Wireless networking hardware question...
12 January 2007, 06:50 AM
#1
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Wireless networking hardware question...
I have an 11mb wireless access point plugged into my router. All my pc's and laptops connect fine to it using 11mb wireless cards. I have a work laptop that has a 54mb built in wireless card but this can not connect to the wireless access point. It can see it but can not establish a connection with it, always shows as red in the available wireless networks in XP even though its configured exactly the same as all my other wireless devices. I stuck an 11mb pcmcia wireless card in the work laptop and it connected to my network fine but I would rather just use the built in 54mb card if its possible.
Is it simply 54mb and 11mb wireless hardware isn't compatable? My 11mb pc's and laptops don't see any other wireless networks apart from my own. However when I turn the work laptop on with the 54mb card I find several neighbours wireless networks which was nice as most didn't have them secured and I was able to connect and surf off their connections.
Is there something additional you have to do to make 11mb and 54mb wireless hardware talk to each other?
Is it simply 54mb and 11mb wireless hardware isn't compatable? My 11mb pc's and laptops don't see any other wireless networks apart from my own. However when I turn the work laptop on with the 54mb card I find several neighbours wireless networks which was nice as most didn't have them secured and I was able to connect and surf off their connections.
Is there something additional you have to do to make 11mb and 54mb wireless hardware talk to each other?
12 January 2007, 08:38 AM
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B2Z
Check the wireless card that is installed on your laptop. I'm assuming this is a Windows based machine, running Intel Centrino? The description of the wireless card should say something like 'Intel Pro Wireless 2200 BG'. Has work put any restrictions on the PC? Do you have local admin access?
Basically there are 3 wireless standards:
802.11b
802.11g
802.11a
.11b runs at 11Mbs and .11g runs at 54Mbs - both of these run in the 2.4Ghz frequency range and are therefore compatible. There should not be a problem running a mixed wireless network.
.11a also runs at 54Mbs, but in the 5Ghz frequency range - this is not compatible with .11b - So that is potentially one problem. Although most modern wireless cards do allow connections to different standards, it might be something you have to enable within the Windows configuration.
Depending on the age of your wireless AP, there may be some sort of restriction or issue with this. You could try checking the manufacturer's website for updates to the AP firmware to see if there have been any reported issues over compatibility (although the .11 standards are ratified globally, there have in the past been issues with different manufacturers and their interpretation of certain parts of the standards).
If all this fails, I would take the wireless router back to its default config with no encryption etc and try to connect each device in turn to see if you can isolate the fault that way.
Check the wireless card that is installed on your laptop. I'm assuming this is a Windows based machine, running Intel Centrino? The description of the wireless card should say something like 'Intel Pro Wireless 2200 BG'. Has work put any restrictions on the PC? Do you have local admin access?
Basically there are 3 wireless standards:
802.11b
802.11g
802.11a
.11b runs at 11Mbs and .11g runs at 54Mbs - both of these run in the 2.4Ghz frequency range and are therefore compatible. There should not be a problem running a mixed wireless network.
.11a also runs at 54Mbs, but in the 5Ghz frequency range - this is not compatible with .11b - So that is potentially one problem. Although most modern wireless cards do allow connections to different standards, it might be something you have to enable within the Windows configuration.
Depending on the age of your wireless AP, there may be some sort of restriction or issue with this. You could try checking the manufacturer's website for updates to the AP firmware to see if there have been any reported issues over compatibility (although the .11 standards are ratified globally, there have in the past been issues with different manufacturers and their interpretation of certain parts of the standards).
If all this fails, I would take the wireless router back to its default config with no encryption etc and try to connect each device in turn to see if you can isolate the fault that way.
Last edited by Chris L; 12 January 2007 at 08:42 AM.
12 January 2007, 09:11 AM
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Thanks Chris. Yep the laptop has a Intel Pro Wireless 2200 BG card, its an HP4200 laptop running XP. The image builds on our machines are locked down heavily but I sorted out the restrictions for wireless as firstly the card started connecting to my neighbours 54mb wireless connection and then connected to my 11mb wireless connection with the pcmcia card so pretty confident its not the group policy/windows config locked down by work causing it.
Its also strange that none of my 11mb devices see any of my neighbours wireless connections, only the laptop with the 54mb card see them.
My wireless access point is an old thing (US Robotics) but works fine with all my 11mb cards. I had a good look around all its options and also the config for the 54mb network card on the laptop but couldn't seem to find anything that worked. On the access point I found a button that was enable/disable for 802.1x which I thought would be to allow mixed mode? However when I enabled this it actually kicked my Nintendo Wii off the network (saw its MAC address disappear off the connected devices list) and all other devices that were connected at the time so put it straight back to disabled.
