BELKIN Router/Adapter Problem.....HELP PLEASE!!!!!

andy21 · 07-02-2008, 17:35

Does anyone out there feel they can offer me some expert help to resolve
a networking issue that has baffled a total of 12 Tech Support (including
two Level 2 technicians).

My new Belkin USB adapter cannot get me online wirelessly on my Dell laptop, and yet in the task bar it tells me I am connected. Just getting 'Cannot display webpage' Previous adapter only worked intermittently around the house, never got a stable connectiion.

Setup is as follows: Wired Dell Desktop PC (Vista) and Wired Dell Desktop PC (XP) both connected via the Belkin Router 802.11g, and the
Dell Laptop wireless via the Belkin USB adapter 802.11g (54 Mbps)

Have spoken to Belkin Tech Support 12 to 14 times now and each different
person has gone over steps already tried from the previous calls, even though they have all of this information in front of them, and still I have not
got this issue resolved. If anyone considers themselves brave enough to
take on this challenge then please step forward......I await your replies.

Andy

---------- Post added at 17:35 ---------- Previous post was at 17:27 ----------

Got a bit more info, which should shed some light on the problem I hope!

The laptop gives me an IPconfig of 169.254.197.11
I have also done ping tests from the laptoop with the following results:

Ping to my 2 desktop PCs - Destination Host unreachable
Ping to Default Gateway 192.168.2.1 - Destination Host unreachable
Ping to 169.254.197.11 (my laptop) - Sent (4) Received (4) Lost (0)
Ping to 'Host Name' of laptop - Sent (4) Received (4) Lost (0).

Have tried to do 'nslookup', which incidentally, I had not been asked to do before, and has now given an interesting result:

Default Servers are unavailable
Default Server: Unknown
Address: 127.0.0.1

Hope the above helps. I so need to get this fixed, or else I will have to cut my losses, and buy some new kit which WILL work.

DocDutch · 07-02-2008, 17:49

Andy

okay the dell laptop how old is it and also which belkin USB adapter have you got in there?

the rest of the pc's that are connected to the belkin router do they work alright?

londoner_1 · 07-02-2008, 17:54

Make sure you have the latest drivers installed from the belkin website.

From a dos prompt, do an ipconfig /release all and then ipconfig /renew all (also make sure the wireless router is working fine)

The 169.... ip address is abviously the local ip address and will not work, make sure your local laptop firewall is switched off as well.

andy21 · 07-02-2008, 19:42

Hi DocDutch and Londoner 1,

Thanks 4 your replies.......only sorry I was not logged in at the time, but I am now, and
here is the info you needed.

IPCONFIG/RELEASE ALL is giving the following message:

The operation failed as no adapter is in the state permissible for this operation

IPCONFIG/RENEW ALL

The operation failed as no adapter is in the state permissible for this operation

As far as the router goes, I have a good internet connection on the 2 wired desktop PCs

Back to you guys.

Andy

---------- Post added at 19:38 ---------- Previous post was at 19:35 ----------

Forgot to mention....Windows Firewall is set to OFF, and the Kaspersky Internet Security has since lapsed out of date (Got a new licence but need connection to sort it out).

Andy

---------- Post added at 19:42 ---------- Previous post was at 19:38 ----------

Bit more info again, I'll get the hang of this messaging soon I hope, anyway its the Belkin USB adapter 802.11g (54 Mbps) and the Dell Latitude C400 was bought secondhand about 3 years ago.

Andy

popper · 07-02-2008, 19:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by andy21

Does anyone out there feel they can offer me some expert help to resolve
a networking issue that has baffled a total of 12 Tech Support (including
two Level 2 technicians).

My new Belkin USB adapter cannot get me online wirelessly on my Dell laptop, and yet in the task bar it tells me I am connected. Just getting 'Cannot display webpage' Previous adapter only worked intermittently around the house, never got a stable connectiion.

