Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with network

Wonky windows 7 wifi

signal — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 16:26:56 -0800

Suddenly started getting "limited connection" using windows 7. Recently, my Dell XPS M1530 started having serious issues while connecting to wifi networks: it shows me as connected, but with no network or internet access, and no assigned IP number. Then, between 5 to 15 minutes later, the connection's fine.
This started simultaneously both at home and at my office, so I don't think it's a problem with either network's configuration or hardware. Nobody else at either location reports a similar issue.
I doubt it's a hardware issue either as I don't have the same problem when booting the same laptop into Ubuntu (which I'm using to type this).
I don't have any restore points (thought I did). I downloaded the latest wifi driver for my computer from Dell and no cigar. I let windows update update the driver and zilch.
Running the windows troubleshooting wizard didn't have any discernible effect.
I get the same problem whether booting into w7 or returning from the sleeping state, or just switching my wifi off an on.

Sharing photomanagement tags and goodies in a network

lifeonholidae — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 08:27:01 -0800

I know this was previously discussed in two posts, but perhaps there are updates. I need photo management software that will allow me to view tags, updates and edits within an network. Scene: Network of about 11 computers, a shared hard drive with all of our photos. I use Picasa and love it. How do I use Picasa in all of these PCs and share the tags, face identification etc.?

I know little about networking. But I follow instructions well!

Can not, can not, can not be online (liability and privacy issues)

Wirless network utilization keeps dropping to zero - any ideas?

alrightokay — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 14:50:35 -0800

My google skills have failed me. My wireless network utilization is very low, or keeps dropping to zero. Other computers on the same network are just fine - what gives? I have a new Sony Vaio and I recently installed windows 7. About a month after the install I starting having internet connections issues - pages timed out, video loads poorly, etc. A virus scan in safe mode turned up nothing. Did an adware scan too - also clean except for a few cookies.

My GF's computer, which is on the same wireless network, is not having any issues at all.

Ctrl+Alt+Del > Task Manager > Network shows that my Wireless network utilization goes from 0% to a 3.2% to .2% - all very low and frequently dropping to zero - not sure if this is normal.

I pinged www.google.com and I got some poor results too: 4 packets sent, 3 received, 1 lost. Apprx round trip time avg was 43ms - but the result is not consistent - sometimes it's as low as 20ms but other times the "Request timed out."

Does anyone know what might be causing the problem?

Second time's the charm?

The Winsome Parker Lewis — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 11:58:36 -0800

Please help me rearchitect my Apple-specific wireless home network and iTunes library! Eleven paragraphs of geeky details within (sorry!). I have a big (~100GB) iTunes library I've been accumulating over at least a decade of ripping all my CDs and, in more recent days, my DVDs as well. That project is still ongoing and may never end. I've invested a lot of hours in encoding and cataloging my physical media, and I want to keep it safe for, well, forever. I'm motivated by a teeny bit of paranoia that my discs will scratch and I'll lose something. I keep a tidy house but I guess you could call me a data hoarder. ;-)

This summer I decided to free up room on my MacBook (occupying that much disk space just for iTunes was pretty ridiculous). I bought a WD My Book Mirror Edition and moved the library to it. I configured RAID mirroring for the dual drives so I'd have a backup in case one failed. Before the move, I regularly backed up the library onto my Time Capsule (using Time Machine) along with all my other non-iTunes stuff; the RAID mirroring made that seem redundant so I deleted the backup and excluded it from all future backups. Also, instead of connecting the MyBook straight to my computer, I plugged it into the Time Capsule USB port so I could carry the laptop around the house and still use iTunes wirelessly.

I was really proud of this setup until a couple issues reared their heads:

Latency. Playing music in iTunes over this network works mostly fine apart from the occasional stutter. There's also often a very long delay (30 seconds or more) between when I tell a new song to play and the audio actually begins. Similar delays between when I "get info" on a file and the info window appears. iTunes beachballs frequently now, completely unresponsive while it does... stuff. If I wait, it eventually takes care of whatever it was doing and becomes usable again. So annoying.

