Wireless router help needed

Okay guys, I took your advice and went with a "b" system since there's been a huge price drop on them since the "g's" came out. Plan is to run my laptop on a shared network with the desktop and share the broadband connection.

Here's my problem: I installed the software for the router and followed the instructions for hooking up the router from the modem to the ethernet card in my desktop. After it's in, the desktop can no longer find the internet connection. I checked the settings and tried again--nothing. I removed the program and started from scratch, resetting the router to factory. Zip.

I reconnect the modem directly to the ethernet card--no problem.

I do trouble shooting from the manual and it's no help. From all indications, it acts like it just can't find any internet address. And it's Windows XP, so it should be plug and play.

I'm tired of playing with this thing (2+ hours) and I'm giving it a rest for a little while. Anybody have any pointers?

If it helps, it's a Microsoft MN-500. I only bought this system because there was a really sweet rebate that I couldn't pass up. Maybe there's a reason why there was such a huge rebate... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thinking.gif


-Jason

What type of internet connection do you have, PPPOE ?? If so make sure the router is set up to handle the internet connection.

Next can you ping the router from your desktop, and does your nic card get an IP address from the router?

It wasn't mentioned at first, but you have the ethernet connected to the router yes? Also, there should be an uplink port that goes from the router to the modem. This must be a regular cable, not a crossover.
NOTE: have a second computer handy in case the following doesn't work, and you are stuck without internet access.

Some other solutions: eliminate the modem for now. Connect your ethernet to the router. Go under Start menu, Settings, Control Panel, then Network Connections. Right click on your primary connection, and select Properties. Click Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), then properties. What are the settings you have there? To see the router correctly you should "Obtain an IP address automatically" and "Obtain DNS server automatically". Click OK then close. Then plug the router into the modem.

Short Circuit--I guess I'll have to find all that out instead of hanging around CPF reading modder fourums /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
I've got my IP address, but I haven't had any luck doing a manual entry of it /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Stefan--It was all connected correctly. The way the cable setup works is through a coax style cable (this one's a bit thicker than usual) connected to the cable modem. The ethernet wire then connects it to the computer. The wireless router is ethernet wire only, hence the no-bypass option /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

I'll give myself a little while longer to play here on CPF then I'll have to get back to getting this thing hooked up so I can watch the History Channel and web browse on the laptop at the same time /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

-Jason

Is this what you see on the back of the wireless router?

Stefan--Yep, that be it... and I just got done reading through the entire microsoft wireless broadband networking page. It didn't tell me much more than what I already learned from the manual, but I'm going to try again and see what happens. The only other thing I can think of is that I may need another kind of wthernet cable from the modem.

I'll let ya'll know how it works out.

-Jason

here is where you have an installation guide. Does this look like what you have?

Never doubt the old "screw this" approach /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif I got it to work with a simple threat of "work or else!"

On the third uncucessful re-install attempt, it failed to connect during setup--again. I aborted the finialization and restarted the computer, again just to see if it would detect this time 'round while I got my shoes and wallet for a late night Walmart run for a new cable. The old ethernet cable was supposed likely culprit as it just didn't look quite right when compared to the new packaged one. And if that didn't fix it, it would find itself back at the store early Sunday morning.

Well, by the time I got ready to go to Walmart, I figured I'd give it one more try--even without the proper software installed. To my supprise it actually loaded my homepage. "It must be a stored cache page" I thought, so I went to some other websites that I don't normally load. Believe it or not, the damn thing works and the broadband network utility tells me that yep, I'm up and running at 10Mbps.

Now the true test is setting up the laptop and having it run correctly. This must be repeatable for it to be acceptable /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Why it worked this time and none of the others still puzzles me...

Thanks guys,

-Jason

The reason it works is because of the restart.
The IP address that is handed out by your modem and your router are in different ip sub-nets. Different sub-nets cannot see each other.

Other than a reboot, you could have saved yourself a lot of heart ache by bringing up the command prompt and typing the following:
ipconfig /all (shows current setup)
ipconfig /release (releases Ip address)
ipconfig /renew (finds new address of router or modem)
ipconfig /all (verify changes from 1st step)

Floating spots--I had tried the reboot last night and it didn't work then. Probably something else was wrong (that I did) during instalation. It was all supposed to be automatic with detection--I honestly wouldn't know what command promp to bring it up at.

The only thing that buggs me is that it works but it never followed the "by the book" setup. I hate when the instructions are followed to the "T" and stuff still doesn't go the way the way it's supposed to. I guess that's what I get for going with a Microsoft product /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

-Jason
oh, and I'm sitting in the kitchen on my laptop right now /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Was this a DSL connection?

I have been having a similar problem at my girlfriend's house. She had a DSL connection to her laptop, and when I put in a wireless access point, her laptop needs to be rebooted every morning to use the wireless. Ping from a dos prompt works, but nslookup fails to find a name server. ipconfig /renew does not help. So far, the only thing that works is a full reboot. While all of this is going on, my laptop can connect to the internet over the wireless, so it is something unique with either Windows XP Pro, or with the Earthlink DSL software that is installed on her PC. (Note that she has no problems using the wireless at my house, but I have an always on cable modem connection, and it looks like her Earthlink DSL connection has some sort of inactivity timeout, if that makes any difference.)

Thanks for any suggestions... -jack

Jack:

You shouldn't need any Earthlink software on her laptop. The router is now handling all the interactions with the DSLAM, so you can de-install that and just set up her laptop for DHCP.

That said, I'm guessing there might be a problem with the laptop coming out of suspend mode and losing the ethernet adapter. Is it a USB hookup? PC Card? Built in? Try checking its status in the Device Manager next time you get a fault and see if it shows "operating correctly".

Cheers,
Bob