Question in advance.

[Rubber Bullets]

I know very little about netwoking, but do have a small network at home.

I have a Netgear DG384GT wireless router, with my main PC wired to it.

I also have a second desktop on the wireless network connected through a WG111 USB adapter.

This all works OK.

I am about to get a laptop from work that comes with a WiFi card, but I do not know any more about it till it arrives. I woudl like at least to be able to connect to the internet through my wireless router, but do not know how easy this will be.

My existing network was set up using Netgear software (very easily), but the new laptop won't have netgear stuff. Will I need to do anything fancy to get it connected? Or will it just work happily first time cos computer networking is easy and fool (me) proof?

All PCs running XP (I hope the new one has Pro the other 2 do).

Excuse my ignorance

RB

 

[Clown]

On the laptop, assuming it already has the drivers and software installed for its wireless card, it will scan for the router. You should be able to make it connect the same way as your second desktop albeit using different software.

 

[Rubber Bullets]

Thanks Clown,

I was hoping it would be that easy, but stuff with networking so often isn't

RB

 

[xane]

Annoyingly, many wireless products come with software and drivers that override the Windows built-in wireless networking, and in most cases I have experienced it was better to revert to standard Windows rather than use the dodgy software.

If you've been using Netgear specific wireless networking setup, it may well be a little different for other manufacturers, but the basics are the same.

Good Luck.

 

[SheepCow]

xane: the router is the netgear product, not the laptop.

Rubber Bullets: as you already have wifi up and running on the router all you'll need is the SSID (name of the wifi network) and the key to the network (this depends on what type of encryption you're using, e.g. WPA-PSK, WEP). Then it'll connect fine

 

[xane]

xane: the router is the netgear product, not the laptop.

He said he had a second desktop using a WG111, which I assume is the Netgear USB WiFi dongle.

 

[Rubber Bullets]

Hi, thanks for the answers.

You're both right, the second desktop is connected via a Netgear USB dongle. The laptop will have a network card in it, but probably just a generic one. I doubt wether file sharing etc. will be an issue, but I do want to be able to connect to the internet with the laptop via the router. Doing this with the USB thing was extremely easy using Netgear software, I just hope it is as easy using the generic card in teh laptop. (I fear it won't be)

BTW the order for the laptop was lost, so I still haven't got the bugger

RB

 

[Rubber Bullets]

Well the wait is over, I finally have the thing.

It is a Fujitsu Siemens AMILO, with a Ralink RT2500 Lan card. Whatever I do it simply can't find the wireless signal from the router. Any ideas? This is going to drive me crazy.

It certainly isn't the signal strength, I am sitting in the same room as teh router, and my other desktop, with the USB dongle is through 2 walls and across a landing and recieving with no problem!

I have tried with WEP on and off, and have put the network settings into the laptop, but still no joy.

Every time I refresh the network list I am told No wireless networks in range. Make sure the wireless switch on your computer is on.

What wireless switch? According to device manager the LAN card is operational, what else could there be?

Thanks for any help you can offer

RB

 

[Rubber Bullets]

By the way I have just found a Fujitsu app on teh laptop that runs teh network card, plugged all teh correct details of the network, name key etc, tried WEP on and off again, but still nothing!

RB

 

[Rubber Bullets]

OK Ignore the previous 2 posts, well you are doing so that's OK, I have moved on.

I discovered that Fn/F2 turned on the wireless card, and having done that the laptop now sees the network.

The next problem is that, although I can alegedly connect to the network, there is 'limited or no connectivity' because the network did not assign a network address to the laptop.

Is this fairly easy to remedy? Can I manually assign that address? If so how, and where do I find it?

Thanks, in hope,

RB

 

[SheepCow]

Well. Once it's connected rigt click on the icon in the systray and goto the status. Then click properties. Select TCP/IP and click properties, then enter the blurb.

Or you can setup a DHCP on your network, your router can probably do this.

 

[Rubber Bullets]

Thanks Sheepcow,

The thing will now at least connect, but I have clearly confused it mightyly.

If I switch the laptop on it will connect, but say the whole lack of connectivity thing, if I fire up the Oddysey app that connects it still says it lacks connectivity but when I turn it back off it connects fine.

So turning this on and off clearly changes something that allows connection, but I have no idea what.

RB