[Jeffdon]

Ok, here goes....I have a Win2000 laptop connected via wireless netgear card to a wireless netgear router. My desktop (win xp) is connected to the router via hardwire. I have SBC yahoo DSL, and the desktop uses the SBC connection manager.

My current promblem is this. I can fire up the laptop and browse, bet email send email just fine. When i fire up the desktop, I loose my DSL connection on both the laptop and desktop. The connection manager shows no connection to a network server, but occasionally it will connect and then disconnect. So the connection is there, but intermitant. Where do I start in trying to solve this.

 

[coulterp]

I'm not sure I fully undertand your setup. It sounds like the DSL connection is run out of the desktop (WinXP) PC. Is that right?

That confuses things: normally the DSL connection would be connected through the Netgear router to the local network (LAN) and shared out to both wired and wireless PC connections that way. Can you confirm details. What DSL modem are you using? Is it connected to the router or the WinXP PC? It will definitely be easiest if it (the modem) is connected to the router.

 

[Jeffdon]

My DSL comes off the modem (speedstream 5360), into the wireless router. From there, the desk top is connect to the router via cable, the laptop via the wireless card.

 

[coulterp]

To sort out the general connection stuff on XP (the W2K will be similar):

On each PC goto Network Connections and look at the Properties of the LAN Connection icon and check you have enabled all of the following:
- Client for Microsoft Windows
- File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Windows
- Internet Protocol (TCP/IP).

For the TCP/IP item (on each PC) look at the Properties and ensure you are set to "Obtain an IP address automatically" and "Obtain DNS server address automatically" (which the PCs will get from the router).

Then use the ipconfig/all command on the PCs to examine your IP details:
- ensure you have the same subnet (e.g. 192.168.0.x) defined for both PCs
- ensure you have the same Subnet Mask, Default Gateway and DNS IP addresses defined in the PCs
- ensure you have the same workgroup name on all PCs.

To help you troubleshoot:
- verify your IP configuration with the ipconfig command as above (from Start / Run / cmd)
- use the ping command from the PCs to check IP connectivity; i.e. that the can ping each other, ping external sites by IP address or name to check external connectivity.

On the wireless side you seem to have things working.
I'm not quite sure what SBC connection manager is so can't help you there.

Of the two connections (wired and wireless) to the router the former should be the more stable!

One point with Netgear routers is that they are factory pre-set to use the 192.168.0.0 / 255.255.255.0 sub-net as the default - and many modems are too! Both devices cannot use the same sub-net (nor the same IP address as would be then also be the case). So if this is the case for your Speedstream and the Netgear (check you device documentation) then one or other will have to be moved to a different sub-net. It's fairly easy to do; post again if you have difficulties (I'm using a Netgear WGR614 and moved it to a different sub-net leaving the modem on the default 192.168.0.1 address).

 

[Jeffdon]

Ummmm...How do I change IP and subnet?

 

[coulterp]

In the router?

Taking my WGR614 as an example (other Netgears should have a similar GUI). Then once logged onto the router using IE, under:

Advanced / LAN IP Setup

Under the first section ("LAN TCP/IP Setup") change the IP address and sub-net mask (although I would expect you'll leave that as 255.255.255.0).
If you're leaving the modem on 192.168.0.1 (assuming that is what it is) then change the router to something like 192.168.1.1 or 10.0.0.1.

In the second section (under "Use Router as DHCP Server") tick "Use Router as DHCP Server" and change the IP address range (starting and end IP address) issued by the router to match the IP address above.
For example (from the above quoted IP addresses) you could have:
192.168.1.2 ... 192.168.1.100
or
10.0.0.2 ... 10.0.0.254

(or however many IP address you want to assign as long as they lie within the range .2 to .254). So 192.168.1.100 .. 192.168.1.150 if you like.

Provided your PCs are configured to pick up IP address automatically then that should work.

 

[Jeffdon]

do I do this from the desk top or lap top or does it matter? Sorry if i am asking dumb questions.

 

[coulterp]

It doesn't really matter which PC you do it from although I tend to do all my wireless router changes from a PC connected by wire to the router (it's faster and when the router re-sets then you unaffected by the loss of the wireless link); perhaps I just imagine it (!) but it appears the more reliable method.

