Laptop not seeing BT Voyager 2100

Hello- I'm hoping somebody here can help out.

I've just set up a new BT Voyager 2100 wireless ADSL router. I've fitted a
PCI adaptor card to my desktop PC, which can now see the router and connect
to the Internet without any problems- so the router signal and broadband
connection is fine.

I also purchased a Packard Bell laptop, which came "wi-fi enabled". However
no matter how close I put it to the router- I can sit it right next to the
router- or how many times I refresh, the laptop still shows NOTHING in the
"View Available Wireless Networks" list. It has an Agere-manufactured Wi-fi
card.

What can I do next, to get the laptop to see the router?

Thanks for any advice

Stuart Bruce wrote:

> Hello- I'm hoping somebody here can help out.
>
> I've just set up a new BT Voyager 2100 wireless ADSL router. I've
> fitted a PCI adaptor card to my desktop PC, which can now see the
> router and connect to the Internet without any problems- so the router
> signal and broadband connection is fine.
>
> I also purchased a Packard Bell laptop, which came "wi-fi enabled".
> However no matter how close I put it to the router- I can sit it right
> next to the router- or how many times I refresh, the laptop still
> shows NOTHING in the "View Available Wireless Networks" list. It has
> an Agere-manufactured Wi-fi card.
>
> What can I do next, to get the laptop to see the router?
>
> Thanks for any advice

Look at the laptop carefully. Many new laptops come with a button that
you actually have to turn on to enable wifi. Make sure you've turned
that button on.

Malke
--
MS MVP - Windows Shell/User
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"

"Malke" wrote:
> Look at the laptop carefully. Many new laptops come with a button that
> you actually have to turn on to enable wifi. Make sure you've turned
> that button on.

Thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately if you mean a physical button
somewhere on the laptop's case, there isn't one, and there's nothing in the
user guide about there being one, so I can't press one, and I'm still stuck
and looking for answers.

Cheers

Stuart.

"Malke" wrote:
> Look at the laptop carefully. Many new laptops come with a button that
> you actually have to turn on to enable wifi. Make sure you've turned
> that button on.

I'm worried now that I might be being really really stupid... just because I
can't see a switch, and just because the manual doesn't mention one, doesn't
mean there isn't one!

I'm using a Packard Bell G1340 notebook. I've Googled but found no
information about whether it does or doesn't have a hardware switch. Can
anyone recommend a site that would tell me one way or the other?!

If it doesn't then the problem obviously lies somewhere else...

Stuart.

Stuart Bruce wrote:

> "Malke" wrote:
>> Look at the laptop carefully. Many new laptops come with a button
>> that you actually have to turn on to enable wifi. Make sure you've
>> turned that button on.
>
> I'm worried now that I might be being really really stupid... just
> because I can't see a switch, and just because the manual doesn't
> mention one, doesn't mean there isn't one!
>
> I'm using a Packard Bell G1340 notebook. I've Googled but found no
> information about whether it does or doesn't have a hardware switch.
> Can anyone recommend a site that would tell me one way or the other?!
>
> If it doesn't then the problem obviously lies somewhere else...
>
> Stuart.

Look in the manual for your laptop. Not all laptops have a button. I
only mentioned it because it is a common error. You didn't say what
operating system you have, but if you are using XP make sure the
Wireless Zero Configuration service is running. Look under Services in
the Administrative Tools applet in Control Panel.

Malke
--
MS MVP - Windows Shell/User
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"

"Malke" wrote:
> Look in the manual for your laptop. Not all laptops have a button. I
> only mentioned it because it is a common error. You didn't say what
> operating system you have, but if you are using XP make sure the
> Wireless Zero Configuration service is running. Look under Services in
> the Administrative Tools applet in Control Panel.

Hello- thanks once again for the suggestions, it really is appreciated, but
unfortunately at the moment still no joy.

There is no mention in the manual about there being a hardware button- but
then the manual is really a short beginner's guide to what a computer is and
what a mouse looks like, and not that useful to somebody who's already used a
computer- most of the buttons that *are* visible on the laptop aren't
actually mentioned in the manual...

I'm using Windows XP- updating to Service Pack 2 didn't make any difference-
and I've just checked and Wireless Zero Configuration service is running. I
read in another thread that maybe I should turn it off, if it's automatically
configuring to the wrong settings?!

I have plugged an Ethernet cable from the laptop to the router, which worked
straight away with no messing and is how I'm now accessing the Internet. So
at least I am online on the laptop, albeit not as wirelessly as I would like,
to the sum of 1 wire...

So, still no total and complete joy. Thanks again

Stuart.

Stuart Bruce wrote:


> Hello- thanks once again for the suggestions, it really is
> appreciated, but unfortunately at the moment still no joy.
>
> There is no mention in the manual about there being a hardware button-
> but then the manual is really a short beginner's guide to what a
> computer is and what a mouse looks like, and not that useful to
> somebody who's already used a computer- most of the buttons that *are*
> visible on the laptop aren't actually mentioned in the manual...
>
> I'm using Windows XP- updating to Service Pack 2 didn't make any
> difference- and I've just checked and Wireless Zero Configuration
> service is running. I read in another thread that maybe I should turn
> it off, if it's automatically configuring to the wrong settings?!
>
> I have plugged an Ethernet cable from the laptop to the router, which
> worked straight away with no messing and is how I'm now accessing the
> Internet. So at least I am online on the laptop, albeit not as
> wirelessly as I would like, to the sum of 1 wire...
>
> So, still no total and complete joy. Thanks again

Hi, Stuart. Troubleshooting wireless problems in a newsgroup are tricky.
Because you can access the router from the desktop, you know it's
working wired. But you don't know if the wireless part is working.

