LINKSYS WRT54G--HELP!

Hi. I have dsl through SBC. I bought the LINKSYS wireless router, and
set it up using my dell notebook (which has windows xp). No problems
with my dell picking up and using the wireless signal. However, my
gf's computer, an IBM Thinkpad, with a netgear wg511 54 Mbps wireless
card can see the wireless signal, with 99% to 100% signal clarity, but
cannot pull up a website. The thinkpad uses windows 2000. the think
pad is set up to obtain an IP address automatically, pursuant to the
LINKSYS documentation. However, when I try to ping test, i recieved
errors indicating that the ping was not getting through to the router.
HELP? what can i do? thanks. (E-Mail Removed)

On 11 May 2005 21:57:29 -0700, "blakesq" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Hi. I have dsl through SBC. I bought the LINKSYS wireless router, and
>set it up using my dell notebook (which has windows xp). No problems
>with my dell picking up and using the wireless signal. However, my
>gf's computer, an IBM Thinkpad, with a netgear wg511 54 Mbps wireless
>card can see the wireless signal, with 99% to 100% signal clarity, but
>cannot pull up a website. The thinkpad uses windows 2000. the think
>pad is set up to obtain an IP address automatically, pursuant to the
>LINKSYS documentation. However, when I try to ping test, i recieved
>errors indicating that the ping was not getting through to the router.
>HELP? what can i do? thanks. (E-Mail Removed)

"getting through to the router" isn't a terribly useful error message.
Kindly do not paraphrase or mutilate error messages. They're quite
useful in decoding the cause.

My guess(tm) is that your thinkpad didn't get an IP address from the
router. Run:
Start -> Run -> cmd <enter>
ipconfig
If the IP address is 192.168.1.xxx, it's working.
If the IP address is 169.254.xxx.xxx you didn't get an IP address from
the routers DHCP server.
IF the IP address is 0.0.0.0, wait a little while and try IPCONFIG
again.

If you're getting 169.254.xxx.xxx, try this experiment. Turn off
encryption for now. Try the thinkpad again. If it now obtains an IP
address, you have a problem with the encryption. Most likely, it's
the difference between the ASCII to Hex key conversion between the
Netgear and Linksys. Switch the encryption key to hex, use a hex key,
and it will work.


--
# Jeff Liebermann 150 Felker St #D Santa Cruz CA 95060
# 831.336.2558 voice http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
# (E-Mail Removed)
# (E-Mail Removed) AE6KS

I figured out the problem. My portable telephone(s) were causing
interference on the Thinkpad (but not the dell for some reason?). So, I
changed the channel on the linksys router set up from 6, to 11, then finally
to 1, where it seems to work now.


"Jeff Liebermann" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> On 11 May 2005 21:57:29 -0700, "blakesq" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>>Hi. I have dsl through SBC. I bought the LINKSYS wireless router, and
>>set it up using my dell notebook (which has windows xp). No problems
>>with my dell picking up and using the wireless signal. However, my
>>gf's computer, an IBM Thinkpad, with a netgear wg511 54 Mbps wireless
>>card can see the wireless signal, with 99% to 100% signal clarity, but
>>cannot pull up a website. The thinkpad uses windows 2000. the think
>>pad is set up to obtain an IP address automatically, pursuant to the
>>LINKSYS documentation. However, when I try to ping test, i recieved
>>errors indicating that the ping was not getting through to the router.
>>HELP? what can i do? thanks. (E-Mail Removed)
>
> "getting through to the router" isn't a terribly useful error message.
> Kindly do not paraphrase or mutilate error messages. They're quite
> useful in decoding the cause.
>
> My guess(tm) is that your thinkpad didn't get an IP address from the
> router. Run:
> Start -> Run -> cmd <enter>
> ipconfig
> If the IP address is 192.168.1.xxx, it's working.
> If the IP address is 169.254.xxx.xxx you didn't get an IP address from
> the routers DHCP server.
> IF the IP address is 0.0.0.0, wait a little while and try IPCONFIG
> again.
>
> If you're getting 169.254.xxx.xxx, try this experiment. Turn off
> encryption for now. Try the thinkpad again. If it now obtains an IP
> address, you have a problem with the encryption. Most likely, it's
> the difference between the ASCII to Hex key conversion between the
> Netgear and Linksys. Switch the encryption key to hex, use a hex key,
> and it will work.
>
>
> --
> # Jeff Liebermann 150 Felker St #D Santa Cruz CA 95060
> # 831.336.2558 voice http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
> # (E-Mail Removed)
> # (E-Mail Removed) AE6KS

Being a bit ignorant about how this works, and having a similar problem
in that my (only) PC can see the router with a 100% excellent signal, I
don't follow how you can see the router but the channel setting will
still have a bearing on whether you can view a website.

I would have thought that interference would also affect the signal.