Wireless-less

May 26, 2006 1:57 PM

Can I connect to my wireless internet? I live in an apartment with wireless DSL already set up and used by a mac, but I started trying to use my Windows machine with it, and it's not working.

It's a wanadoo thingy with the service provided through France telecom. The signal is perfect, but everytime I try to connect I get the limited/no connectivity message. A physical address, IP address, subnet mask value are all assigned, but it gets held up at the default gateway. I don't know what a default gateway is. Our mac laptop is at the shop so I can't tell if the wireless network is working period. I don't know anything about networking, and all the manuals are in a foreign language. Please help!

posted by Packy_1962 to computers & internet (8 comments total)

The default gateway should be whatever the router's IP is - try something like xxx.xxx.xxx.1 or something like that, with the xxx's being the first three sets of your IP.

For example - computer is 192.168.1.101 - chances are that the gateway should be 192.168.1.1

If the computer can't find the gateway, it has no ability to make requests to the DHCP or anything like that, so it's dead in the water - perhaps someone else can back me up on this, as I'm only 90% sure of this.
posted by plaidrabbit at 2:15 PM on May 26, 2006

I just thought of something else. Limited access may mean "Doesn't have the key to get on". Do you know if the network is encrypted or not?
posted by plaidrabbit at 2:16 PM on May 26, 2006

the network could be encrypted with a WEP key, or it could be filtering by MAC address (the unique identifier of each network device)

checking the Apples network setup may be the fastest way to figure out this mystery
posted by Megafly at 2:48 PM on May 26, 2006

I have the same exact setup with Wanadoo, only the laptop is a PC. The USB dongle that they give you seems to be the only thing that will let you connect wirelessly. It even shows up as another network adapter on your computer. The other computer will only work if it's wired right into the Wanadoo box. It's all craptastic.
posted by DefendBrooklyn at 3:00 PM on May 26, 2006

For example - computer is 192.168.1.101 - chances are that the gateway should be 192.168.1.1
Ok , but it's blank

the network could be encrypted with a WEP key, or it could be filtering by MAC address (the unique identifier of each network device)
It is an encrypted network with a WEP key, I've been entering the network key.

checking the Apples network setup may be the fastest way to figure out this mystery
no Apples are available to check

The USB dongle that they give you seems to be the only thing that will let you connect wirelessly.
Just tried to use it, same exact thing happens.

The other computer will only work if it's wired right into the Wanadoo box.
Are you saying only one computer can be connected to the wireless network? I really hope this isn't true for me, and I don' think it is. I'm pretty sure we've had visitors succeed in connecting before.
posted by Packy_1962 at 3:17 PM on May 26, 2006

Try configuring the wireless adaptor manualy - DHCP will let you request a static IP as long as it's in it's range. Try xxx.xxx.xxx.2 (or whatever is above the router, in it's range) as the IP, the subnet is 255.255.255.0, find the DNS servers on the router, and make the gateway the addy of the router.

See if that works.
posted by plaidrabbit at 4:09 PM on May 26, 2006

you might also try changing the WEP password to something 13 characters or longer; I know that some windows systems have a problem with shorter passwords. I had my airport set up with a short password, and macs connected but Win machines could not; changed it to 13+ characters and then any machine could log in w/ the right password.
posted by luriete at 4:36 PM on May 26, 2006

Thanks everyone, I've got it working now.
posted by Packy_1962 at 9:27 AM on May 27, 2006