Latency's an even bigger issue when watching movies. By default, the Time Capsule was configured for 802.11b/g/n compatibility and movies were unwatchably laggy. I found that forcing pure 802.11n improved performance a lot and movies ran almost as smoothly as music, with only occasional, forgivable hiccups and long delays for play/pause, scrubbing, etc. The downside of killing 802.11b/g compatibility is that my iPhone 3G can no longer use the network, as it only goes up to g. I really miss that functionality, for things like Airfoil Speakers and iTunes Remote.

Another issue is the unfamiliarity of maintaining a network drive that's out of sight, out of mind. Whenever I want to use iTunes I have to mount the drive (I run a script to do it automatically at logon). Whenever I leave the house I have to unmount it. I've forgotten a couple times and disconnected improperly. There were also a couple times when I had trouble getting online and reset the Time Capsule, forgetting that the disk was mounted. Which leads us to the next sad, sad paragraph...

This past weekend, tragedy struck. I think it was related to an improper disconnect while data was being written. Suddenly iTunes refused to read the drive at all. Time Capsule reported a "problem" with the drive. I plugged it into the MacBook and ran Disk Utility. It failed to verify or repair the disk and said I would have to format it. What's worse, the mirrored drive was identically corrupted too. I lost my whole library and the supposed "failsafe!" Crap! I really botched this one up.

I'm investigating data recovery options. I should be able to restore my files. Not sure how this is going to play out but it makes my heart ache. Any suggestions for cheap-as-in-free ways to get my library back in working condition would be appreciated.

But what I'm really asking for in this question is the best way to prevent this from happening again and in a way that works better than my first attempt. Assuming the drive is not mechanically broken and I'll be able to get my files back, how can I redesign my network to do all of the following:

Access my iTunes library wirelessly
Minimize latency
Keep a backup of the library that's actually safe and won't give me any more headaches
Use my iPhone on the network
Require no additional hardware purchases if at all possible

I can't think of a single way to fulfill all of those requirements. Maybe it's impossible. But you are smarter than me, I trust. If it makes a difference, the MacBook is a late 2007 Santa Rosa model, 2.2 GHz, running Snow Leopard. Let me know if I've left out any other details that could be helpful. Thanks!

What is the absolute simplest, least expensive way to fix my sister-in-law's home network?

ook — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 10:57:17 -0800

What is the absolute simplest, least expensive way to fix my sister-in-law's home network? Here's what we have so far:

* a technophobic relative who lives hours away from me, for whom I would like to do a minimum of telephonic tech support
* a cable internet box, which has exactly one ethernet jack
* an iMac with one ethernet jack and no ability to connect to a WiFi network[1]
* a mac laptop for which they would like wireless access
* an Airport Express, which I suggested they buy before I discovered that the iMac cannot connect to WiFi.

[1] I spent a good chunk of my Thanksgiving weekend trying unsuccessfully to get WiFi to work on that iMac; the laptop connects fine, but I finally concluded that either there's something wrong with the iMac's airport card or that an assistive-learning device she has installed for her son is interfering with the machine's ability to connect to a normal WiFi network or there's some other software issue which I'm just too dumb to figure out; in any case let's just assume that this machine will need to have a wired connection.

Obviously I could suggest they buy an Airport Extreme instead, and then they could use the Express to extend the network range or as a, I dunno, doorstop. But that's kind of pricey, and I already feel a bit sheepish for suggesting they buy the Express in the first place.

Will one of those cheapo $10 ethernet hubs be sufficient? (Cable box to hub, from there wired connections to the iMac and to the airport express, which the laptop can connect to). Or do I need a switch, or a router, or -- basically I know enough about networking to know that there is a difference between these devices, but not enough to know what it is or why you would need one instead of another in a given situation. And I don't really care, I'd just like to put this behind me with a minimum of fuss. And I would especially like to avoid buying anything that will need my sister-in-law to do any software configuration, because I'll end up trying to do it over the phone, which... yeah. Let's not.

So: suggestions?

Need help setting up AirPort on my Mac

Joseppi — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:52:14 -0800

I'm trying to set up an AirPort on my Mac and I'm having some issues. It's asking for OS X 10.4 and I'm running 10.5 but it still doesn't work. Any clue as to why this is happening? I'm trying to set up an AirPort on my Mac and I'm having some issues. When I try and install the software I get a message that says, "You cannot install AirPort on this volume. The version of Mac OS X on this volume is not supported." It's asking for volume 10.4 and I'm on 10.5. This is beyond frustrating as this is supposed to be such a simple process. Does anyone know what my issue might be?