 

[Jeffdon]

That seems to have done it. My router IP was out of the range of the usable IP addresses.

 

[Jeffdon]

Hmmm...however, browsing (page loading) seems really slow at times.

 

[Jeffdon]

Here is what my ipconfig on my lap top shows:

Microsoft Windows 2000 [Version 5.00.2195]
(C) Copyright 1985-2000 Microsoft Corp.

C:\Documents and Settings\Jeff Donnelly>ipconfig

Windows 2000 IP Configuration

Ethernet adapter Wireless Network:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 0.0.0.0
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 0.0.0.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . :

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Cable Disconnected

PPP adapter AT&T Connection Service:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 12.72.217.216
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.255
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 12.72.217.216

 

[coulterp]

The wireless connection on the laptop is not picking up IP settings from the router (hence the IP address of 0.0.0.0). YOu need to check the wireless set-up to see why the DCHP allocted IP address from the router is not getting through.

You appear to have an Ethernet adaptor and PPP connection as well - don't know what they're doing (other than probably confusing the issue).

 

[Jeffdon]

ok...got my connection via DSL back on the lap top but still not working on the desk top...the latest IP config for the LT shows as follows:


Windows 2000 IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : JDONNELLY
Primary DNS Suffix . . . . . . . :
Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Hybrid
IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No
WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Ethernet adapter Wireless Network:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : NETGEAR MA401 Wireless PC Card
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-09-5B-29-8E-5C
DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.2
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.3
DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.3
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.0.3
Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Monday, April 12, 2004 3:12:14 PM
Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Monday, January 18, 2038 7:14:07 PM

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Cable Disconnected
Description . . . . . . . . . . . : 3Com 3C920 Integrated Fast Ethernet
Controller (3C905C-TX Compatible)
Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-08-74-21-D4-94

C:\Documents and Settings\Jeff Donnelly>

 

[coulterp]

For some reason the default gateway and DHCP server have an IP address of the 192.168.0.3. It should be the IP address of the wireless router; is 192.168.0.3 the IP address of the wireless router?

 

[Jeffdon]

How do I confirm what the address of the router?

 

[coulterp]

Unless you have changed it from the default it's in the documentation. Also it is the IP address you use in the GUI (Internet Explorer or whatever browser you use) when you access the router management pages.

 

[Jeffdon]

My laptop was browsing email just fine this AM UNTIL i started my desktop. The lap top then was "knocked off" its connection.

My IP settings are the lap top are set to get the ip address and dns automaticall. IPconfig shows 192.168.0.02 DNS is 206.13.28.12

My desktop is confiured to use IP 192.168.0.5 specifically and DNS 63.203.35.55 specifically....my routeer is accesed by using

http://192.168.0.3/index.htm

Soemthign here is confliction, and i do not know what to change next.

 

[Jeffdon]

My laptop was browsing email just fine this AM UNTIL i started my desktop. The lap top then was "knocked off" its connection.

My IP settings are the lap top are set to get the ip address and dns automaticall. IPconfig shows 192.168.0.02 DNS is 206.13.28.12

My desktop is confiured to use IP 192.168.0.5 specifically and DNS 63.203.35.55 specifically....my routeer is accesed by using

http://192.168.0.3/index.htm

Soemthign here is confliction, and i do not know what to change next. Also...browsing seems kinda slow in general on the desk top.

 

[coulterp]

If both laptop and desktop are assigned to obtain IP address and DNS automatically then it is very strange that the two devices get different DNS addresses; they should get the same if they are both connecting to the same wireless router to get the DNS details. That's a puzzle.

Also you are using a Netgear router - all the Netgear kit I've used (wired and wireless modem/routers and routers of various ilk) default to using IP address 192.168.0.1. So the 192.168.0.3 address is also strange. Do you use 192.168.0.3 to get unto the Netgear to configure it?

 

[Jeffdon]

Yes. But i had changed it wrestlin with IP conflicts. Would it be better to change back to 192.168.0.1???? If I do that, what other settings will need to be changed?