Laptop and Wireless DSL Connection Problem

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We recently moved and got rid of our cable internet (expensive) and replaced it with DSL (much cheaper). My laptop always worked just fine with the wireless router before.

Now I can't connect. It detects the router but will not aquire the network address.

Our desktop connects immediatly with no problems.

Any suggestions?

Is it my computer? Is there something I need to reset or do?

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Try resetting the router before anything else.

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Did the router get reconfigured when you made the switch? And is the desktop connecting on the wireless side or via a CAT 5 cable?

Some things to check:

- Make sure the router is configured to act as a dynamic IP server.
- Make sure your router and laptop are both configured to use the same security settings/pass phrases, etc...
- Make sure the router is configured to allow more than one connection at a time.
- Make sure the router isn't configured to exclude your laptop's MAC address.

Let me/us know how those go and we'll work through it from there. Smile

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Are you using the same router you used before?

One thing it could be - your cable provider may have provided a suggested set of IP addresses for the WiFi connections that would match up with their hardwired IP's. If those are still encoded in the router, they are not going to match up with the new IP range for your DSL service, the subnet/mask will be all wrong, and there will be no way for it to route properly.

Just my 2-cents. Good luck.

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Router has been reset more than I can count.

- Make sure the router is configured to act as a dynamic IP server. -What does this mean?

- Make sure your router and laptop are both configured to use the same security settings/pass phrases, etc... - The laptop was set up first on the wireless network and has worked intermittently since. The desktop was set up second and has worked consistantly since.

- Make sure the router is configured to allow more than one connection at a time. -- It's worked a few times with both computers up. Think it's a fluke?

- Make sure the router isn't configured to exclude your laptop's MAC address.
- What's a MAC address?

As you can see, I know a whole lot about computers. Laughing

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Oh and the desktop was also connected with the wireless cable.

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Bella Dea wrote:

Router has been reset more than I can count.

- Make sure the router is configured to act as a dynamic IP server. -What does this mean?

- Make sure your router and laptop are both configured to use the same security settings/pass phrases, etc... - The laptop was set up first on the wireless network and has worked intermittently since. The desktop was set up second and has worked consistantly since.

- Make sure the router is configured to allow more than one connection at a time. -- It's worked a few times with both computers up. Think it's a fluke?

- Make sure the router isn't configured to exclude your laptop's MAC address.
- What's a MAC address?

As you can see, I know a whole lot about computers.

Does the laptop work if you move it to within a few feet of the router?

Quote:

Oh and the desktop was also connected with the wireless cable.

A cable is a wire so you can't have a wireless cable! Razz

It's either working on a wireless connection or a cable... :wink:

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Quote:

Now I can't connect. It detects the router but will not aquire the network address.

One of 2 things.

1. Your router isn't set up correctly
2. Your laptop is not setup correctly for the network.

What is the router make and model?

What OS are you using on the laptop?

For most Windows OS, go to start - run. type in "cmd.exe" You should get a black command window. type in "ipconfig /all" and hit return

You should get a listing of your configuration for your ethernet adapters. With a laptop you might have 2. Look for

"DHCP enabled .......: YES"

If it doesn't say yes then you can start by enabling DHCP. If it does say yes then try typing in "ipconfig /renew". See if the configuration changed.

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fishin wrote:

Bella Dea wrote:
Router has been reset more than I can count.

- Make sure the router is configured to act as a dynamic IP server. -What does this mean?

- Make sure your router and laptop are both configured to use the same security settings/pass phrases, etc... - The laptop was set up first on the wireless network and has worked intermittently since. The desktop was set up second and has worked consistantly since.

- Make sure the router is configured to allow more than one connection at a time. -- It's worked a few times with both computers up. Think it's a fluke?

- Make sure the router isn't configured to exclude your laptop's MAC address.
- What's a MAC address?

As you can see, I know a whole lot about computers.

Does the laptop work if you move it to within a few feet of the router?

Quote:
Oh and the desktop was also connected with the wireless cable.

A cable is a wire so you can't have a wireless cable! It's either working on a wireless connection or a cable... :wink:

No no, the wireless internet cable, as in cable modem.

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fishin wrote:

Bella Dea wrote:
Router has been reset more than I can count.

- Make sure the router is configured to act as a dynamic IP server. -What does this mean?

- Make sure your router and laptop are both configured to use the same security settings/pass phrases, etc... - The laptop was set up first on the wireless network and has worked intermittently since. The desktop was set up second and has worked consistantly since.

- Make sure the router is configured to allow more than one connection at a time. -- It's worked a few times with both computers up. Think it's a fluke?

- Make sure the router isn't configured to exclude your laptop's MAC address.
- What's a MAC address?

As you can see, I know a whole lot about computers.

Does the laptop work if you move it to within a few feet of the router?

It's practically on top of it.

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Still not sure what you mean by "wireless Internet cable". There is no such thing. There is a phone jack from the wall into the DSL modem, and from that there is an RJ-45 computer style cable that goes to the desktop or WAP/router (read Ethernet).

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Dear God. She means the cable Internet connection. To which she connected wirelessly.

Bella, does the laptop work with other wireless routers?

Try moving the laptop around the house. Sometimes you get dead spots with wireless.

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But she doesn't have cable Internet any longer....

DSL... remember?

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Bella Dea wrote:

Oh and the desktop was also connected with the wireless cable.

Past tense. Or did she use too many big words?

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So, Bella, I'm assuming your Wireless "router" is downstream from the DSL modem, meaning the wall connection goes into the modem, then the RJ45 (looks like a big phone jack) cable goes to the wireless router, and then another RJ45 goes from there to the desktop. Correct?

If not, please let us know how you have it setup.

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The DSL modem is connected to the wall. Then there is a cable going from that to the router.

No wire connection to either computer.

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So you're using the desktop with a wireless connection?

Don't do that - that machine should have an Ethernet port - just use a standard drop cable to connect the router to the machine. It will be faster, and free up WiFi bandwidth for laptop users.

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Did you try moving the laptop to another location?

Don't worry about cjhsa. He's trying to solve a problem you don't have.

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Re: Laptop and Wireless DSL Connection Problem

Bella Dea wrote:

My laptop always worked just fine with the wireless router before.

Now I can't connect. It detects the router but will not aquire the network address.

according to this, then i guess the problem is with ur laptop.. !!!
since u can "see" the wireless network, and since the laptop is "trying" to acquire an IP address but it cant.. then maybe u should recheck the laptop settings.. !
- go to Start > Connect to > Show all connections..
- Right click "Wireless Connection", and choose "Properties".
- at the "This connection uses the following items" group, scroll down to "TCP/IP", and double click on it
- Make sure that "Obtain an IP address automatically" and "Obtain DNS server address automatically" radio buttons, Both are selected..
- Press OK > OK..
- Right click the "Wireless Connection" again, and choose "Repair".

i guess this should do the job.

oh, one more thing, do u have a Firewall ? (not the Windows Firewall, i mean extra one, with Anti virus for example!!) if yeah, then try to disable it as well as the Windows Firewall, then try to "Repair" the connection..

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DrewDad wrote:

Did you try moving the laptop to another location?

Don't worry about cjhsa. He's trying to solve a problem you don't have.

Her problem is listening to tech support like yours. The desktop may be taking the only WiFi DHCP address available.

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Laptop and Wireless DSL Connection Problem

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