Aaaargh!!

Hi all.
Reason for the title is that I have tried and tried to sort this problem.

Here is my set up, http://forums.majorgeeks.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=191038&d=1353438066

Before switching to a new ISP all worked well for years.
I could receive internet in my workshop which is approximately 35m away from the house via the AP in the loft and the antenna on the chimney.

Since the new router I cannot get it to stay connected.
It appears to be something to do with the computer in the workshop.
I switch that on and get an excellent connection for a short while until I try to browse the web.
Then I'm told that the web page cannot be displayed and that is the last time I can connect to that network.

I can still 'see' the network on my pc and iPhone but cannot connect.
The thing is I am able to use that network on my iPhone until I try to use the workshop PC, it is at that point that all goes wrong.

The AP in the loft also becomes inaccessible via a browser at this point.
I can get into it using a browser with 192.168.0.50 as many times as I like until I turn the workshop PC on, then it seems to change the settings on the loft AP, I can't tell what settings are changed because I have to reset it to get in.
Sorry for the ramblings but I'm baffled??

 

It appears in your drawing that you have a machine directly connected to the router. Can you do an "ipconfig /all" from that machine AND do an "ipconfig /all" from the machine in your workshop before you try connecting to the Internet with a browser? Could you post the results here?

 

Thanks for the reply jconstan.
Get yer tonsils round this lot then, I'm even more stumped now.

This is a step by step of what I have done since the connection dropped.
Went up the loft to reset the AP.
Logged in to the IP via web browser, 192.168.0.50.
Went to ‘Advanced’ and chose ‘Wireless Client’, did a site survey and chose my network.
I then set the AP back to an ‘Access Point’.
The site survey loaded all the settings in the ‘Wireless’ options, SSID, channel number etc.
I didn’t bother with any WEP Encryption at this point.
I gave the LAN settings an IP in the same range as my ISP router and entered the gateway number.
I gave the AP an SSID ‘Workshop’
I restarted the AP and logged in using the new IP.
All settings held.
I took a snap shot of my home PC IPConfig/All.
My iPhone found the new ‘Workshop’ network and connected no problem.
I went to my workshop to see what was going on up there.
I was again able to use the ‘Workshop’ network to browse with my iPhone.
I found the ‘Workshop’ network on my workshop PC and asked it to connect.
As expected It told me there was no security, I asked it to connect anyway.
It did, signal strength excellent, status=connected.
I took a photo of IPconfig/All.
The anti virus told me it needed to update so it was obviously ‘talking’ to somewhere on the net.
I opened my anti virus and told it to update, it started then stopped.
I tried to open a browser, no chance.
Connection lost from workshop PC and iPhone at that exact moment though both my iPhone and workshop PC could 'see' them.

Home PC is windows 7 and workshop PC is XP, though this is the same configuration as before the router change.

 

Time out my friend!!!!

One step at a time.
1. Is there a machine directly (wired) to the ISP's router as your drawing suggests? If yes, do an IP config on that machine and post here.
2. Your AP is connected to your ISP's router according to your diagram. What IP address is your AP using?
3. Does your Workshop machine have a static address or does it get its IP address via DHCP?
4. What model is the AP?
5. What model is the ISP router?

 

TIME OUT? TIME OUT? are you maaaaad sir?

Right, now that's out my system.....

1. Yes, it is the machine I have been calling my 'Home PC' (see previous post for screen shot of the IPConfig/All)

2. I have tried leaving the AP with it's default IP and also tried assigning one in the same range as the ISP router. Both had the same outcome.

3. I have tried both.

4. AP is a D-Link DWL-900AP+, Ver C2.

5. Router is a HUAWEI HG523a as used by TalkTalk.

Bear in mind that this set up worked perfectly before this router was introduced.
The strangest thing is that once the workshop XP PC 'talks' to the AP the AP settings change somehow?

Thanks for the help thus far, I know I could spend £40 and use a power line adapter but I hate giving up.
Then again that would mean my hair stays where it is and I get to sell my AP, Ethernet adapter, antenna..........etc hmmmmm!

 

Nope...not getting upset at all.

Logon to your AP and make sure DHCP is disabled. I can not understand why you can log on to the AP with 192.168.0.50 when your workshop PC is 192.168.1.80. Completely different subnets. Very strange indeed.

