Random Wi-Fi weirdness (any help appreciated!)

[popabawa]

OK, here's the setup; Win XP with an Actiontec AP, iPAQ 3870 with a Buffalo CF WiFi card (in a Silver Slider 2 expansion). All drivers etc are U-T-D.

From the iPAQ I can happily ping (using vxUtil) the pc, either by the IP address or the computer name. Super, this always works.

(Incidentally, my connection setting are "work", "work , "work", "this network connects to the internet" is ticked and I'm connecting with 'Infrastructure' mode, no WEP.)

The problem is the accessing the Internet, ActiveSync or network file sharing is problematic. I've used VXIPConfig to ensure the IP address is appropriate for the iPAQ (it is), but accessing any of these services seems random. Sometimes they works, sometimes they don't.

It usually takes about 5 - 10 minutes to get everything going, but sometimes much longer, then it usually works OK.

Sometimes when I try to connect, I get a little yellow triangle in the system tray. When I click on it (as you would to find out what the error is) it just disappears. I'm assuming this is something to do with the problem but it's not very helpful!

If anyone could shed any light on this or help me get a reliable connection I'd be really, really grateful :)

Thanks in advance :helpme:

[Sooner Al]

I am not familar with the Actiontec AP so help me out here.

Is the AP a combo broadband/wireless router/AP or simply a wireless AP?

If its a simple wireless AP then I presume it is connected to the XP box via a cross-over Ethernet cable?

If the XP box is the mechanisim used to access the public internet, via a dial modem, then are you running ICS on the XP box?

If your running ICS on the XP box do you also have the Actiontec AP acting as a DHCP server?

If so, you might try configuring the AP as a bridge, ie. turn off/disable any built-in DHCP server and NAT funtions. Let the PocketPC get its DHCP assigned IP and DNS information from the XP ICS box.

If the Actiontec AP is a combo broadband/wireless router/AP, then make sure the firmware is the latest available.

When you do have problems how far away from the AP are you, distance wise? Any interference from other 2.4 GHz devices like wireless phones or other wireless networks?

[popabawa]

Thanks Al :)

Is the AP a combo broadband/wireless router/AP or simply a wireless AP?


The AP is simply a wireless AP, connected to XP via USB.

If its a simple wireless AP then I presume it is connected to the XP box via a cross-over Ethernet cable?

ICS is running on XP for my ASDL internet connection.

If your running ICS on the XP box do you also have the Actiontec AP acting as a DHCP server?

Hmmmm, dunno, you are beyond me there! How do I tell?

Some further details.... (after MUCH trial & error)

Boot up the PC. All is well with the AP. All the appropriate lights come on.

When I try to connect the iPAQ for the first time, I get the little yellow triangle with the exclamation point. I can ping, but to access the internet etc.

If I then reset the AP (via the reset button on the AP), wait until it's done it's thing, then soft reset the iPAQ it works! Hurrah! But hardly convenient...

[Steven Cedrone]

After looking at the manual for the AP, I would recommend the following:

Asign an IP address to the WAP manually (it's default is: 192.168.0.1). Make sure the IP address is on the same network as your PC and make sure it does not conflict with any IP addresses already assigned on your network.

Assign an IP address to the Pocket PC manually.

Make sure you are not using WEP, and see if you can get connected...

Steve

[popabawa]

and make sure it does not conflict with any IP addresses already assigned on your network.

This may be a silly question but is there an easy way to tell what IP addresses are already assigned? I'm beginning to think this is the problem but I'm not sure how to tell.

Many thanks.

[Anthony Caruana]

I had similar experience with my DLink access point. I got around it by manually assigning an ip to my ipaq. I knoew it was a free address 'cos I cheked the addresses of the other machines on my (easy 'cos I only had a couple live at the time. I assigned an ip that was right at the end of the available range.

[Sooner Al]

and make sure it does not conflict with any IP addresses already assigned on your network.

This may be a silly question but is there an easy way to tell what IP addresses are already assigned? I'm beginning to think this is the problem but I'm not sure how to tell.

Many thanks.

You may be correct. Try an IP in the low range, ie. something like 192.168.0.10 for example. Most routers have a DHCP clients list, but looking at the manual for your router there does not seem to be one that you can access. Note that you should use the DNS server information from your ISP when you setup the static IP on your PocketPC. Use the ipconfig /all command from the cmd command line window to get that information from your XP box.

How-to-configure a Static or DHCP assigned IP on a PPC (http://www.oecadvantage.net/ajarvi/PpcIPConfiguration.html)

In theory you should be able to examine the C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts.ics file for a list of current DHCP clients that XP thinks it has. Unfortunately on my XP ICS box the only IP listed is the ICS interface of the PC itself and no other clients... :(

[popabawa]

:clap:

YAY! Fixed it! Works first time, every time now!

Thanks Al / Steve / Anthony for your helpfulness getting the settings right, however, the main problem lay elsewhere...

Upon installation, the AP software had given itself an IP (by default) of 192.168.0.1

Under 'Network Settings' - 'Properties' for the AP, it also has an IP of 192.168.0.1 (not sure if I manually set this or it was automatically assigned - I changed so many settings ;))

This seemed to make sense to me that they matched because (I thought) they were the same thing.

I changed the AP software IP settings to 192.168.0.2 and Presto!, no IP conficts. Hurrah!

I guess the AP was conflicting with itself somehow, I'm still not entirely sure why it now works...

Anyway, thanks again guys.

Think I might just wirelessly sync again now - because I can!