Slow typing in Excel 2008 and unexplained network traffic

lbergstr — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 01:06:18 -0800

Why would Excel 2008 cause a lot of network traffic while typing in a cell? After using Excel 2008 for a few months, recently I've experienced sluggishness when typing in cells. These are really serious slowdowns, the display can take 5 seconds to catch up to my typing. It comes and goes; haven't been able to discern a pattern here.

However I use MenuMeters and during slowdowns, I've noticed that network traffic spikes when I'm typing in Excel - say 150KB down, 33KB up.

I'm not editing a document on a network drive, or even an external drive. Happens whether or not I have any external drives connected.

I'm connected to a local network via wifi, and through that to the Internet - but our external connection tops out around 25KB down.

Any ideas?

Using Excel 2008 SP1 on 10.5.8.

MS Access - Limit to # of shared users

cg1 — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:04:10 -0800

Is there a limit to the # of users who can share a Microsoft Access database across a network? I've been working in Filemaker for so long that it's been a while since I designed in Access. I'm now working for a public school that has no money, but all its machines have Access. The school *really* needs a database, so I'm considering building one using expertise from my previous life in the business world.

Several questions:

- Assuming all 100 teachers in our school has Access on the PC in their classroom, could all 100 access the same Access database simultaneously without problems? I know that Filemaker has a user limit of 250, but that requires Filemaker Server (a separate / more expensive software) be installed on at least the server itself. Does Access have similar limitations?

- Does Access support a web-based module, that teachers not in the building / not on the school network could access? If so, is it worth a damn?

- Is Access easier to design in now than it was years ago (when I switched to Filemaker and was thrilled how much simpler it was)?

Thanks in advance for any help,
Wade

Wireless internet and wireless printing on two separate networks

game warden to the events rhino — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 06:54:36 -0800

I borrow my neighbor's wireless internet, with their permission. Can I set up a separate network for wireless printing in my apartment, and use it simultaneously? I have a Macbook Pro and a (currently unused) Apple Airport Express, and plan to buy a laser printer. I'd like to keep my current internet arrangement, because it saves me money! I have two questions:

1. Am I going to have any problem running a wireless network for printing that doesn't have any connection to the internet at all?
2. Is there any way I could set this system up to avoid having to switch manually between networks every time I wanted to print, or am I completely misunderstanding the nature of wifi in even asking this? Could I be connected to both networks at once?

Thanks in advance.

(UK) mobile phone operator?

nam3d — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:22:00 -0800

Is their a "decent" UK mobile phone operator? The problem with internet in general is that people only ever post a forum post, tweet a tweet, etc, etc about mobile phone operators when something goes bad.

So which network have you been pleased with? I'm talking in terms of price, coverage and customer service.

I've been with Orange, T-Mobile and o2, the worst probably being T-Mobile and the best probably o2.

I would consider 3 but their network coverage isn't that great where I live.

Does Xbox 360 have a proxy option with authentications?

omaralarifi — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:17:06 -0800

Does Xbox 360 have a proxy option with authentications such as username and password with it? Or PPTP w/ authentications. Also does it have a VPN support?

Multimedia-filter: Looking for help from all you Network and digital media Gurus in making my first house totally awesome. Movies, Televsion, Music, Wifi, Streaming Content and 50mgbt broadband within.

Cogentesque — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:03:13 -0800

Multimedia-filter: Looking for help from HDTV, NAS, Media Servers and Network Gurus' in making my first house totaly awesome. Movies, Televsion, Music, Wifi, Streaming Content and 50mgbt broadband within. Ok guys, this is my first new message on metafilter, so thanks for everything thus far - to business.

The Premise:
In two weekends time, my girlfriend and I are moving into our first house together in Southampton (UK).

Thankfully she is very accomadating and shares the same views with me reguarding the wonder of technology and allure of gadgetry and thus: we have decided to go down the "cyberhouse" network route - all be it slowly.

