Wi-Fi / Internet / router problems

[The Danes Are Coming]

We go to camp grounds every now and again where we are have problems connecting to the camp ground wi-fi system. These are camp ground with networks that don't require any special settings and passwords etc at all – just "plug and play"�.

The problem is that we get issued incorrect information from the camp ground router. When we check the subnet mask and/or standard gateway the information is either not there or is incorrect. At the same time other people on the camp ground have no problems (although a few others do). Trying to correct f.x. the subnet mask manually doesn't work.

It could be that it is just our PC that is not working correctly but when we move to the next campground the problem is gone, and when we return to the camp ground with the connection problem the problem reappears. We even have 2 PC's with this problem. One is running XP and the other Vista, so it is 2 different operating systems and 2 different netcards.

We have even tried restarting the camp ground router. We have cleared our operating systems for all IP information before restarting and reconnecting and we have flushed DNS information, but nothing helps. Every time we reconnect we get faulty or missing information and no Internet connection. We can "see"� the router but we can't get on the Internet.

Did any of you experience this and did anyone find a solution to the problem?

[The Danes Are Coming]

We go to camp grounds every now and again where we are have problems connecting to the camp ground wi-fi system. These are camp ground with networks that don't require any special settings and passwords etc at all – just "plug and play"�.

The problem is that we get issued incorrect information from the camp ground router. When we check the subnet mask and/or standard gateway the information is either not there or is incorrect. At the same time other people on the camp ground have no problems (although a few others do). Trying to correct f.x. the subnet mask manually doesn't work.

It could be that it is just our PC that is not working correctly but when we move to the next campground the problem is gone, and when we return to the camp ground with the connection problem the problem reappears. We even have 2 PC's with this problem. One is running XP and the other Vista, so it is 2 different operating systems and 2 different netcards.

We have even tried restarting the camp ground router. We have cleared our operating systems for all IP information before restarting and reconnecting and we have flushed DNS information, but nothing helps. Every time we reconnect we get faulty or missing information and no Internet connection. We can "see"� the router but we can't get on the Internet.

Did any of you experience this and did anyone find a solution to the problem?

[Gary RVRoamer]

We travel all over the USA and have never experienced that sort of problem, Great Dane. Or if I have, I couldn't identify it as accurately as you did.
I wonder if this may not be a firewall issue in your computer? Are you using the same firewall in both? Windows firewall or some other?

[chasfm11]

As Gary suggests, you might have a firewall problem.

First: which firewall, if any are you using? Zone Alarm gave me fits until I figured out that IT was the source of my problems. I'm not as experienced with Windows Firewall

Second, it may be that your wi-fi card doesn't receive as well as others. Assuming that you don't have a firewall interfering and that you have the correct settings on your PC (obtain IP address) you should be able to type IPCONFIG in the command prompt window and see your IP address. If you cannot, I'd assume that you have a range problem from the CG router.

The fact that it is intermittent, suggests a range issue. Is yours a built in Wi-fi or a card. IF the latter, you might try a card with an external antenna. "Seeing" the router doesn't mean that the router can se your transmit signal.

[The Danes Are Coming]

Hi Guys

Thank you for your reply.

Firewall: I use Windows own - nothing else, and I have tried deactivating this. No change.

Reception: I have been sitting away from the router and right next to the router without that making a difference. I can see when the strength of the signal is "at full blast" and this doesn't change anything.

IPCONFIG: I get all information when typing ipconfig, but unfortunately with incorrect numbers.

Netcard: I have bought (as an addition to the build-in cards) a DLINK wi-fi card. No change. I don't activate/run both cards at the same time.

Antenna: We have an external antenna that we use when the signal is bad. This doesn't change anything.

Based on the above I have excluded firewall, signal strength and wi-fi hardware as the source of error. I am more inclined to believe that it's a setting somewhere?

[bjbkkb]

Have you tried talking to your neighbors and seeing what configuration the successful ones are using?

[The Danes Are Coming]

Yes - and i can't spot anything that is different in their setting

[chasfm11]

Thanks for the additional information. It clears up a lot.

I'm not super dooper technical but I believe that the first part of your laptop communicating should be its attempt to contact a DHCP server to get an IP address If the information in IPCONFIG is wrong, that isn't happening.

Before connecting, try this:
1. In a Command Prompt window, type: IPCONFIG /release. That should remove all previous information.
2. Right clicking on My Network Places for properties, selecting the Wireless Connection and right clicking to get Properties again, you should get a list of services. Select Internet Protocol and use the button for Properties of that. Obtain and IP Address Automatically and Obtain a DNS Server Address Automatically should both be selected. You can get to the same set of Connection icons through the Control Panel and selecting Network Connections.

A shot into the dark is that the driver for your Wifi adapter is incorrect or corrupted. I'll be honest that I've had little success at getting Windows to update those automatically.

Have you tried connecting your computer via direct Ethernet cable? I ask in case the overall networking for your computer has problems.

One last point. Sometimes power management on laptops changes the power feed to various devices when it runs on batteries versus 120v power. Testing with it plugged in is the most secure.

[Bill Adams]

When you do get assigned an IP address does it happen to start with 169.xxx.xx.xx? If so, you are not really getting an IP address from the router at all.
This sounds like a problem with the parks router and not your system to me.
Do you know if the router has a limited number of connections allowed? Say 100 and you are number 101?

[Duner]

Could it be that you are getting interference from other wifi networks that are on the same channel?

I have found that if you are receiving other signals that are as strong or stronger than the network you want on the same channel you just can't get internet reliably. Most routers default to channel 1, 6, or 11 and it seems at times everybody is bunched up on those same channels.

I have been traveling for the past year using the Hawking High Gain Wifi Adapter and it works great for me.

The Hawking is directional and about 3-5 times stronger than the internal laptop wifi. BUT if somebody is closer to you and has their network running on the same channel then you'll have problems getting internet (even though it shows connected and you are receiving data).

[quikduk]

I have a question here. I would like to install an external (or internal) omni-directional high-gain (15db) antenna in/on our coach so that when we are at a campground and are parked farthest from the office/router location, we can get a stronger signal.

We have wireless laptops but would we need to hook up this antenna to a wireless bridge in the coach and then connect through that to the parks WiFi or would that even work?

The idea of having to plug a high gain antenna into the laptop eliminates the portability of that laptop by making it more cumbersome and I am sure we would forget to "unplug" when moving to a more comfortable or appropriate chair.

[John Hilley]

You would need a wireless bridge and a switch for two computers wired with ethernet, a wireless bridge with AP (access point) for two computers with WiFi connection or a bridge with repeater capability for WiFi connection of two computers. You would be better off with a directional antenna rather than an omni as the omni would also pick up all the other WiFi users in the park. Also a 15dB omni is quite long.

[SCVJeff]

I have seen this exact problem. We went camping in DV & on to Q last Jan. for 3 weeks. I have a Sprint broadband card into a Wi-Fi router, and another in the group on satellite. One of the folks in the caravan's PC would boot, find either or both routers, grab an IP, and run only intermittently at best, most times it would toss the IP and ask for another. All of us are reasonably experienced with this stuff, and I emailed my corporate IT guys, AND we stopped by the Geek Squad when looping through Vegas. Nothing we did, or bought (an external USB Wi-Fi stick) did any good.

As soon as he got home he had no problems whatsoever as long as it's talking to that particular router. This system is a 2-Wire 1-button router setup from AT&T Yahoo, and the only thing we all could come up with was that some sort of security way deeper than the normal firewall or system set-up was causing this. We even tried different Wi-Fi programs other than XP's with no luck. Death Valley wasn't the place we wanted to play with F-Disk...