Why I can't get Airlink 150N usb wifi to install?

I bought an Airlink 150N AWLL6070 usb 802.11N adapter at Fry's. $15
on sale, $20 more on sale for the Airlink N router.
Yes I know Airlink is at the bottom of the food chain.

The quick installation guide is rev 1.3.
The install CD does say it is for the 150N.

I open it up and follow the directions, using this under XP
and again under Win2k.

1: Insert usb adapter

2: Windows launches Found New Hardware, cancel that and insert CD.

3: Select Install Driver from autorun screen

4: Click Next at welcome screen

5: Click Next for default destination

6: Click Continue Anyway to accept unverified
(I don't think that showed up)

7: Click Yes want to restart and click Finish

8: On reboot see Found New hardware pop up...
then your are supposed to say yes to install the software...

but the Found New Hardware is never triggered.
I even tried running scan for new hardware and
it says there is nothing new to find.
I uninstall and try it all again, same thing.

The dongle doesn't appear dead, if I ignore that step
8 never happens it is sort of half there, the Airlink
utility that looks for available networks tells me
that it sees a live wifi device out there but it looks
like it is missing the rest of the installation and
trying to get it to use the Airlink network connection
never works, or maybe I've somehow done something
wrong trying to switch from an existing wired connection
to the wireless dongle.

Seems a little unusual to install usb device first and
then software, most mfgrs seem to say "for God's
sake DON'T install the usb until after our software",
so I tried that and it is even worse.

Can anyone think of something dumb I've missed or
something I can try to get this to work? Maybe I've
turned off some essential service, maybe I've turned
off some permission, maybe some bit has been randomly
clobbered somewhere. I've successfully used their G
usb dongles a few years ago.

I sent email to Airlink support and would be very
surprised if anyone ever responds.

Thank you for any suggestions or ideas that will make
this work or even turn up some hints that will lead to a
solution. If anyone knows of a set of steps to be
followed to usually get Airlink, or to switch from wired
to wireless, I'd really appreciate a pointer. I've been
searching the net for hints and not found anything.

- What happens when you now (after installing said drivers) start the
system and )then_ install the USB device/

Does it 'find' the 150N?

- Did you try in explore the install CD and locate the driver install
app? Perhaps installing it ala carte will be a path of success.


hth,
TBerk

On Sun, 8 Jun 2008 11:04:39 -0700 (PDT), (E-Mail Removed) wrote:

>I bought an Airlink 150N AWLL6070 usb 802.11N adapter at Fry's. $15
>on sale, $20 more on sale for the Airlink N router.
>Yes I know Airlink is at the bottom of the food chain.

Sigh. You get what you pay for.

>The quick installation guide is rev 1.3.
>The install CD does say it is for the 150N.

Strangely, the Airlink web pile doesn't have that model listed:

>I open it up and follow the directions, using this under XP
>and again under Win2k.
>
>1: Insert usb adapter

Either your directions are different from every other USB device on
the planet, or you can't read very well.

Note: Before installing the utility software, DO NOT insert
the USB adapter into your computer. If the adapter is inserted
already, Windows will detect the adapter and request for a driver.
Click Cancel to quit the wizard and remove the adapter from your
computer.

The probem is that if you shove in the USB gizmo first, and later
install the driver, you end up with two drivers installed. Do
whatever it takes to undo the damage. If you can't uninstall it, and
remove it from the Device Manager (hint: show hidden devices), then
use System Restore to rewind your system back to before you misread
the instructions.


--
Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

Jeff Liebermann wrote:

>
> Strangely, the Airlink web pile doesn't have that model listed:
>
http://www.airlink101.com/download/awll6070.php
The driver download doesn't seem to work though.

On Sun, 08 Jun 2008 20:40:23 +0100, LR <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Jeff Liebermann wrote:

>> Strangely, the Airlink web pile doesn't have that model listed:
>>
>http://www.airlink101.com/download/awll6070.php
>The driver download doesn't seem to work though.

The link point back to itself. Not very useful.

The data sheet says:
<http://www.airlink101.com/products/awll6070.php>
"NEW: This product will be released soon."

I was look at:
<http://www.airlinkplus.com>
Which kinda looks like the same company, but obviously is not.
Weird.

--
Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

Jeff Liebermann wrote:
> On Sun, 8 Jun 2008 11:04:39 -0700 (PDT), (E-Mail Removed) wrote:
>
> >I bought an Airlink 150N AWLL6070 usb 802.11N adapter at Fry's. $15
> >on sale, $20 more on sale for the Airlink N router.
> >Yes I know Airlink is at the bottom of the food chain.
....
> >I open it up and follow the directions, using this under XP
> >and again under Win2k.
> >
> >1: Insert usb adapter
>
> Either your directions are different from every other USB device on
> the planet, or you can't read very well.
>
> Note: Before installing the utility software, DO NOT insert
> the USB adapter into your computer. If the adapter is inserted
> already, Windows will detect the adapter and request for a driver.
> Click Cancel to quit the wizard and remove the adapter from your
> computer.