What we currently have
50mgbt line and a Television package from Virgin.
2 relatively high-spec PCs downstairs (in the lounge) (XP/Vista soon upgrading to Windows 7 im sure)
A new TV - to be bought - (http://www.ebuyer.com/product/154997/show_product_reviews?offset=10&review_type=both&review_order_by=RLF - ebuyer's own)
1 ipod touch
Host of parts to make a low spec PC.

What I would like in my cyber house
DVD's playable on the TV
Normal channels (Virgin package) playable on the TV
Video (films, episodes) from PC's playable on the TV
Music, both downstairs and upstairs: DAB radio/Cd's/Downloaded Music/Online Radio (last.fm etc would be great)
The ability to change the music remotely (ideally, different sources for different rooms)

Some ideas I've been looking at so far
KVM Switch and a long HDMI cable for my computer to use TV as alternative screen - enabling videos from pc to be played
NAT Storage hiding somewhere in the network
Popcorn Hour to play video from PC
Sonos music system to play upstairs and downstairs
Media pc configured to do the job of sonos and popcorn hour (apparantly this is very tricky?)

What do you think metafilter? Remember that we are definately "on a budget" but I much more trust your collective ideas and conceptions than my own - so what would you reccomend should be my immediate course of action?

Why can I use PING but not HTTP on a yet-to-be-activated DSL account?

j0hnpaul — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 14:15:09 -0800

Why can I PING with my new DSL modem on an inactive account, but nothing else? Hi! My new modem arrived for Verizon DSL service, but my "service ready date" hasn't arrived yet, giving me some time to muse and experiment.

I noticed that when I set up the modem and connected my Mac via an Ethernet cable, my Network Diagnostics show that the computer is connected to the internet and the connection is working properly. I noticed I can also PING google.com, verizon.com, or any other website from the Terminal with zero packet loss.

On the other hand, everything useful about the internet is closed. I can't access anything in a web browser, and attempting to run the software Verizon sent me to "activate my account" or "troubleshoot my connection" fails. I surmise this is related to trying this before the "service ready date".

But the fact that PING works from the command line, and I'm able to send and receive data across the internet, makes me wonder how real the "service ready date" is. If it's possible to communicate with sites via PING, why not through HTTP? What's really going on?

To Build or Not to Build

sciencemandan — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:25:14 -0800

I'm looking for a decent 4-bay (minimum) network server on the cheap. I'm trying to set up a backup server for a video surveillance system. I am going to end up needing 8TB or so for file space (I won't need all of that to start, but I will over time, so being able to add drives to an existing system would be nice). Windows Home Server seems like the way to go since you can add drives and it puts them in a storage pool.

So here's my question: should I go for an existing product like this, or can I build one for cheaper? I have a license for Windows Home Server, so that's not an issue.

I've built systems before, but never one for the sole purpose of network storage, so any suggestions for a case that can hold at least 4 drives, a motherboard that can take 4 SATA drives, and a decent power supply would be much appreciated. Also, knowing how much RAM and processing power would be helpful (if that even matters...I'd imagine that serving up files wouldn't take up a great deal of system resources).

No phone reception: how to get texts?

fightorflight — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 07:45:11 -0800

How can I send and receive SMSs in a mobile phone blackspot? My new flat is in a total mobile blackspot, at least on my network (iPhone on O2). I can get around the calls problem by diverting them to the home phone, but am tired of missing texts.

Is there any way I can receive them at home, and send them with a number that people can reply to? Super-bonus points if there's any way I can get alerts about incoming ones to my iPhone (which is on wifi at home).

VPN from home NAS system.

CodeMonkey — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 10:36:19 -0800

I am trying to set up my router so that I can get at my files on my 3 NAS boxes. These NAS boxes are 1) D-Link DNS323, Infrant ReadyNAS NV+, and a Buffalo TeraStation HD-H2.0TGL/R5. The router is connected to the internet via a home service cable modem so it won't have a static IP and one step is to find the IP address before accessing. I have a router (DLink DGL-4100) which says it can make a IPSec VPN or FTP using a Virtual Server (I think). There would be no other PCs on the network since I would be taking my laptop with me when I access the network. The manuals for the routers talk about FTP serving but if I get a VPN set in my router then I should be able to just browse for whatever I want that way...right? The instructions say it can be done, but how? Please give me step by step instructions the best you can for setting up the router, the NAS boxes and my XP laptop (with suggested software, if necessary) since I have looked all over the internet and can't find anything I can understand. Of course the access should be encrypted and password protected. THANKS GUYS. From the router manual. (DGL-4100):
Application Level Gateway (ALG) Configurations
Here you can enable or disable ALG’s. Some protocols and applications require special handling of the IP payload to make them work with network address translation (NAT). Each ALG provides
special handling for a specific protocol or application. A number of ALGs for common applications ar enabled by default.

