Do I Have A Bad Linksys Wap54g

[maikee]

I bought a bunch of wireless equipment the other day:

LINKSYS WAP54G Access Point

LINKSYS 5 port 10/100 switch

DLINK DP-300U print server

LINKSYS Wireless PCI Adapter

Got everything hooked up and wired together and looks like I may have a bad Access point. I'm connecting the print server, my PC at my desk and the Access point through the 5 port switch. By the way, this is sort of a local LAN. I have two ethernet ports in my PC, 1 going out to the Internet, and the other connected to the local LAN I'm setting up.

When I use the wizard to configure the WAP54g, it cannot find the unit. Also, the link light on the wap54g unit is orange. Here is what I've done to troubleshoot:

1. Reset the wap54g unit (holding in the reset button for 10 seconds)

2. swapped out cables and port locations between the wap54g and the switch

3. Ran a cable directly from my PC into the wap54g with my PC sensing a 100mb connection. Tried several cables including a crossover.

4. Powered off both the switch and the wap54g.

I'm at a loss.. Any ideas?

Thanks for any assistance.

[maikee]

ok, I'm almost there, so no need for anyone to answer.

Did some research on the web and read the manual in more detail.

The unit comes up with a default IP of 192.168.1.245.... Or at least it is supposed to. It was coming up with 192.168.1.1... I could access this IP from a web page, but It would not take the default password. I powered the unit off, set my IP port to 192.168.1.1, then powered on the unit. It then automatically set its IP to .245. I could access it from a web page and it took my admin password as well... So, I'm in and am able to do configs.

[maikee]

Linksys access point is now working...

Unfortunately, the power supply on the printer server went bad AND the signal strength sucks to the wap54g. My ASUS USB wireless adapter will at least pull in a 20% signal strength while the Linksys PCI adapter I put in the "remote" PC pulls in squat. Guess I'll be making another trip to Rangsit tomorrow to pick up an antenna booster and get the power supply replaced. Never easy

[sajal]

looks like uve had a tuff day....take it easy n relax..

this was my condition this full week tryin to get my metgear modem to work then to make it work in bridge mode to my netgear wifi router.

[maikee]

looks like uve had a tuff day....take it easy n relax..

this was my condition this full week tryin to get my metgear modem to work then to make it work in bridge mode to my netgear wifi router.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Full week for me as well... We bought out a VDO shop so I've been pushing hard to get things set up.

The Video inventory software program was custom built for the previous owner, but luckily written to access Access... We bought a more commercial version that used Access as well. Spent a couple days getting all of the data ported over with all of the database relationships in the new db intact. If I had more time and wasn't pressed it would have been more fun.

An almost 3 year old computer came with with everything.. I updated it with a little more RAM and another drive to use as a Ghosted backup. I installed XP and was updating all of the drivers/BIOS.. at 2:30AM yesterday morning I f$cked up and flashed a wrong BIOS (off by one letter)... Doh!, the day was wasted (and the MB was usesless.)... but luckily way too tired to be pissed off. Ran over to Saraburi yesterday and got a new Asrock motherboard and 2.4 Ghz cpu put in for 5k baht, reinstalled everything yesterday. Looking back on it... I probably should have just done that in the first place (upgrading the MB and CPU)

Reconfigured my office today along with pulling apart my computer and getting it cleaned out... man it was dirty. My intent was to have all the networking equipment and printer here in my office where it would stay clean and cool. The printer is one of those combo copier/scanner/color inkets from HP. Pretty nice. I travel quite a bit, so instead of setting up a print server on my computer and having to have it on always to access the printer (from the video store computer), I bought the printer server.

Time for a Chang before heading off to bed

[Crushdepth]

My ASUS USB wireless adapter will at least pull in a 20% signal strength while the Linksys PCI adapter I put in the "remote" PC pulls in squat.

Have you tried repositioning the linksys somewhere else ?

The guys in my office were whynging that they can't use ours even in their office 5 metres away. When I went up to look at it I discovered that our computer engineer (masters degree) has wedged it on top of a metal filing cabinet in a corner between two reinforced concrete walls and an airconditioning unit stuffed full of metal. Yes, the signal strength sucks.