On the HOME tab of the AP under LAN IP set the IP address to 192.168.1.254, mask 255.255.255.0 and default gateway of 192.168.1.1. Lets see where that gets us.

I understand it was once working but you changed the router so I believe the networks are now configured wrong.

OH...let your workshop machine use dynamic IP addressing.

 

Ahhh,
The IP screen shot you are seeing is the one I took when the AP was set to 192.168.1.99 so I think that clears the confusion there?

DHCP is disabled by default and I never change it to enabled.

Am I right in thinking the AP is just acting as a piece of hardware that allows a signal to be passed to the antenna?
With all the different scenarios I've tried it doesn't seem to matter what the IP in the AP is, the workshop can still connect initially as long as there is a different SSID for the USB network adapter to connect to.

How the devil is connecting to the internet changing settings in the AP?
It must be changing at least the IP address as I can't get into it without resetting.

If I didn't have solid connection on my iPhone until the workshop PC attempts to use the net then that would make a bit more sense.
Somewhere along the line the new router doesn't seem to like XP.
Perhaps I could try my lap top (Vista) in my workshop and see how that goes?
If it works on that and my iPhone then it must surely be XP or the USB network adapter on my workshop PC?

I will try your numbers tomorrow as it is 22:15 here now and the neighbours will think I'm even more potty than they already do if I keep running up the SNOW covered garden in the dark........

I find this frustrating yet intriguing, have a good evening Jim.

 

Is your new router wireless as you have shown in your drawing? Can you "see" the ssid of your new router from the workshop? If so, can you connect to it?

Can you access the new routers configuration?

Change the password for admin on your AP. Perhaps someone within range is logging on to your AP and changing the settings?

The AP is just providing you wireless access to your Router, which I have assumed is out of range of your workshop. That's why I want you to try and connect to your ISP wireless router from the workshop.

 

1. Yes, it is hard wired to my home PC and provides wireless to the rest of the house.

2. I can 'see' the SSID of the router from the workshop every now and again and it has tried to connect but is too weak.

3. Yes I can access the new router.

4. I have tried the AP with security and without, the drop in connection happens the same each time.

4. See 2.

 

vvvvvvvvvvv

 

Could you go to the AP status tab and provide a snapshot right after you configure it and then after it fails?

 

Right.
I have re set the AP yet again.
Put 192.168.1.254
255.255.255.0
192.168.1.1

Password protected the AP.
WEP encrypted the wireless network.
Tried my iPhone, works perfectly.
Tried the Vista laptop, works perfectly.

Left the house for an hour or so, came back and the AP is inaccessible again.
Laptop not able to connect nor iPhone.
This is without turning on the workshop PC.
I don't see how the AP can have it's IP changed?
This is something simple but what?
It must be something to do with the new router, like a lease time issue??

Just seen your post, I could take a snap of the AP after I have configured it but not when it fails as I can't get into it without resetting so it is just back to defaults.

 

Is there any chance that it could be the security differences, the router uses WPA/WPA2 mixed mode while the AP uses WEP?

 

I have tried changing the router security to WEP Shared.
I have everything up and running again.
I am leaving for an hour or so again.
I shall see what greets me later.

 

Nope.
Exactly the same result :confused

 

No, I think not because you are connecting the AP to the in house router via a wire. WPA/WPA2 is only security for wireless.

 

One thing that comes to mind is your AP is 802.11b and your router is likely 802.11n or g. I don't believe that WPA or WPA2 is available with 802.11b therefore WEP security for the AP seems to be the right thing.

The IP lease would have nothing to do with it because we have tried a static address for the AP at one point. The interesting thing is that it works for a while.

OK. Have you tried to see if there is updated firmware for your AP device on the D-Link web site?

One additional thing.......get it all up and working again and on the workshop pc open a command prompt and enter "ping -t 192.168.1.1" and let it run for a while. Lets see if that ever craps out.

 

I'll take a look tomorrow and see what firmware is on the AP but the latest was released in 2006 so I would imagine I have that one.