IPSec VPN:
Allows multiple VPN clients to connect to their corporate network using IPSec. Some VPN clients support traversal of IPSec through NAT. This ALG may interfere with the operation of such VPN clients. If you are having trouble connecting with your corporate network, try turning this ALG off. Please check with the system adminstrator of your corporate network whether your VPN client supports NAT traversal.

FTP:
Allows FTP clients and servers to transfer data across NAT. Refer to the Advanced -> Virtual Server page if you want to host an FTP server.

Virtual Server
The Virtual Server option gives Internet users access to services on your LAN. This feature is useful for hosting online services such as FTP, Web, or Game Servers. For each Virtual Server, you define
a public port on your router for redirection to an internal LAN IP Address and port.
Example: You are hosting a Web Server on a PC that has Private IP Address of 192.168.0.50 and your ISP is blocking Port 80.
1. Name the Virtual Server Rule (ex. Web Server)
2. Enter in the IP Address of the machine on your LAN – 192.168.0.50
3. Enter the Private Port as [80]
4. Enter the Public Port as [8888]
5. Select the Protocol - TCP
6. Ensure the schedule is set to Always
7. Check the Add Rule to add the settings to the Virtual Server List
8. Repeat these steps for each Virtual Server Rule you wish to add. After the list is complete, click Save Settings at the top of the page.
With this Virtual Server Rule all Internet traffic on Port 8888 will be redirected to your internal web server on port 80 at IP Address 192.168.0.50.

From the D-Link NAS DNS-323 manual:
FTP Server
The DNS-323 is equipped with a built in FTP Server, which is easy to confgure. It allows users access to important data whether they are on the local network or at a remote location. The FTP server can be confgured to allow user access to specifc directories, and will allow up to 10 users to access the DNS-323 at a time.

This section contains the configuration settings for the DNS-323 FTP Server.
The current settings and status of the DNS-323 FTP Server are displayed here.

The FTP access for users and groups can be added and edited here.

Category Determines whether the FTP server rule will apply to an individual user or a group.

User / Group Select the group or user the FTP server rule will apply to.

Folder Browse to and select the folder or directory you are granting FTP access to. Select root to grant access to all volumes.

Permission Set the user or group permission to Read Only or Read/Write.

FTP Server Settings
Max User: Sets the maximum amount of users that can connect to the FTP server.
Idle Time: Sets the amount of time a user can remain idle before being disconnected.
Port: Sets the FTP port. Default is 21.
Flow Control: Allows you to limit the amount of bandwidth available for each user.

Most standard FTP clients like Windows FTP, only support Western European codepage when transferring files.
Support has been added for non-standard FTP clients that are capable of supporting these character sets.

Access List: Lists all defned FTP Rules.

If you are behind a router, you will need to forward the FTP port from the router to the DNS-323. Additional flltering and frewall settings may need to be modifed on your router to allow FTP Access to the DNS-323 from the Internet. Once the port has been forwarded on the router, users from the internet will access the FTP server through the WAN IP address of the router.

From the ReadyNAS NV+ manual.

FTP/FTPS
To access the share via FTP in Share security mode, log in as “anonymous” and use your e-mail address for the password.
.
To access the share in User or Domain security mode, use the appropriate user login and password used to access the ReadyNAS. For better security, use an FTPS (FTP-SSL) client to connect to the
ReadyNAS FTP service. With FTPS, both the password and data are encrypted.

From the Terastation manual.
To allow Anonymous FTP, choose Enable for Anonymous FTP Server. Select a folder to share from the Anonymous User Public Shared Folder (only one folder may be shared by anonymous FTP) and
choose whether you want the share to be Writable or Read Only. Click the Apply button to set up anonymous FTP.
If FTP Server is disabled in the Basic window, this page will not be accessible.
Anonymous FTP mode uses port 8021 (e.g. ftp://IP Address:801).