Setup is as follows: Wired Dell Desktop PC (Vista) and Wired Dell Desktop PC (XP) both connected via the Belkin Router 802.11g, and the
Dell Laptop wireless via the Belkin USB adapter 802.11g (54 Mbps)

Have spoken to Belkin Tech Support 12 to 14 times now and each different person has gone over steps already tried from the previous calls, even though they have all of this information in front of them, and still I have not got this issue resolved.

If anyone considers themselves brave enough to
take on this challenge then please step forward......I await your replies.

Andy

---------- Post added at 17:35 ---------- Previous post was at 17:27 ----------

Got a bit more info, which should shed some light on the problem I hope!

The laptop gives me an IPconfig of 169.254.197.11
I have also done ping tests from the laptoop with the following results:

Ping to my 2 desktop PCs - Destination Host unreachable
Ping to Default Gateway 192.168.2.1 - Destination Host unreachable
Ping to 169.254.197.11 (my laptop) - Sent (4) Received (4) Lost (0)
Ping to 'Host Name' of laptop - Sent (4) Received (4) Lost (0).

Have tried to do 'nslookup', which incidentally, I had not been asked to do before, and has now given an interesting result:

Default Servers are unavailable
Default Server: Unknown
Address: 127.0.0.1

Hope the above helps. I so need to get this fixed, or else I will have to cut my losses, and buy some new kit which WILL work.

so much for the techs you spoke to then....

the 169.254.197.11 isnt in the same range as the routers 192.168.2.1 range so make the usb adaptor manually in the same range.

to be simplistic, you need IPs in the same range so as to allow your IP packets to flow from one machine to the other and back.

a valid IP range in combination with the right 'subnet mask' 255.255.255.0 in your case tells the network stack these packets can flow.

use 192.168.2.2 as the USB ethernets IP and try pinging the router again, you should be able to browse too providing the routers got a valid webside WAN IP set ,i assume the wired pcs work ,so try it.

sure the router should be giving out an IP inthe right 192.168.2.* range but you might not have that set in the router so keep it simple and manually set a valid IP for the USb pc.

the usual reason to get the 169.* range is usually windows messing up ,169.* being what windows uses when it cant auto find a DHCP server to get a valid LAN IP, it messes up a lot so if you ever see this range, manually change it to something valid.

im guessing the USB ethernet has a MAC of 00.00.00.00 ,change that for another valid MAC and you might find windows then manages to ask the routers DHCP server for a valid IP ,but just set the IP manually for a quick test for now.

if you stil cant browse after manually setting the IP in the USB sticks network config, then use one of your wired pcs to go into the routers mini web server pages and check to see if you can see the new USBs IP in there so as to confirm its really wirelessly connected.

andy21 · 07-02-2008, 20:56

Hi Popper, and thanks for your input. I had the Belkin techs assigning the IP manually
before many times, and changing the DNS server to 4.4.2.2 and 4.4.4.1 respectively in
the appropriate boxes, and nothing improved the situation.

It seems I have been pushed from pillar to post with the Belkin techs, who have tried letting Windows configure and also letting Belkin software configure, and that too has
drawn a blank. Router has been reset many times, and Belkin software has been uninstalled and reinstalled. There must surely be something else untried, but what?

popper · 07-02-2008, 21:35

you on exC&W/NTL cable?

use 194.168.4.100 for primary DNS and 194.168.8.100 for secondary DNS.

these are the official DNS your router should be getting given from VM, so you can also use them in the manual DNS section of windows networking too.

from what you say here ,id not be trusting anything these so called techs are telling you, were did they get this 'DNS server to 4.4.2.2 and 4.4.4.1 respectively ' from, its NOTHING like anything Virgin Media use and so only valid IP pinging would work as you cant resolve any URL to the right IP without a working DNS or failing that,the currect entrys in your OS configs .

for instance if your DNS are set wrong the command
ping www.ntlworld.com
would not work, but
ping 212.250.162.12
would work if your IP and routing were set right.

so you are saying you have followed my advice above and set the USB ethernet to 192.168.2.2, the routers IP is 192.168.2.1 ,and your 'subnet mask' is set for 255.255.255.0

