WiFi Hot Spot Intermittent Limited Access
Thanks in advance if anyone can provide some thoughts on a recent Vista Home Premium WiFi hotspot access issue. I recently attended a conference in New Orleans, and the center was equipped for WiFi access. Although I was able to consistently link to their network, about half the time I encountered the "limited access" problem and could not connect to the internet. I confirmed with other users that they WERE accessing the net at the identical times I could not do so. Ipconfig showed the following, with the missing ip address for the default gateway: ---------------------------------------------------- Windows IP Configuration New Orleans Convention Center -- limited access Wireless LAN adapter Wireless Network Connection: Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : Link-local IPv6 Address . . . . . : fe80::689c:3e3c:f8e7:6a0%11 Autoconfiguration IPv4 Address. . : 169.254.6.160 Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.0.0 Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection: Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : mccno.com Tunnel adapter Local Area Connection* 11: Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : Tunnel adapter Local Area Connection* 7: Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : Tunnel adapter Local Area Connection* 14: Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : Tunnel adapter Local Area Connection* 15: Media State . . . . . . . . . . . : Media disconnected Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : ----------------------------------------- I am using an HP Pavilion dv-4 1435 running Vista Home Premium 64 bit with all updates installed. BTW, I did not fiddle with any registry settings, or reset any parameters, noting that at the very times I could not access the internet with the convention center WiFi, there were OTHER WiFi network options which DID allow connection. The only thought which came to mind (I am not an expert on these matters) would be that the convention center had run out of addresses to allow for net access...but I know I may be way way off on such a theory. Thanks so much in advance if anyone has any thoughts...and I apologize if this is simply not enough information to provide any basic troubleshooting information.
April 7th, 2011 1:27am

Hello, from the output of the IPconfig you provided, I see that you are using an APIPA address. This means that you have not received an IP address from a DHCP server and that you don't have a static IP address configured. Please run ipconfig /renew and check if a DHCP server gave you an IP address and that you are able to browse. If not then you should configure a static IP address (contact the network administrator to give you the IP address to use). Also disable IPv6 (Here I supposed that they are using IPv4 addresses). This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties or guarantees , and confers no rights. Microsoft Student Partner Microsoft Certified Professional Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator: Security Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer: Security Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuration Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure, Configuration
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April 7th, 2011 1:47am

Thanks so much for taking time to respond to my issue. I am no longer at the convention center, and could not find any IT support staff there...so the concept of my manually entering a static IP address was not an option. I looked up APIPA address, since I am a cardiologist and had no idea what that was...and if this is true: "APIPA is meant for nonrouted small business environments, usually less than 25 clients. " Well, there no doubt were more than 25 people (among the 18,000 attendees) trying to simultaneously access the net via the convention center's WiFi, so would this possibly support the theory that the DHCP server for the convention center was tied up and simply could not accommodate the number trying to access the net? And this would be supported by the fact that I WAS able to connect to their server, but only with local access? Or...would you suggest that if this occurs in the future, I try the ipconfig /renew option? Also (and I will gladly do my own self-education if you prefer), I had read about disabling IPv6, but since my WiFi has otherwise worked without glitches on my home wireless system and multiple other WiFi hotspots, I have just left it with default settings. Again, thanks for your thoughts! Very much appreciated.
April 7th, 2011 3:04am

Hello again, it is possible that all available IP addresses had been used by other people and that there were no IP address that can be assigned to you at that time. In this case, there is no way to access internet. I suggested that you run ipconfig /renew command because by running it, the client computer will try to get an IP address from a DHCP server. Here, I supposed that it may be something wrong with the DHCP server. In the future, try to use the mentioned command. If it does not help, run ipconfig /all on a colleague computer and then write in a paper the mentioned settings (the IP address, the mask, the gateway and the DNS server) Example: IP address: 192.168.2.100 mask: 255.255.255.0 gateway: 192.168.2.1 DNS:4.2.2.2 Now, on your computer go to IPv4 settings and just change the last part of the IP address (try 101, 102 ...) until you get a valid IP address. Example: 192.168.2.101 For other settings don't touch them. This is the easiest way to proceed as you are not an IT :) If you have other questions, I will be back tomorrow. This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties or guarantees , and confers no rights. Microsoft Student Partner Microsoft Certified Professional Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator: Security Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer: Security Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuration Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure, Configuration
Free Windows Admin Tool Kit Click here and download it now
April 7th, 2011 3:17am

I think your responses give me a good idea as to how to proceed if and when I run into this problem in the future...fortunately, I usually have no problems with WiFi access, but for someone who is NOT "IT" and who often cannot find an IT person running a given hot spot, this should help me determine "is it ME, or is it THEM?" Again, thanks again very much for this great information.
April 7th, 2011 3:39am

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