How to build a private social network with only admin-user communication?

Josh Coe — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:49:09 -0800

I'd like to create a self-hosted private social network where users can submit a photo and personal information. But when a user logs in, they should only be able to see and modify their own profile information, and they should only be able to see and communicate with the admin, not the other users. I'd like to use a CMS such as Joomla, Elgg, Drupal, or Wordpress (Buddypress?), but I'm not sure what would be the best approach.

Connecting a microphone to a network.

BrokenEnglish — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 07:07:17 -0800

I have an IP webcam which allows anyone on the local area network to connect to it and view. Is there an equivalent IP-addressable device for sound only? Basically I want an IP-addressable microphone which will stream audio over the LAN and allow people to "tune in" just as they would with a webcam. Changing the webcam for one with a mic is, unfortunately, not an option. Bonus if the device can take input from a sound mixer board. I'd prefer a device which was self-contained rather than needing a PC nearby but I could use a PC if necessary. This is for use in a theatre so performers in the dressing room can keep an eye and ear on the progress of the performance.

Wireless network connection problem

Kat Allison — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:15:11 -0800

ARGH. Wireless connectivity problem. Laptop tells me I am connected with excellent signal strength, and yet I'm not able to load any webpages. So, I am in the process of moving. I got internet service connected at the new place, and my laptop (running Windows XP) connects to the internet with no problem when hooked up via Ethernet. So then I unhooked the wireless modem from my old place (where it had been working just fine with my laptop), and hooked it up at the new place.

My wireless network shows up in the list of available networks on my laptop; when I try to connect to it, I get the message that it is connected and signal strength is excellent. But -- it's not actually accessing the internet. I *can* connect with a neighbor's unsecured wireless network, but not with mine, even though every screen that relates to the wireless connection status tells me I'm connected.

Stuff I have tried with no effect:
--Rebooting.
--Checking all hardware connections.
--Disabling Windows firewall.
--Repairing the connection.

In "Network Connection Details" it says:
--Address Type: Assigned by DHCP
--IP Address: 192.168.1.100
--Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
--Default Gateway: 192.168.1.1
--DHCP Server: 192.168.1.1
--Lease obtained: 10/8/2009 3:06:37 PM
--Lease expires: 10/9/2009 3:06:37 PM
--DNS Servers: 68.87.69.146
68.87.85.98
68.87.78.130

I have WPA security on the network, but the password or key don't seem to be presenting any problems.

It would probably help if I had a better grasp of how wireless networks work. But, based on this -- any ideas? Anything I could try?

Big Ten Network football on streaming video?

ragtimepiano — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 09:34:08 -0800

Can I get Big Ten Network football games on streaming video online? Does anyone know if this is possible, and if so, how to do it?

Why-Fi?

Rhaomi — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 13:17:19 -0800

What's killing my wi-fi connection? The last few days I've been having some odd problems with my wireless network. I'll be browsing on my laptop when all of a sudden things get really slow, as if I lost the connection. But instead of being sent to "This page is not available" or "server not found" pages like when there really is no connection, I just get stuck loading forever. So if I open a tab and go to Google, it will sit and load saying "Waiting for www.google.com" in the status bar for a minute or two, then eventually say "Done" -- even though the only thing that has loaded is a completely blank tab (even the source code of the page is empty) with the raw URL in the title bar.

But throughout all this, there's no indication that I've lost my connection. The wifi icon in the system tray doesn't change, and says I'm connected if I hover over it. When I open up the Command Prompt and enter ipconfig /all, it says all my internet connection stats are normal. The subnet mask, DHCP server, DNS, etc. are all there. The IP address doesn't start with 169. It's all okay.

Weirdest of all, despite the fact that I can see that all the connection info is normal, if I enter my router's IP address into the address bar (which usually takes me to the router's settings page), it just does the same thing. Load... load... load... blank tab. I understand not being able to connect to the internet, but if I can see all my connection and router info in Command Prompt, why can't I connect to the same router with my browser?

The only way to fix it, I've found, is to disconnect from the wireless network and reconnect. It'll then work fine for anywhere from one minute to fifteen, at which point the connection drops again. This is only affecting my laptop, by the way -- iPods and other laptops connect fine.

