that the Linksys card's OK, but not configured to talk to the AirPort. Did the laptop get an IP address from the Linksys?
should I be using Infrastructure or ad hoc?
Definitely infrastructure - "ad hoc" is used when there's no access point.
I then connected it to the LAN poprt of my Airport Extreme and it gave me a strong signal. I then.......was unable to connect to the internet.
Did you connect the WAN port of the Linksys to the LAN port of the AirPort, and then reboot the Linksys?
Here's what I think needs to be changed on the AirPort, quoted from a ZDNet review:
"Under the general-settings page of the Admin Utility, the AirPort Extreme offers standard security choices, couched in Apple's usual nonstandard terminology. An option called "Create a closed network" lets you disable SSID broadcasting, which makes it hard for hackers to locate your wireless network. People who want to join the network must know the SSID and enter it exactly. On this tab, you can change the base station name, or SSID; enable WEP encryption; or set and change a password."
From one of the Macs, using the AirPort admin utility, uncheck "Create a closed network". That should enable XP to find the AirPort as easily as it found the Linksys.
Jim
jwatt
4.4K Posts
0
September 4th, 2004 01:00
I haven't yet been able to find a full description of the AirPort admin utility. If the AirPort is broadcasting its SSID, which is what having that setting unchecked does, then XP should have been able to find the AirPort as easily as it found the Linksys router! The IP address you received from the Linksys is the first one in the range it assigns to DHCP clients, so that worked fine. Maybe we should try to set the Macs up to use the Linksys instead of the AirPort Extreme? (Half-serious suggestion...) Which model Linksys router is that one?
In Airport utility, under "network", "Share a single IP address" is checked with"use 10.0.1.1" as the chosen address. Does this mean all computers on the network must use this address? Just a thought.
I don't know what that means, but it can't possibly be that all networked machines share the same IP address. I'll see if I can find some better documentation on that device. As I said, that's turning out to be hard!
If you spot some good documentation on the Web, post the URL. I'll do the same.
(edit) Here's a bizarre thread I just found describing a mysterious recovery from a very similar problem. One of the notes references a PDF file from Apple about setting up Windows clients. Do you happen to know where that document can be found?
Jim
Message Edited by jimw on 09-03-2004 07:53 PM
rnmac97
11 Posts
0
September 4th, 2004 01:00
192.168.1.100 is the address I got from the Linksys router.
Hope this helps.
Mark
rnmac97
11 Posts
0
September 4th, 2004 01:00
In Airport utility, under "network", "Share a single IP address" is checked with"use 10.0.1.1" as the chosen address. Does this mean all computers on the network must use this address? Just a thought.
Mark