Wireless networking questions....

[terrie]

If you may remember, my sister has a new Dell laptop and I've got some questions (very basic!) about wireless networking...

My sister is on Comcast--as I am--and when Comcast came to install her cable modem, they gave her a wireless modem-- Model #WCG200-CC, Comcast Home Networking Wireless-G Cable Gateway, LINKSYS.

The tech didn't actually set up the wireless network (appropriate term???) because her old laptop didn't have wireless--at least I don't think is was set up...

The new laptop does have wireless and I've been doing some research on how to set this up by visiting dslreports.com and their Comcast forum.

I've gathered a bunch of info from there and basically, it appears that what I want to do is to:

1. go to 192.168.0.1 which apparently is some sort of config page

2. enter the userid and password--I have that from a post on the forum--and perhaps something called a SSID--I don't know what that is but I know what to enter there


What I don't know what to do is what I do next...'-}}

Questions:

1. Do I do steps 1 and 2 above with the cable modem cable plugged into my sister's laptop's ethernet port--this is currently how she's running her system.


2. I know that what will become my sister's wireless network needs to be protected with a network password. Where is that set--will it be obvious from the config page? I have printed off Chapter 5 of the Linksys PDF "Using the cable Gateway's web-based utility".


3. For my desktop system, I plug the cable from the cable box into my ethernet card in my pc box but for wireless this obviously isn't what one would do or else it wouldn't be "wireless"...soooo...how does this work??? I've read about a "patch cable" but I don't know what that is.

4. What other questions should I be asking???


Thanks!

Terrie

[Kelvyn]

This MS link (http://www.microsoft.com/athome/moredone/wirelesssetup.mspx) should enable you to set up the network - I gave the link to one of my elderly lady clients and she emailed me back within half an hour using her laptop on wifi - she is 72yrs old and managed to set it up with no problems.

Once you have that working, then you can set up encryption - enquire back at that time....

[Hugh Wyn Griffith]

If Kelvyn's document does not solve it over in LAPTOP Forum on Compuserve the recommendation is first to set up your laptop to router (the Comcast thingy is a Linksys Wireless Router/Cable Gateway not just a modem in the normal sense) with a wired connection between the two and then unplug the cable and let the Wireless modem find its way -- the problem often is the security encryption password has to be entered and matched between the two devices.

With Windows XP I have found the built-in Network Connection Wizard (in Control Panel) is easy to follow and if you are not sure what kind of network you are setting up it even shows you picture diagrams of a house with different computers etc.

With Linksys routers 192.168.0.0 in the Address box of your browser takes you to the setup screen -- don't put anything in the user box and put admin in the password since that is the default, which you may want to change later on.

Hope that helps.

--------------- XP Help on this ----------------

To start the Network Setup Wizard

You must be logged on to this computer as an administrator to complete this procedure.

Start the Network Setup Wizard.
Follow the instructions on your screen.
ms-its:c:windowshelpntshared.chm::/important.gif Important

Before running the Network Setup Wizard, make sure that your network hardware is installed and working properly on all of the computers on your network.
Before running the Network Setup Wizard on computers running Windows 98 Second Edition or Windows Millennium Edition, make sure Internet Connection Sharing is disabled on these computers.
ms-its:c:windowshelpntshared.chm::/note.gif Notes

To start the Network Setup Wizard, click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Network Setup Wizard.
If you plan to use Internet Connection Sharing (ICS), run the Network Setup Wizard on the host computer first. The host computer is the one that will share its Internet connection.
During the Network Setup Wizard, we recommend that you create a floppy disk to run the Network Setup Wizard on the other computers on your network.
If you select This computer connects to the Internet through a residential gateway or through another computer on my network on the Select a connection method page, the Network Setup Wizard will open the Windows Firewall ports needed to discover a residential gateway and ensure that Internet Gateway Device Discovery and Control is running.
The Network Setup Wizard can only be run on computers running Windows 98, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows XP, or Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2).
-------------------------------------------------------------

I don't bother with the floppy they refer to but just run it again on another device if I need to. Many laptops don't have floppies anyway.

[Michael Rowley]

Kelvyn:

she is 72yrs old and managed to set it up with no problems

I trust that you do not find the circumstance that the lady is 72 at all remarkable; I find it rather remarkable that you have several 'elderly lady clients', but perhaps that speaks for your sound reputation!

[Mike]

she is 72yrs old and managed to set it up with no problems.


So Terrie should have to expect to wait a while before she can do it then. ;)

[PeterArnel]

Terries needs to be a bit careful because on my Dell, Dell has installed its own wireless wizard Dell Wireless Wlan Utitlity which i used
peter

[Kelvyn]

she is 72yrs old and managed to set it up with no problems

I trust that you do not find the circumstance that the lady is 72 at all remarkable; I find it rather remarkable that you have several 'elderly lady clients', but perhaps that speaks for your sound reputation!What is remarkable is that she is a sheep farmer, and runs her farm single-handedly with just the help of one labourer. She also has some self catering cottages on the farm, which is why she is a client.