I've tried restarting my computer, restarting the router, and repairing the connection -- nothing works. It seems that getting closer to the router improves things, but I'm not sure since the problem comes and goes randomly. And besides, the router is in the same place as it's always been, so unless it's suddenly lost broadcasting power I don't see what would cause the problem. And in the "View Wireless Networks" window, it says the network has an Excellent signal when I'm not connected (though that decreases a bar or two once I do).

The only incident I can think of is that a power surge recently burnt out the power supply, and I had to buy a universal one with an adapter to get the router up and running again. But this was a week or two before the trouble started, so that's probably not the source.

Is there anything that would cause a wireless router to lose signal strength like that? Is there something I can do to fix it, or should I just spring for a new one?

Details: I have a Dell laptop running Windows XP SP3. I have a Bellsouth Fast Access DSL internet connection. The router is a 2Wire HomePortal 1700HW. The loading problem happens on Firefox, Chrome, and IE7.

One more detail I remembered: For awhile when the problem first started, ipconfig /all was giving me some weird info. For instance, it said that the "lease" for the connection expired one second after it was obtained. But it's not doing that anymore.

TCP port switcheroo

AltReality — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:28:11 -0800

I would like to forward a local port to another local port...in effect, disguising one port for another. Is this possible? First, I'm on Windows XP SP3.

I would like any apps on my PC that try to make a connection through (for example) port 1234, to be routed out through port 4321 instead.
kinda like a hosts file, but for local ports, not IPs/DNS names.

I've been playing with NetCat and FPipe, thinking they might work, but I am obviously not getting the correct command line.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

Help me identify potential grant sources for rebuilding an elementary school's IT network

Imhotep is Invisible — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 09:42:58 -0800

I have been tasked with rebuilding the computer lab and administrative systems for an elementary school. One of my tasks will be to seek out and apply for grants of funds or equipment for an upgrade. What organizations should I approach? The primarily African-American Christian school located on the south side of Chicago has approximately 20 lab machines and 8 administrative machines, though the majority of the machines are out-of-date. I would be looking to obtain network hardware (firewall, switches), complete desktop systems, printers, 2 small servers, client licenses for Office and Windows, antivirus and content-filtering solutions, and (potentially off-site) backup.

I've found this ask question about how to approach a foundation and there's plenty of information about how to write a grant request but there seems to be vast volumes of potential sources and I'm not sure how to identify who would be an ideal partner.

Is this report worth the money? Who else would you recommend I/we approach?

Much obliged!

Why can't the networked devices just get along?

edjusted — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:03:26 -0800

I'm trying to set up my parents' home network. The easiest way to describe it is with a diagram. They have a DSL router in a closet, and that's connected (ethernet) to mom's desktop pc. There is a wireless router (D-Link DI-524) that's also connected to the DSL router via ethernet. There is a printer connected to the D-Link via ethernet. And finally, dad's laptop connects via wifi. If the DSL router is connected to the wireless router's LAN port, mom can surf the web and print to the printer, but dad can't connect to the internet. (see the "lan port connection" diagram) If the DSL router is connected to the wireless router's WAN port, mom can surf the web but can't see the printer, but dad can connect to the internet. (see the "wan port connection" diagram) I've tried tweaking the D-Link's settings to both accept a DHCP address or have a hardcoded address, and also to pass out or not pass our a DHCP address to dad's laptop. What I can't seem to accomplish is: 1. mom can access internet 2. mom can access printer 3. dad can access internet 4. dad can access printer Any suggestions? Can I even do this with this equipment?

Need help with multiple routers

tjbarrett — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 13:04:11 -0800

Looking for help with multiple routers on network. I'm with a small company that has 3 routers on its network; 1 open wireless for the public to use in the deli, 1 secured for employee laptops, and 1 commercial non-wireless that has a firewall for the office computers. The printers are inside the office and all of the wired computers talk just fine together. The problem is that we'd like to give some of the departments laptops to use on the floor, but since they're coming off of a different router, I'm not sure how to get them to see the computers and printers. Any helpful comments or links to networking resources pertinent to my situation would be very helpful and greatly appreciated. Thanks.