Here are scans of the first 9 steps of the installation manual.

http://www.rdrop.com/~dont/airlink.html

Step 1 says "Insert the USB adapter into an available USB port.

Step 2 says "Windows will launch... Click Cancel...insert
installation CD...

so as you say, this is either different or I can't read very well.

> The probem is that if you shove in the USB gizmo first, and later
> install the driver, you end up with two drivers installed. Do
> whatever it takes to undo the damage. If you can't uninstall it, and
> remove it from the Device Manager (hint: show hidden devices), then
> use System Restore to rewind your system back to before you misread
> the instructions.

I believe I understand. Before I even posted the original message I
did the
Uninstall provided by Airlink and that got rid of most things, but as
seems
common it looks like there are still bits left floating around in the
registry
that were not removed, point to places that no longer exist, the usual
lack
of care cleaning up after an uninstall. But there are no Airlink bits
left over
in the Device Manager, hidden or otherwise. The Airlink uninstall did
not
remove the Airlink WAN monitor or the Airlink uninstall item from
AllPrograms,
but when I try the uninstall again it starts up with the uninstall bar
and then
disappears after a few seconds, perhaps finding there is nothing left
that it
is going to uninstall.

As you imply and someone else asked and I said in the original
posting,
when I tried installing the software before installing the hardware it
looked
like I didn't get as far as I did when doing it the opposite way
round. I
believe I was unable to get any signs of life at all that way.

I did get email from one person who said he has installed three of
these,
two under XP and one under Vista, and all three worked just fine for
him.

Thanks for the suggestions. Anything else anyone can think of?

On Sun, 8 Jun 2008 20:53:45 -0700 (PDT), (E-Mail Removed) wrote:

>
>Jeff Liebermann wrote:
>> On Sun, 8 Jun 2008 11:04:39 -0700 (PDT), (E-Mail Removed) wrote:
>>
>> >I bought an Airlink 150N AWLL6070 usb 802.11N adapter at Fry's. $15
>> >on sale, $20 more on sale for the Airlink N router.
>> >Yes I know Airlink is at the bottom of the food chain.
>...
>> >I open it up and follow the directions, using this under XP
>> >and again under Win2k.
>> >
>> >1: Insert usb adapter
>>
>> Either your directions are different from every other USB device on
>> the planet, or you can't read very well.
>>
>> Note: Before installing the utility software, DO NOT insert
>> the USB adapter into your computer. If the adapter is inserted
>> already, Windows will detect the adapter and request for a driver.
>> Click Cancel to quit the wizard and remove the adapter from your
>> computer.
>
>Here are scans of the first 9 steps of the installation manual.
>
>http://www.rdrop.com/~dont/airlink.html
>
>Step 1 says "Insert the USB adapter into an available USB port.
>
>Step 2 says "Windows will launch... Click Cancel...insert
>installation CD...
>
>so as you say, this is either different or I can't read very well.

Weird. I stand corrected. The section I quoted came from a different
model AirLink USB wireless device. I guess they changed procedures.
Stretching what's left of my credibility, it appears that this new and
improved procedure doesn't quite work. The broken link on the web
site for updates is also a bit ominous.

>> The probem is that if you shove in the USB gizmo first, and later
>> install the driver, you end up with two drivers installed. Do
>> whatever it takes to undo the damage. If you can't uninstall it, and
>> remove it from the Device Manager (hint: show hidden devices), then
>> use System Restore to rewind your system back to before you misread
>> the instructions.

>I believe I understand. Before I even posted the original message I
>did the
>Uninstall provided by Airlink and that got rid of most things, but as
>seems
>common it looks like there are still bits left floating around in the
>registry
>that were not removed, point to places that no longer exist, the usual
>lack
>of care cleaning up after an uninstall. But there are no Airlink bits
>left over
>in the Device Manager, hidden or otherwise.

Ok. That's the easy part.

>The Airlink uninstall did
>not
>remove the Airlink WAN monitor or the Airlink uninstall item from
>AllPrograms,
>but when I try the uninstall again it starts up with the uninstall bar
>and then
>disappears after a few seconds, perhaps finding there is nothing left
>that it
>is going to uninstall.

Ummm... it would appear that there's something also broken in the
uninstall. There's nothing wrong with leaving bits and pieces all
over the machine, as long as they are not running or imbedded in the
registry. I would use the system restore to be sure. Hopefully, the
lack of a functional and complete uninstall is not an indication of a
problem with the install.

>As you imply and someone else asked and I said in the original
>posting,
>when I tried installing the software before installing the hardware it
>looked
>like I didn't get as far as I did when doing it the opposite way
>round. I
>believe I was unable to get any signs of life at all that way.