[Hugh Wyn Griffith]

Terries needs to be a bit careful because on my Dell, Dell has installed its own wireless wizard Dell Wireless Wlan Utitlity which i used
peter

Thanks -- but I guess my point is valid that using a built-in Wizard should do it and that first getting set up with an ethernet connection is often helpful.

[terrie]

Thanks so much for that link Kelvyn! Looks really good...will print it off...there is an error on their page--at least as far as Comcast goes--for the url for Linksys...they say it's http://192.168.1.1 but for Comcast (and in the Linksys doc I have) it's http://192.168.0.1

Other than that...it looks quite straightforward...


>> Once you have that working, then you can set up encryption - enquire back at that time....

Will do...thanks!

Terrie

[terrie]

hugh: With Windows XP I have found the built-in Network Connection Wizard (in Control Panel) is easy to follow and if you are not sure what kind of network you are setting up it even shows you picture diagrams of a house with different computers etc.Cool...I'm sure I'll probably end up using it...

>>With Linksys routers 192.168.0.0 in the Address box of your browser takes you to the setup screen -- don't put anything in the user box and put admin in the password since that is the default, which you may want to change later on.

This is where it may be a bit confusing...first...according to the dslreports Comcast forum, the Linksys addy is 192.168.0.1 --not sure if that's standard or a Comcast only--the router is a Comcast specific router...that's what the "cc" at the end of the model number indicates.

Secondly...I'm not sure if the userid/password at that point (when you get to 198.168.0.1) is the Linksys default or if I enter the Comcast specific default...I'm probably going to try the Comcast specific first...


>>Hope that helps.

Yes...it does...thank you!

Terrie

[terrie]

mike: So Terrie should have to expect to wait a while before she can do it then.ROFL!!! Good one!!!

Terrie

[terrie]

peter: Terries needs to be a bit careful because on my Dell, Dell has installed its own wireless wizard Dell Wireless Wlan Utitlity which i usedWill look for this...thanks for the heads up!

Terrie

[terrie]

What's a patch cable and do I need one???

Thanks...

Terrie

[gary]

A "patch cable" is a short piece of cable used to connect two devices. In this case I would suspect it would be a short (1-2 feet) ethernet cable, in my case used to connect my Linksys router ("Cable/DSL Firewall Router") to my Linksys cable/modem (which is, in turn, connected to MediaCom cable)

[Steve Rindsberg]

That depends on how many sheep she has handy

[Steve Rindsberg]

>>This is where it may be a bit confusing...first...according to the dslreports Comcast forum, the Linksys addy is 192.168.0.1 --not sure if that's standard or a Comcast only--the router is a Comcast specific router...that's what the "cc" at the end of the model number indicates.

This is all one box, a comcast-supplied cable modem cum wireless router? Pity. Just set up wireless for a neighbor ... Comcast cable modem + Linksys wireless access point and router as two different bits of hardware.

If it's all one thing, try plugging a standard ethernet cable into it and into the computer then reboot the computer, which should first be set to acquire an ip address automatically.

Then try the various 192.168.whatever.whosis combinations ... one should pop up a username/password challenge. That tells you you're home.

You could also hop to a DOS prompt and type

ipconfig /all

then look for the gateway IP address in the section about the wireless network card. That's almost surely the IP address you want to log into with the browser.

Secondly...I'm not sure if the userid/password at that point (when you get to 198.168.0.1) is the Linksys default or if I enter the Comcast specific default...I'm probably going to try the Comcast specific first..

[terrie]

gary: in my case used to connect my Linksys router ("Cable/DSL Firewall Router") to my Linksys cable/modem (which is, in turn, connected to MediaCom cable)Ah-ha!!! Ok...I probably won't need one then...

I understood the concept of a patch cable but didn't know where it would be used...

Thanks!

Terrie

[terrie]

steve: If it's all one thing,It is...


>>try plugging a standard ethernet cable into it and into the computer then reboot the computer, which should first be set to acquire an ip address automatically.

The plugged in process is already set up--her old laptop didn't have wireless so she was always plugged into the box and I set up her new laptop to work the same way because *I* don't have a wireless cable box...


>>Then try the various 192.168.whatever.whosis combinations ... one should pop up a username/password challenge. That tells you you're home.

Cool...that's what I thought--to try it with the laptop plugged into the cable box...


>>ipconfig /all

Ahhhh...good idea...I've done that before...will do that and make a note of the settings...

Thanks!

Terrie

[Hugh Wyn Griffith]

Will look for this...thanks for the heads up!

Terrie

I was wrong in saying that for the Linksys 192.168.0.0 is the URL to open its setup box -- it is 192.168.1.1

So if you are still having problems with setting it up, try that. I don't see that it will do any harm even if your maker has its own setup wizard.

[gary]

HWG - the default setup address for some Linksys boxes (like WRT54G) is 192.168.1.1 and for others (like WCG200) is 192.168.0.1

Doncha love consistency?

[Hugh Wyn Griffith]

HWG - the default setup address for some Linksys boxes (like WRT54G) is 192.168.1.1 and for others (like WCG200) is 192.168.0.1

Doncha love consistency?

Maybe that's where I got my wrong idea of 192.168.0.0 from since I had I had the non-wireless version of the WRT54G that I have now.