I'll do the ping in the morning as well.
That command just runs indefinitely doesn't it?
If so, when it 'craps out' (not sure that's a technical term ) will it give me an indication of how long the link lasted?
It would be good if I could find that out because if it lasts pretty much the same amount of time each try that would narrow it down a bit.

I still have my old router, perhaps I could set that up and see if all works fine, if so it would point to the router for definite.

 

Yes the command will run indefinetely.
Yes it may give us some indication of where the problem may be.

 

Absolutely steady as a rock and all fully functioning using the old router.

Had a look at the firmware and there was an update.
This update has given more security options in the AP.
Before it was just WEP, now there is open, shared, WPA, WPA-PSK as well.
I'm spoilt for choice?

Experiment?
Of course it may still not work but we may be getting there.

 

Just testing it on the new router using the 'shared' WEP option.

 

Been running for over an hour with no hiccups as yet.
It looks (fingers crossed) as if it needed telling to 'share' the HEX code.
The option wasn't there to do that before the update.
I've attached two shots to show you what I mean.

 

Hold the front page!!
Further down the line but still a problem.
Vista laptop, no problems.
iPhone, no problems.
XP workshop PC (which is the one that I want to work) has gone pear shaped again.

The workshop network is showing full signal on the XP machine but will not connect. There is a cross in the internet taskbar icon.

There are a couple of BT hotspots around so I tried connecting to one of those and it connects no problem.

I reset the winsock and tried again, still the same.
I have attached a photo of IP config/all when I am connected to BT hotspot and when I try to connect to workshop.
When I try to connect to workshop the ipconfig is saying that the media (the d-link USB network card) is disconnected?
Just looked in my router and it is set to b/n/g mode so it supports the old b technology.

 

I think you may need to rebuild the network connection for your wireless. I would go to device manager and delete the wireless network card, provided you have the driver for it just in case. Reboot the machine and let XP reinstall the wireless again. Find the network and then try to connect.

 

Tried that Jim.
Pretty sure when I last had connection it downloaded the latest firmware for the USB network card as well.
The router has stayed accessible so something positive has happened.
I can still access the workshop network via my iPhone but it is very very slow and sometimes wont display at all.
I changed the security to WAP, I put a static IP in the workshop PC and it tells me excellent connection but will not browse the web.
I try putting obtain IP address automatically and it says cannot connect with an exclamation mark in the taskbar icon and IP config just shows zeros in ip etc.
Back to head scratching I'm afraid, it felt so close...............................

 

Getting ever closer (I think).

Noticed preamble in the AP was not the same as the router so I changed preamble from short to long to match router.

Left it most of the day.
iPhone seemed to work fine all day.
Went to workshop later, got good connection.

Was able to browse choppily for a fair while but task bar icon kept losing the green radar and the monitor part of the icon would change from blue to black suggesting it was losing connection every 8-20 seconds then reconnecting or does that icon only show green when there is activity as whenever I click a link it immediately comes to life?

I was able to access AP from workshop so tried changing basic rate from 1-2 to the other two options.
After being on the 1-2-5.5-11-22 option for a short while the connection was gone giving me the red cross in the task bar icon.

Was able to access AP from workshop via iPhone.
Changed basic rate back to 1-2 and workshop pc reconnected.

I tried a ping test.
Not one dropped packet, although the ms times varied from 6ms to 22ms or so.
While it was pinging the taskbar icon stayed 'active', not once greying out like when a browser is open.

In the AP status it says
Send: 831 good packets, 182 dropped packets.
Received: 2261 good packets, 3 dropped packets.

When I hover over the taskbar icon on the workshop PC it is now saying signal is low, don't get that one.
Also, it says I am connected to (connection2) Workshop?
I don't get that either, the SSID is 'Workshop'.
There are no other networks as I have cleared them all.
Is there some way of 'flushing' the system so all previous stuff is cleared?

 

Well, not quite sure which setting sorted it, but sorted it appears to be.
I started again with different but identical AP.
Left everything as basic a possible.
Changed the Beacon Interval to 197 from default of 100.
Got solid connection but a very weak signal.
Changed the Antenna to external from the default of diversity and over a minute or so the signal strength changed to very good.
Been a good connection for over a week so it looks like it is sorted.
One day all this will be simple!!
Thanks for the help and suggestions.

 

Good job. Glad it working.