Groan. That's what I was going to suggest. Install the CD first, and
then cram in the USB device. However, you apparently did that and it
didn't work any better than the original procedure. Not good.

>I did get email from one person who said he has installed three of
>these,
>two under XP and one under Vista, and all three worked just fine for
>him.

Hmmmm... that would imply there's something odd about your system.

>Thanks for the suggestions. Anything else anyone can think of?

Nope. Just the usual guesses:
1. Are you running as a user with admin rights?
2. Any viruses, worms, spyware, or "security" software running? Some
of these interfere with installations. The one's that require your
permission to change the registry are particularly fragile.
3. Since this is a fresh installation, did you update to XP SP3?
However, it's possible that the install breaks with SP3, while it
worked with SP2. Dunno. Ask the person who had 3 installed for the
patch level on his XP system.
4. Do you have a "wireless manager" installed that takes over for
Windoze Wireless Zero Config? If so, disable it and set the default
wireless config utility to be WZC.
5. Try a different USB port. Make sure it's USB 2.0, not 1.1.

Good luck.


--
Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

Jeff Liebermann wrote:

> I was look at:
> <http://www.airlinkplus.com>
> Which kinda looks like the same company, but obviously is not.
> Weird.
>

Hmm. Airlink+, Airlink101, and Phoebe Micro all share the same address
47606 Kato Road
Fremont, CA 94538
There was a "Class Action" against Phoebe Micro about certain Airlink+
products with an opportunity to obtain Airlink101 products with a 15%
rebate.
<http://www.airlinkplus.com/DraftEmailNoticereClassActionSettlementFinal.pdf>

Phoebe Micro seem to use a variety of manufacturers going by the FCCID's
listed on their website
<http://www.phoebemicro.com/download/wireless.php>

On Mon, 09 Jun 2008 06:54:16 +0100, LR <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Jeff Liebermann wrote:
>
>> I was look at:
>> <http://www.airlinkplus.com>
>> Which kinda looks like the same company, but obviously is not.
>> Weird.
>>
>
>Hmm. Airlink+, Airlink101, and Phoebe Micro all share the same address
>47606 Kato Road
>Fremont, CA 94538
>There was a "Class Action" against Phoebe Micro about certain Airlink+
>products with an opportunity to obtain Airlink101 products with a 15%
>rebate.
><http://www.airlinkplus.com/DraftEmailNoticereClassActionSettlementFinal.pdf>
>
>Phoebe Micro seem to use a variety of manufacturers going by the FCCID's
> listed on their website
><http://www.phoebemicro.com/download/wireless.php>

Looks like a surplus inventory dealer.
NHP Cameo Communications Inc, Taipei, Taiwan
WLC Nothing found
WLL Nothing found
RTW Sirdar Metal & Plastic Works, Zhong Shan City, Guangdong, China
MQ4 Player Systems Corp, Charlestown. Massachusetts
H8N Askey Computer Corp, Taipei, Taiwan

The two with no Grantee on the FCC site can be anything between a typo
and a fabrication. Hmmmm....

--
Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

Jeff Liebermann wrote:
> On Mon, 09 Jun 2008 06:54:16 +0100, LR <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>> Jeff Liebermann wrote:
>>
>>> I was look at:
>>> <http://www.airlinkplus.com>
>>> Which kinda looks like the same company, but obviously is not.
>>> Weird.
>>>
>> Hmm. Airlink+, Airlink101, and Phoebe Micro all share the same address
>> 47606 Kato Road
>> Fremont, CA 94538
>> There was a "Class Action" against Phoebe Micro about certain Airlink+
>> products with an opportunity to obtain Airlink101 products with a 15%
>> rebate.
>> <http://www.airlinkplus.com/DraftEmailNoticereClassActionSettlementFinal.pdf>
>>
>> Phoebe Micro seem to use a variety of manufacturers going by the FCCID's
>> listed on their website
>> <http://www.phoebemicro.com/download/wireless.php>
>
> Looks like a surplus inventory dealer.
> NHP Cameo Communications Inc, Taipei, Taiwan
> WLC Nothing found
> WLL Nothing found
> RTW Sirdar Metal & Plastic Works, Zhong Shan City, Guangdong, China
> MQ4 Player Systems Corp, Charlestown. Massachusetts
> H8N Askey Computer Corp, Taipei, Taiwan
>
> The two with no Grantee on the FCC site can be anything between a typo
> and a fabrication. Hmmmm....
>
While looking through the "Madwifi" website I noticed a few Airlink
cards with a couple of FCCID's, one of which was for Alpha Networks Inc.
e.g. RRK-AWLC6080 which is badged Airlink101 AWLC6080.
Having an hour to spare I trawled through their reports and found
RRK-WUSN04 which covers the AWLL6070, C300RUV2, and WUS-N04

The C300RU V2 is a Conceptronic item but I was unable to access their
website to check for a driver.
<http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/wireless-lan/conceptronic-c300ru/>
http://www.conceptronic.net/