1. Have a friend with a laptop with known-working wireless come over and
see if he can connect to your router wirelessly.

2. If he can't either, call the router tech support. I had a client
recently who was in a similar situation where he could connect wired
but not wirelessly. He told me he called the router tech support who
fixed it. Unfortunately, he couldn't tell me what they did after being
on the phone with them for quite a while.

3. On the other hand, if your friend can connect with his laptop, then
you know you either don't have your laptop set up correctly or the
wireless component isn't working. At that point it will be worth it to
ask a knowledgeable friend or take it to a good local professional (not
a BestBuy or CompUSA type of store) for help.

Good luck,

Malke
--
MS MVP - Windows Shell/User
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"

Thanks once again for the personalised advice & attention. Having had a
quick look at your (very funny) web site, I can say that if I lived anywhere
near Fresno I'd happily be paying Malke's call-out fee.

The desktop PC is attaching to the router wirelessly, not wired, so I know
that there is wireless transmission. The laptop connects to the Internet
without problems when I plug an Ethernet cable between it and the router. So
that's basically narrowed it down so the problem must be that the wi-fi card
in the laptop is incompatible/badly configured/broken/off/just trying to wind
me up. So when I get the chance I'm going to try taking the laptop into the
vicinity of a different wi-fi router, to see whether it just can't pick up my
home router, or whether it can't pick up any router at all.

Sadly it looks likely that I'll have to go through the whole process of
getting this brand new laptop returned or repaired. (sigh)

WHY CAN'T LIFE BE SIMPLE?!

Stuart.


"Malke" wrote:
> Hi, Stuart. Troubleshooting wireless problems in a newsgroup are tricky.
> Because you can access the router from the desktop, you know it's
> working wired. But you don't know if the wireless part is working.
>
> 1. Have a friend with a laptop with known-working wireless come over and
> see if he can connect to your router wirelessly.
>
> 2. If he can't either, call the router tech support. I had a client
> recently who was in a similar situation where he could connect wired
> but not wirelessly. He told me he called the router tech support who
> fixed it. Unfortunately, he couldn't tell me what they did after being
> on the phone with them for quite a while.
>
> 3. On the other hand, if your friend can connect with his laptop, then
> you know you either don't have your laptop set up correctly or the
> wireless component isn't working. At that point it will be worth it to
> ask a knowledgeable friend or take it to a good local professional (not
> a BestBuy or CompUSA type of store) for help.

Stuart Bruce wrote:

>
> Thanks once again for the personalised advice & attention. Having had
> a quick look at your (very funny) web site, I can say that if I lived
> anywhere near Fresno I'd happily be paying Malke's call-out fee.
>
> The desktop PC is attaching to the router wirelessly, not wired, so I
> know that there is wireless transmission. The laptop connects to the
> Internet without problems when I plug an Ethernet cable between it and
> the router. So that's basically narrowed it down so the problem must
> be that the wi-fi card in the laptop is incompatible/badly
> configured/broken/off/just trying to wind me up. So when I get the
> chance I'm going to try taking the laptop into the vicinity of a
> different wi-fi router, to see whether it just can't pick up my home
> router, or whether it can't pick up any router at all.
>
> Sadly it looks likely that I'll have to go through the whole process
> of getting this brand new laptop returned or repaired. (sigh)
>
> WHY CAN'T LIFE BE SIMPLE?!

Thank you for the very sweet post. You've done half of the
troubleshooting already since you know the wireless works with the
desktop. That's exactly what you need to do - take the laptop over to a
friend's and see if it can connect to *any* wireless network. Then, if
the friend has a wireless pc card see if that will work with your
laptop. Here are a few other things to try:

1. If the laptop is using an OEM's wireless manager, try setting "let
Windows manage my wireless" and see if that helps.

2. If the above is true and you like PB's wireless manager, go to their
website and see if there are any updates to the software. Of course it
should have worked out of the box, but it can't hurt to look.

3. Uninstall the built-in wireless hardware and reinstall it.

4. If you are using a firewall, make sure "File and Printer Sharing" are
enabled in case the firewall is blocking the lan.

Otherwise, do your "take the laptop to a friend's test". Why can't
things be simple? Because. ;-)

Let me know what the upshot is of all of this because I do care.

Malke
--
MS MVP - Windows Shell/User
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"

My face is red with embarrassment... the problem is now fixed, and I'm
typing this wirelessly from the laptop now.

I went round to a friend's house this morning and at first the laptop didn't
detect his network. Then he looked at the laptop, pressed the button that I
had been staring straight at, and suddenly there it was in action,
recognising the router. After a bit of fiddling with DNS settings not being
right, up poppled Google, and I was Internet-connected. I've now gotten home,
and it's still working, now on my own network.

I'm going to go and hide under a rock now!

Thanks once again for all the advice, and I'm really sorry that I've been
wasting your time asking for complicated solutions when the answer was right
under my nose.

Stuart.