I think its the fact its US Robotics for a start and that it probably only allows 11mb devices to connect to it.
Its also strange that none of my 11mb devices see any of my neighbours wireless connections, only the laptop with the 54mb card see them.
My wireless access point is an old thing (US Robotics) but works fine with all my 11mb cards. I had a good look around all its options and also the config for the 54mb network card on the laptop but couldn't seem to find anything that worked. On the access point I found a button that was enable/disable for 802.1x which I thought would be to allow mixed mode? However when I enabled this it actually kicked my Nintendo Wii off the network (saw its MAC address disappear off the connected devices list) and all other devices that were connected at the time so put it straight back to disabled.
I think its the fact its US Robotics for a start and that it probably only allows 11mb devices to connect to it.
Last edited by Bravo2zero_sps; 12 January 2007 at 09:14 AM.
12 January 2007, 09:40 AM
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Does the driver for the 54mbps device have .11b support turned off? This is usually an option to increase performance if youre not using .11b & 11g. kit together.
Simon
Simon
12 January 2007, 09:48 AM
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Reckon you might be right there 
You could also send an email to USR tech support and check. The other option is to invest in a new wireless DSL router - they're not that expensive.
You could also send an email to USR tech support and check. The other option is to invest in a new wireless DSL router - they're not that expensive.
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13 January 2007, 03:08 PM
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I have also had problems with the centrino stuff, if your at the extremes of the european channels IE 1 or 12 & 13 my wifes centrino laptop refuses to connect. I cannot find anything that allows you to swap centrino wireless to european channel spacings.
13 January 2007, 08:30 PM
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802.1x is a whole different kettle of fish Despite the similarity in version type it is not a wireless standard. 1x is all to do with authentication mechanisms. The standard specifies ways to pass EAP (Extensible Authentication Protocol) over wired or wireless LANs - so don't confuse it with interoperability issues on wireless networks.
Despite the similarity in version type it is not a wireless standard. 1x is all to do with authentication mechanisms. The standard specifies ways to pass EAP (Extensible Authentication Protocol) over wired or wireless LANs - so don't confuse it with interoperability issues on wireless networks.
13 January 2007, 10:40 PM
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802.1x is a whole different kettle of fish Despite the similarity in version type it is not a wireless standard. 1x is all to do with authentication mechanisms. The standard specifies ways to pass EAP (Extensible Authentication Protocol) over wired or wireless LANs - so don't confuse it with interoperability issues on wireless networks.
Despite the similarity in version type it is not a wireless standard. 1x is all to do with authentication mechanisms. The standard specifies ways to pass EAP (Extensible Authentication Protocol) over wired or wireless LANs - so don't confuse it with interoperability issues on wireless networks.Interesting comment on the Centrino stuff as my wireless channel is set to 1. Will change it to something else and see what happens.
Thanks for the replies.
14 January 2007, 12:31 AM
#11
I have the same adapter on my work laptop and have to do this sometimes when a router is an 11b one.
14 January 2007, 09:55 AM
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Thanks James, had tried this and it didn't work 
Tried changing the channel and this didn't work. It connects fine to my neighbours 54mbs connections so not a knackered adapter.
I have logged a call with US Robotics to se if the wireless access point can actually accept 54mbs connections. The 11mbs pcmcia card in the laptop connects fine to the wireless access point so will have to use this for now, don't need it to be faster, just didn't want to add personal hardware to a work laptop.
Thanks for the suggestions and will see what US Robotics come back with.
Tried changing the channel and this didn't work. It connects fine to my neighbours 54mbs connections so not a knackered adapter.I have logged a call with US Robotics to se if the wireless access point can actually accept 54mbs connections. The 11mbs pcmcia card in the laptop connects fine to the wireless access point so will have to use this for now, don't need it to be faster, just didn't want to add personal hardware to a work laptop.
Thanks for the suggestions and will see what US Robotics come back with.
15 January 2007, 08:53 PM
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Well got a reply from US Robotics. They confirmed the access point only accepts connection rates of upto 22mbs 
However it should still connect when the card is set to 11mbs but am giving up on it now, its a cr4p access point but works fine if you just want 11/22mbs connections which all but my works laptop are (although not sure about the Wii come to think of it). Thanks for the replies.
However it should still connect when the card is set to 11mbs but am giving up on it now, its a cr4p access point but works fine if you just want 11/22mbs connections which all but my works laptop are (although not sure about the Wii come to think of it). Thanks for the replies.
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