I haven't tried moving it just yet, but I'm willing to bet when I ask Einstein to put a bit more thought into the location the signal strength will improve drastically.

[Joey Boy]

if he graduated more than a few years ago there was probably no or very little mention of wireless TCP/IP technologies in the syllabus ya'd expect the chap to keep up to date though.

Edited March 3, 2005 by Joey Boy

[maikee]

Crush, ya tried repositioning things. Originally, I had the access point at my desk here at the house. With that configuration, the PC out in the VDO shop (maybe 75ft away) got 0 signal strength. I moved the Access point out to the shop to see if that would help any. That enabled the PC in my office (the one with the usb ASUS wireless adapter) to at least pick up a signal. That was just for experimental purposes. I really want the printer/scanner combo to be at my desk in the house where there is not as much dust in the air. That will also allow me to just run cat 5 from that pc to the switch (All located at my desk)

Unfortunately, The printer and the printer server are driving the location of the Access point. If I had a wireless printer server it wouldn't be a problem, I'd locate the access point to the best signal location and that would be that, alas, I couldn't find one out at Rangsit the other day and because of time constraints I didn't have time to get over to Pantip.

[chanchao]

Reading this I think I'm happy with my decision to just get everything wired.. Mental note: "When I do go wireless, give Linksys a miss."

It really shouldn't be that hard.

[maikee]

It really shouldn't be that hard.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Tell me about it. I really didn't think this was going to be that big of a deal. I should have just run a 75ft cat5 cable out to the shop... noooo... wireless would be so much Cool er. It will be once it is all done and working.... right?

Lots of concrete between the computers though... not sure what I should have expected. I do know that I would have expected the Linksys Wireless PCI adapter to pull in a stronger signal than my ASUS usb adapter... Not sure why really just figured it would.

At this point my choices are an antenna booster or another WPA54g to act as a repeater. Anyone with an opinion either way?

[maikee]

One last test before running off to Rangsit. Moved the access point upstairs. Am getting between 30 and 50 percent signal strength on both computers. Pretty crappy if you ask me...but that's what I have I'll at least need to purchase another access point to act as a repeater. That will be located up stairs with the main access point downstairs in my office with all the other stuff (printer/print server) and maybe an antenna booster just to be safe for the PC out in the shop.

[stumonster]

was reading on slashdot the other month about some quick and dirty fixes for wifi setups, you might have to do a search ( I am too lazy ) , but the gist of it was getting a bit of polystyrene foam , round it so you have a half cylinder , put a hole in it and slip it over an aerial on you access point , and wrap a bit of aluminium foil around the back as a reflector/collector. Because you are radiating from the aerial in 360 degrees and much of that you probable don't need , you may as well add a bit of direction to your efforts.

[sajal]

if he graduated more than a few years ago there was probably no or very little mention of wireless TCP/IP technologies in the syllabus    ya'd expect the chap to keep up to date though.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

enginering master....i guess he must have studied about radio frequencies??? and should be aware that metal and concrete bounce/absorb the RF.....

[mouse]

was reading on slashdot the other month about some quick and dirty fixes for wifi setups, you might have to do a search ( I am too lazy ) , but the gist of it was getting a bit of polystyrene foam , round it so you have a half cylinder , put a hole in it and slip it over an aerial on you access point , and wrap a bit of aluminium foil around the back as a reflector/collector

Take a look at this solution at http://www.cantenna.com/

[Joey Boy]

if he graduated more than a few years ago there was probably no or very little mention of wireless TCP/IP technologies in the syllabus    ya'd expect the chap to keep up to date though.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

enginering master....i guess he must have studied about radio frequencies??? and should be aware that metal and concrete bounce/absorb the RF.....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I dont know they guy personally, so didnt realise his masters was in communications engineering

Edited March 4, 2005 by Joey Boy

[stumonster]

Take a look at this solution at http://www.cantenna.com/

if you are going to get keen , I prefer the Poor mans WiFi to the pringles/macdonalds setup