Cannot connect wifi to vista or windows 7
Hi- I have had trouble for a long time now trying to connect my laptop with Vista to my dad's wireless modem (connect elsewhere fine). i had long since given up, blamed it on vista and used LAN, However my dad just got a dell laptop with Windows 7 ultimate and seems to have the same issue. The computers recognise the wireless network connection as available with full strength, i can then select it and 'connect'. howeverthen the problems start. Mostly it looks like it is connected (the windows 7 says limited connectivity) but loading IE or MF ends up with error message, something along the lines of- unable to connect click here to diagnose problems- follow links unable to identify problem. I have tried many things and all automatic/prompt diagnostics/ repairs, However i am not very computer savy. I have also asked our ISP technicians for their hellp with the vista- to no avail. after many attempts tech mentioned all in one wireless modems are useless- however my dad was always able to connect wirelessly with cardbus adapted on old laptop (W. XP) Any help would be very greatfully appreciated- i am at wits end and about to go buy new wireless router +/- normal modem. Thanks :)
December 25th, 2010 2:17am

It sounds like a security setting on the wireless modem. Do you have any type of encryption enabled? More likely though is MAC filtering - the wireless device is set to only accept connections from specific network adapters, in this case the Cardbus adapter in the XP machine. Also, if the device is older, it may be an 802.11b-only device (11Mb max). You may actually be better off disabling the wireless on the modem altogether and going with a newer G or N wireless router.
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December 25th, 2010 10:37am

Hi, Thanks! not sure what i've got enabled- how do i check that? although the MAC filtering thing sounds fitting with the cardbus adapter- can that be changed? I actually went shopping today for a new wireless router- and discovered that it really is all over my head- i didn't know if we only needed the N 150 or 300 (shop girl said our inbuilt recievers may not be fast enough for 300 so not worth the money- however we have cable internet so want the best speed possible!) ( we have a ?3 yr old Toshiba satellite A201 and Dell Latitude D620) Thanks again :)
December 25th, 2010 11:59pm

add it: After googling how to find the specs i found that both laptops have intel (R) Pro/Wireless 3945ABG network connector, properties say 802.11a/b/g. does that mean that if i buy a n router i would only need the 150, as i dont really even need N only G? Thanks
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December 26th, 2010 1:25am

It means that you should get a router that supports "N" and "G". With the prices these days, it makes no sense to get a "G" only router. Actually, I would consider getting an "N" capable NIC and putting it in the PC. http://www.buy.com/prod/linksys-by-cisco-wmp54g-wireless-g-pci-adapter-linksys-wmp54g-linksys/q/loc/101/10339234.html -------- Regards, Hank Arnold Microsoft MVP Windows Server - Directory Services http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/personal-pc-assistant/ On 12/26/2010 1:20 AM, flowerpot3315 wrote: add it: After googling how to find the specs i found that both laptops have intel (R) Pro/Wireless 3945ABG network connector, properties say 802.11a/b/g. does that mean that if i buy a n router i would only need the 150, as i dont really even need N only G? Thanks Regards, Hank Arnold (MVP - DS)
December 26th, 2010 4:21am

The shop girl probably doesn't know squat about the routers, she's only guessing. If both routers are "N" routers they support B, G and N (and maybe "A" but I doubt it). And that's what defines the speed, so both are exactly the same speed; the transmission ranges may differ though. Also, the "150" router probably doesn't have as many features as the "300" for firewall, passthrough and such. In your case, if you do get a new router, either will do the job. MAC filtering is a function of the settings on the router; you'd need to dig around in the router's config page to change/disable it. The same goes for encryption. BTW, since we're dealing with laptops here, replacing the NIC with a faster "N" one, while not out of the question, may be going a bit too far. Not to mention expensive and rather challenging for a novice. If it were a desktop PC it would be a different matter.
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December 26th, 2010 11:22am

Hi Thanks! Ueah i'm pretty sure thats way over my head- i even had to google to find out what a NIC is! Is there a simple way of checking the MAC filtering on my wireless modem? digging around config page seems difficult- particularly as i don't know how to even access it! Should i call some techie in for help? Thanks for all the help guys :)
December 27th, 2010 3:08am

No, the router's config page or possibly the router's setup software are the only ways to check this. By all means, have a friend or associate who's set up routers before have a look at it - hands-on troubleshooting is always best.
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December 27th, 2010 10:17am

Hi! Sucess! well sort of! It was the Mac filtering thing- with the help of some more googling (as i don't have a techie friend) and another call to the isp to acccess the modem (Their tech didn't have a clue what i was talking about!) Now my dads computer (windows 7) is connected with wifi! still not able to on mine (the vista) but i'm going to try again... Vista always seems to be problematic! Thanks a lot for your help- will post again after i've treid the vista laptop again. and thanks Hank- we are still going to look at an N router- but maybe a bit later now! :)
December 31st, 2010 10:03pm

add it: hmmm, i went through the motions again- this time uisng my laptop (Vista) however i still cannot access the internet. when i connect to the network it says connected to unidentified network (greg) (*the name of the network), Local access only and loading IE says it cannot display the page. Network and sharing centre show diagram of my laptop connected to network but not to the internet... any ideas? NB if anyone else is following with the same problem- i found www.ehow.com/print/how_2124395_set-up-mac-filterning-network.html useful to follow Bob Reese's instructions
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December 31st, 2010 10:30pm

1) MAC filtering is now turned off, right? If not, you'll need to add your computer's MAC address to the filter. 2) You're not confusing MAC registration with MAC filtering, are you? You mentioned contacting your ISP again; some ISPs require MAC registration, where you register your computer or router's MAC address with them and then that will be the only device allowed to use that connection. I doubt that's what it is because you say you can connect with a wire, but I still had to ask.
January 1st, 2011 12:19pm

Hi! Thanks anny way Bob- i found the problem! so now we are both connected wifi! glad i didn't rush into buying the router! I kept the MAC filtering on and just added the two computers. Just needed the ISP's help to access the modem! After i added my laptop it finally prompted for a password so i thought it was fixed- but not quite! Couldn't figure it out why one laptop would work and not the other- then i followed the diagnostics and windows help and found that my network had a specified address on the IEv4 or something- (which i now remember vaugely doing when i lived in a share house and we kept knocking each other off the inet!) so put it back to auto and voilla all working now! Yay!!! so happy now! :) Thanks so much for you help! i've been trying to get my laptop connected for nearly 3 years! now i'm just annoyed with the isp- it was so easy in the end!
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January 1st, 2011 7:22pm

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