Why can't I use a network showing "connected"?

This happens a lot when walking down the street with a wifi PDA (say
hp 4700 running wm2003se).

I assume the "connected" indication means an IP has been allocated by
the access point's DHCP server. This would not happen, I assume, if
the network was encrypted (WEP or WPA) because then the PDA asks for a
key.

It's possible that *some* people are running access lists based on the
MAC address. I do this at home (and I disable SSID broadcast for what
good that does) but very few people know about this.

It's also possible that the discovery of a network can take place at a
poorer signal strength than is required to use it, but would DHCP work
then?

I'd guess that I can use maybe 1/10 of networks that show "connected".

Any ideas why?

"(E-Mail Removed)" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> This happens a lot when walking down the street with a wifi PDA (say
> hp 4700 running wm2003se).
>
> I assume the "connected" indication means an IP has been allocated by
> the access point's DHCP server. This would not happen, I assume, if
> the network was encrypted (WEP or WPA) because then the PDA asks for a
> key.

I thought "connected" simply meant that the wifi part of the connection had
been made - the equivalent of plugging in a cat5 lan cable and it showing
"connected". The actual TCP/IP routing is a completely separate part of the
"connection".

On 2005-07-04 13:56:16 -0400, (E-Mail Removed) said:

> I assume the "connected" indication means an IP has been allocated by
> the access point's DHCP server. This would not happen, I assume, if
> the network was encrypted (WEP or WPA) because then the PDA asks for a
> key.

"Connected" means you have *connected* to the network. it does not mean
you've been granted rights to send or receive any traffic.

David <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote

>> I assume the "connected" indication means an IP has been allocated by
>> the access point's DHCP server. This would not happen, I assume, if
>> the network was encrypted (WEP or WPA) because then the PDA asks for a
>> key.
>
>"Connected" means you have *connected* to the network. it does not mean
>you've been granted rights to send or receive any traffic.

OK, but what exactly does "connected" mean, in the specific WM2003
context?

Unless this is established, we just go around in circles. There is no
such thing as "rights" to traffic; everything is wide open unless
somebody has closed off ports, set up a MAC access list, or whatever.

In this context, the likely meaning is that the DHCP server (sitting
in or behind the access point) has issued an IP to the wireless
device.

I certainly don't get a "connected" status on the PDA if I do any of

- enable encryption and the PDA doesn't have the key
- do not have the PDA's MAC address in the router access control table
- enforce the use of a VPN on that MAC address

Very few people are going to do anything outside of the above. A few
wireless APs will not be for internet; they will be for internal use.
But the vast majority of APs which you pickup are plain ordinary off
the shelf routers connected to the internet.

The one exception is paid-for wifi services (which are common in
hotels etc) which give you an immediate "connected" status but nothing
actually works until you get the www browser up and go to some
website, and any URL you try to go to is redirected to a page asking
you to pay $X per hour etc. So initially they have only port 80 open
and redirect every page to that page.