[edit]
if for any reason the manual 192.168.2.2 didnt work and some machine reported an error of some kind ,change the 192.168.2.2 to another No at the end that doesnt clash withthe other PCs on the LAN, try 192.168.2.22 as the router might be giving out the *.2 already and so clash and thats not good.

you have checked the routers web pages from a working wired PC on the LAN for the 192.168.2.2 and its showing up on the page so the USB pc IS connected to the router?.

you still cant ping and web browse ?

forget all this windows configure and reinstalling belkin software other than the devices wireless driver, its just complicating the matter, all we need to know after you manually set the right IP on the USB wireless ethernet, is can the router see the 192.168.2.2 as connected, and can you ping/browse the above URL/IP after making the changes to the wireless USB PC now?

andy21 · 07-02-2008, 21:43

Thanx Popper for all that. Please can you stand by for a bit longer whilst I try and sort it out right now, and I will get back to you soon as tonight. May even need a bit of help too to do the changes you've mentioned. Speak in a bit.

Andy

popper · 07-02-2008, 22:08

sure, im refreshing the thread now and again so if im around ill reply, or one of the other readers will help you out if they can be bothered to make the time.

you understand basicly how a (wireless)router works ?.

its something like this
theres two main parts,the WAN AND THE LAN.

the (Wireless)router is the primary device , its WAN side plugs into the VM-CM LAN rj45 port and gets given a valid webside IP,VM route, 'subnet mask' and DNS.

thats it for the WAN side, its now upto the router to pass all your data/packets to and from that LAN side connected PCs to the WAN side.

the routers LAN side then gives out valid IP ranges (usually) to the wired and wirless PCs, passes on the set DNS,route.

all the LAN side PCs weather wired or wireless are talking to the router nothing else, so your problem is on the routerLAN side and thats were we need to look to get the correct settings in place so the wireless PC can talk.

i assume the wired PCs are working fine and you can browse to the routers web pages, you didnt answer that simple question so we are just guessing right now until you answer.

andy21 · 07-02-2008, 22:18

Back again,

I don't like the sound of this one.......I think I've done the changes ok, but when I tried to ping 192.168.2.2 or any other for that matter, I get Destination Host unreachable
and if I do IPCONFIG on the laptop I'm getting message: Media Disconnected! Any ideas?

popper · 07-02-2008, 22:30

"Media Disconnected"

your not wirelessly connected to the wireless router, do a search for your router using eather the windows right click network icon near the time/date or use the belkin app that came on the CD and you installed.

we dont know if your set for windows wireless or the belkin wireless app, but eather one should find the wireless router and i assume you are set for the belkin wireless app operation so overriding the windows default seeing as you already mentioned re-installing that.

you just need to find the search for wireless AP type option inthe belkin app and you can then select your router to connect to it.

the manual setting will override the DHCP client so not a problem right now, you just need to be sure your connected to the wireless router.

andy21 · 07-02-2008, 22:32

Managed to find my wireless connection in the Wireless Network Connection dialog box so I highlighted it and clicked Connect, and even though the strength showing on the little monitor icon in taskbar was saying 'Excellent', I still can't get an Internet page up. Aaargh!!

popper · 07-02-2008, 22:37

your getting to far in front, you did the right ip , the ping and the checked the routers web wireless connected devices page from a wired PC?.

can you at least ping the router from the wireless USB pc now?.

ping 192.168.2.1 we assume from what little feedback you have told us so far.

andy21 · 07-02-2008, 22:49

Did the ping test to 192.168.2.1 and got Request timed out

---------- Post added at 22:49 ---------- Previous post was at 22:48 ----------

Also saying Sent 4 Received 0 lost 4

DocDutch · 07-02-2008, 22:51

okay what have you set the IP to?

also go to Dos and type in NET START WZCSVC this will kick start the windows wireless client. then we go to network connections, right click the wlan connection and see if you can find the network.

Did you get any names from the 2nd line peeps at belkin (I used to work there as techie so would be able to tell if its a 1st liner or higher thats been helping you)