Bellsouth DSL + Dell Wireless Configuration

July 5, 2006 8:03 PM

Computer problem: Signed up with bell south DSL. Attempting to use my laptop wirelessly and sat through countless hours with BS Technical Reps attempting to finalize my connection. Unfortunately it isnt in the cards primarily because my computer is detecting my Bellsouth Wireless config as well as my Dell wireless configuration. (FYI: I'm using a netopia 3d wireless card)-- I was told that I would need to contact Dell to disable their wireless configuration. Can I reach them? No. It has been several days. No luck. I can still connect to the internet but I am chained to my desk, unable to take my laptop around (the entire reason for even having this contraption!) Any suggestions as to how to disable my dell wireless configuration?
posted by seeminglyshy to computers & internet (8 comments total)

Your question, thus far, makes no sense.

Do you have a wifi router provided by Bellsouth?

Answer only this question right now.
posted by titans13 at 8:21 PM on July 5, 2006

This is one of two things:

1. your laptop
So what are you using to connect to the wireless connection? Why not use the internal Windows XP wireless connection utility?

- go to my computer
- go to control panel
- go to network connections
- see your wireless network connection? right click on it
- the 2nd tab over is called wireless networks
- click on the checkbox that says use windows to configure my wireless connection

Then your computer will be using the EASY Windows method of connecting to wireless. Double click on the little computer icon with an X next to it (and some wiggle lines) in the bottom right of your screen.

Then you'll see a list of wireless networks to connect to. Connect to yours... put in your password for your wireless network if needed (hopefully needed... look in my profile for answers to multiple Ask Metafilter questions regarding configuration of wireless networks)

2. OR the problem could be that you didn't configure your wireless connection!

If this is the case, you probably need to set up some sort of wireless router attached to your Bell South DSL modem. I have this odd feeling that you may already have a router. Is there something with an antenna sticking out of it attached to your Bell South DSL modem?
posted by k8t at 8:24 PM on July 5, 2006

And if there is something attached to your Bell South DSL Modem, you're going to need to configure it to "know" your DSL account information and that you're using DSL.

Bell South should be able to tell you that user name and password and what type of connection it is (PPPOE, for example)... you then have to connect to the wireless router and tell it these things (and set a password and rename it, again, look in my old Ask MetaFilter answers for lots of help on this.)

Connecting to the wireless router and telling it these things is the tough part -- the easiest thing is to plug your laptop straight into the router (not into the port that says internet though) and then open a web browser... and type in the special web address that corresponds to your router. Linksys brands (and some others) are always, be default, http://192.168.1.1 and the username is either *BLANK* or admin and the password is admin ... but if it isn't 192.168.1.1, you can probably find out what it is from your router's manual...

Then once you're in there, it'll be pretty easy to figure out where to put in your DSL company username, password, and connection type... but the manual probably has some helpful hints for this too.
posted by k8t at 8:29 PM on July 5, 2006

Here's a helpful link to a previous explaination of wireless security:

http://ask.metafilter.com/mefi/40617#625831
posted by k8t at 8:31 PM on July 5, 2006

Do you have a built-in wireless card and the netopia?

I can't see how you're running two configs simultaneously (can't think of any drivers that would allow this) unless you've also got two cards.

If you do have two wireless cards (again, I'm unclear if this is the situation, as I didn't think you'd buy another wireless card if you've got it built in), you can disable the Dell one by doing the following: open the Start menu, right-click on "My Network Places" and pick "properties". One of those local area connections should be your Dell Wireless (it may not be marked as such). Right-click on this and select disable.
posted by fishfucker at 9:49 PM on July 5, 2006

I can't see how you're running two configs simultaneously (can't think of any drivers that would allow this) unless you've also got two cards.

Although I should mention some cards -- for example, the one I use, a netgear -- come with their own drivers, and purposefully ignore the windows XP ones (lame!) . I suppose it would be possible to have both these drivers running simultaneously.

Also, I'm just assuming you're running XP, or 2k, at the very least. If you're running 98 or ME, that's the problem right there.
posted by fishfucker at 9:52 PM on July 5, 2006

Agree with the idea that it may be a router issue; you don't mention what type of wireless router you have between your DSL modem and your laptop, but if it is not configured to send out the MAC address of your laptop, then that could cause the problem you are seeing. I have a Netgear router where this is easily configured via a web browser as mentioned above; I think most modern routers work this way.
posted by TedW at 4:27 AM on July 6, 2006

Thank you all for your imput and K8t thank you for the link.
As soon as I get home tonight I'll look into it again.
posted by seeminglyshy at 6:31 AM on July 6, 2006