D-Link DCF-650W CF & DWL-520 PCI 802.11b...can't get to

[Boxster S]

I've tried everything, and I can't get these two to see each other.

I have my desktop PC with a DWL-520 Wireless PCI card in it
I have my Audiovox Maestro with a DCF-650W Wireless CompactFlash card in it

I've got the ESS ID setup as "Home" and I have each on Channel 11. I am getting full bars on Link Quality and Signal Level on my PDA and my desktop says that the Signal is Excellent. They are both running 802.11b Ad-Hoc.

But I can't ping, or do anything between the two. I'm at a total loss. I'm running Windows XP Professional.

The IP address on my desktop 802.11b card is 169.254.177.62 with submask 255.255.255.0. XP's network setup gave it that address.

I've even tried 192.xxx.xxx.x and all different variations manually to get this to work on both my Maestro and my desktop. I'm so lost

What can I do???

[Jeff Rutledge]

I have a WAP at home and I had to setup my PCI card to Infrastructure mode, not ad hoc.

I believe Ad Hoc is used for two devices with PC cards installed to see each other. A WAP is considered infrastructure. Also, when I do use Ad Hoc mode, I have two setting options: Ad Hoc and 802.11b Ad Hoc. Ad Hoc works for me, 802.11b Ad Hoc doesn't. That might help too.

Give those a try. Hope it helps.

[Boxster S]

I have a WAP at home and I had to setup my PCI card to Infrastructure mode, not ad hoc.

I believe Ad Hoc is used for two devices with PC cards installed to see each other. A WAP is considered infrastructure. Also, when I do use Ad Hoc mode, I have two setting options: Ad Hoc and 802.11b Ad Hoc. Ad Hoc works for me, 802.11b Ad Hoc doesn't. That might help too.

Give those a try. Hope it helps.

Well, I'm not using an access point. Just two wireless cards. One PCI in my desktop and one CF in my PDA.

[Jeff Rutledge]

Sorry, didn't completely read your obviously. Do you have a choice of 802.11b Ad Hoc AND Ad Hoc? This might be unique to my card, not sure. But I have had peer-to-peer connections work, but I had to change it to Ad Hoc.

[Boxster S]

Sorry, didn't completely read your obviously. Do you have a choice of 802.11b Ad Hoc AND Ad Hoc? This might be unique to my card, not sure. But I have had peer-to-peer connections work, but I had to change it to Ad Hoc.

I have a choice of both...and neither work for me

[Jeff Rutledge]

Hmmm...afraid I'm stumped then. At work, we're just using two laptops with the same PC Card in them both so it's a little different setup.

Maybe do a search on some of the boards for Al@home's posts. I've noticed his name in quite a few threads asking for wireless help. You might get lucky.

Sorry I couldn't help ya.

[Boxster S]

Well, thanks for your help. One last thing though, whenever I click on the "Link" tab in the D-Link setting control panel app (where the ping utility is), it keeps saying:

"Cannot search an IP address of this station"

[mikeschmidt]

Are you using DHCP? I have a similar problem with my SMC card. It seems the PocketPC gets a weird IP address by default. I have to use the IpConfig software (free) and select the renew button before I can use my card.

I would at least use this software to check your settings.

http://www.furrygoat.com/Programming/ceipConfig.html

/ mike

[topps]

Sorry, didn't completely read your obviously. Do you have a choice of 802.11b Ad Hoc AND Ad Hoc? This might be unique to my card, not sure. But I have had peer-to-peer connections work, but I had to change it to Ad Hoc.

I have a choice of both...and neither work for me

Some experiences that we have had:

1. Infrastructure mode seems reasonably reliable and works nearly all the time, regardless of who makes the hardware.

2. AdHoc not at all reliable when hardware not the same at each end.

3. On my setups, PseudoAdHoc, which I think is probably the same as one of the AdHoc options mentioned above, has worked better than plain AdHoc, but only between identical cards.

4. Using static IP addresses is quicker to handshake and has been more reliable than dynamic.

5. If trying to get two devices to AdHoc, make sure that there is no Infrastructure base station within range. We have found that, even though the software thinks that a change to AdHoc has been applied successfully, the firmware/hardware will not switch if there is still an infrastructure signal available - infrastructure mode seems to be the default.

[Boxster S]

I got it working...turned out that it was ZoneAlarm blocking off my Maestro when i was trying to ping. i just set up a Trusted Zone for the Maestro so that it could connect.

Now everything works.

Strange thing now though is that sometimes the Maestro won't connect until I ping it from the desktop, then it'll come alive.

**Shrugs shoulders**

[topps]

I got it working...turned out that it was ZoneAlarm blocking off my Maestro when i was trying to ping. i just set up a Trusted Zone for the Maestro so that it could connect.

Now everything works.

Strange thing now though is that sometimes the Maestro won't connect until I ping it from the desktop, then it'll come alive.

**Shrugs shoulders**

We changed over to routers, which gives us pretty good protection from outside attack, and then we don't have to mess with the vagaries of ZoneAlarm et al