Can Someone Explain

[girlx]

I live in an apartment building where there is a shared internet connection via cable LAN. I have it going into my wifi router. My router is set up so that DHCP is disabled. But regardless, even when I work with the LAN cable plugged into my laptop (bypassing the wifi router), i still get error messages popping up saying there is a Windows system error, IP address conflict with another system on the network. I have two laptops but they both are assigned separate IP addresses. Where could this error be coming from?

Also, my internet has slowed to a crawl lately. It is from True and it is so bad that I can't have a proper meeting with my clients via Skype or surf sites properly. When I ask at the front desk they say they don't know, it's fine for them...

Can anyone shed any light on what might be going on? The people at my apartment are no help at all.

[sjaak327]

The obvious thing that is happening, is that the IP address of one of your laptops is being used by another system on the network (in your apartment building). Maybe you should set your laptops to automatically get assigned IP address ? I don't know how you have connected your wireless router to the shared apartment network, chances are that they have a dhcp server running, so that way your laptops would be able to get assigned IP addresses.

Edited October 23, 2008 by sjaak327

[MasterOfDisaster]

Maybe you have folders on sharing and you got other people visiting those folders, hope you don’t keep any nud_e photos or privet information you could have an ordinance.

[girlx]

Maybe you should set your laptops to automatically get assigned IP address ?

Sorry I am really stupid about networking, how would I do this? Just choose any number 1-100?

[sjaak327]

No, you set it to automatically asigned IP addresses, guessing that your aparment network probably has a dhcp server running, something you can check pretty easily.

Go to start, network connections, and right click properties on your lan connection, double click on tcp/ip and select obtain IP address automaticaly, do the same for dns server addresses.

[girlx]

hrmmm... it was like that already... but thanks

[Ajarn_Jonesy]

hrmmm... it was like that already... but thanks

If it was like that already and as you said (you are bypassing your router). That means your apartment complex already has a DHCP server in the network. if you want to use your wireless router it will need to be set to accept a dhcp address.

If you can do the following we can likely help you get that router working.

on your internet connected laptop...

go to START then RUN and type CMD and open the command prompt.

type the following.

ipconfig /all

this will show your internal network connection information including DHCP, DNS, WINS if used.

From that information we should be able explain the router set up.

Also what make/model router are you attempting to use?

[girlx]

it says DHCP is enabled. (it is for sure not enabled on my router). I am using a Linksys WRT54GC Compact Broadband wireless router...

[sjaak327]

We need more information in order to really help you. Up until now, we have made assumptions.

First, how is the cable from the apartment network connected to the linksys ? Is it in the WAN port or on any of the 4 lan ports. Again I'm assuming your linksys is the only router/access point in your home, and that you don't have another router before the linksys.

If the apartment cable is connected to any of the lan ports, you should change it to be connected to the WAN port, set the wan to obtain an IP address via DHCP, change your router's lan address to an ip outside of the range from your apartment (for instance if your wan address is 192.168.0.50, your router could be set to 192.168.1.1, enable dhcp on your router, and set the range like 192.168.1.10-192.168.1.100. Not only will this stop your problems, it is also very unsafe to have it connected like that, as any person on the same aparment network has access to your computers (potentially), as there is no router in between. (read nat firewall).

Again this is an assumption, if it is connected to the wan port, then the above is invalid.

So more information, and we might be able to help you

[girlx]

the apartment has cabled connections in each room so i put that LAN cable into a LAN port on the wifi router (I have only one). i guess i will switch it to the WAN port and try above like you said, will have to do it a bit later though, will get back to you.... thanks!