Snagging my wifi with d-link USB thing
 

last night I got a lot closer to getting my Pismo online with this DLink usb wireless adapter..tantalizingly close...

I get the network to show up, enter the key and the panel says that I'm "Connected."

But when I try to open a web page, it says I'm not actually connected to the internet...same/similar when I try to use Lynxlet or Mail...

Dunno why it says I'm online, unless I actually am, yet need to do one more as yet unknown to me step.

In network, there's an orange ball next to where it says what my IP address is.

Any clues on how to get this beast the rest of the way online?

the exact same setup gets online in a snap at the coffeeshop down the street, at the library, etc...

thanks!

a

Pismo, eh? Which OS are you running?

Figure it can't hurt to mention this... For my Pismo I have a Ralink USB Wi-Fi dongle that has its own software for setting up network connections. I don't know why, but I can only secure a connection if I boot with the dongle plugged in. I have no idea if the same is true for what you're using, but I point it out in case.

I'll also note that OWC has the original Airport Card for those PowerBooks for only $30. Yes, it's used (1-year warranty, though) and it's only 802.11b, but they're easy to install and the necessary software is built in to your OS. It would be slow Wi-Fi because of being 802.11b, but going through USB is guaranteed to be slow since the Pismo doesn't have USB 2 ports.

warragul: 10.3.9. I can install tiger, but it's unusably slow. Panther much better.

NaOH..I will try booting with the dongle connected..

thank you!

a

at the risk of beating it to death, I'd add that I can get a connection at the coffeeshop or library regardless of when I have my USB antenna plugged in..so, while I will try this for our home wifi, I still wonder if there's something else in the mix preventing me connecting..I've dealt with every control available on the computer/USB wifi link end of things...there aren't that many to deal with..

maybe re-examine the router itself. I am broadcasting on all 3 protocols it offers....

a

I'm not a fan of USB devices for getting WiFi, you're much better off using an ethernet bridge (sometimes called a "gaming adapter"). It plugs into your ethernet port, doesn't need drivers, and gives you WiFi. You configure it with your browser by entering an IP address. It works with any computer or game console that has an ethernet port, and because it doesn't require drivers (like a USB device does) and because it's connected to your ethernet port (faster than USB) it's a superior solution.

And what IS that IP address? Is it something in your local network, or is it something that starts with 169.254.x.x? If it begins with 169.254 then it is a self-assigned IP address, and you're not properly receiving DHCP.

If it's something in your network, try plugging an IP address into your browser instead of a domain name, and see if that connects. For example, try
http://17.172.224.47

in your browser. That is apple.com's IP address. If you can connect to 17.172.224.47 but not to apple.com then you have a problem with your DNS.

Trevor

says, has self-assigned IP and may not be able to connect to the internet <Says in Network Status

then in "Ethernet adapter" says it's 169.254.23.136

So, based on your comments above, is it fair to say there's a contradiction going on here?...in that one panel says "connected" another says "probably can not connect."

...and maybe the source of the problem is router settings? BTW, I did connect the USB wifi thing prior to booting up, so...

thanks!

a

This reminds me of another potential issue that I'll point out from my experience: The dongle I use (6-7 years old) can't handle all of what we consider common network encryption methods. My wireless network is set to use WPA2 encryption, but I have to switch it to WPA if I want to connect my PowerBook. You may want to check the documentation you have or the support site of your device manufacturer.

No, no contradiction. If you have a self-assigned IP address, then you won't be able to do anything, even though you may be connected properly to the internet. The problem is not the internet connection (in this case) it's DHCP. For some reason, the DHCP server is not properly assigning you an IP address. And without a valid IP address, nothing else can talk to you.

Try clicking "Renew DHCP Lease" in System Preferences > Network > select your USB thingy. If that doesn't work after trying several times, you'll probably have to use the workaround (which is not optimal AT ALL) of setting your own IP address to somewhere where you hope there is no conflict, and also manually setting your subnet mask, router IP, and DNS servers.

Trevor

when I do that, I see nothing change in that Prefs pane..should I?

if set my own IP address, what kind of numbers should I start with?

thank you,

a

Well, if it works then you should get a valid, not self-assigned, IP address. If it doesn't work, then you won't see any change.

What are the IP addresses of other computers on your local network?

Trevor

the typical 192.168, etc...

should I type in some variant of that?

Can you give me the actual IP addresses, including all four octets? Like 192.168.2.100 and 192.168.2.152.

Trevor

well, this rig is 192.168.2.3

my wife's pavillion is a PC..can't makeit show me what hers is..

Thanks!

a

OK, from that I assume that your DHCP server is probably handing out addresses in the range 192.168.2.2 to 192.168.2.200 or something like that. Let's pick something in the same subnet but as high as possible to avoid an IP address conflict. You can't use the last number 192.168.2.255 but you can use the second-to-last number. So plug in the following in the TCP/IP tab:

Configure IPv4: Manually
IPv4 Address: 192.168.2.254
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Router: 192.168.2.1 (<---I'm guessing here, if you know that the router is at some other address use that one.)
Configure IPv6: Off

Then go to the DNS tab, and enter a couple of IP addresses of public DNS Servers. For example Google's Public DNS Servers are 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4. These would be fine to try. You can also try to use the IP address of your router, which I've guessed is 192.168.2.1.

Trevor

entered the settings above...you got my router's IP address right..

still no connection, tho the USB link thing says "connected."

and, in case you're curious..wireless is turned on, the Pismo is about 6 feet from the router, and getting 100% signal, it says.

a

Can this Pismo connect to http://17.172.224.47 ?

Can you show us what it says if you open up your Terminal and copy/paste the command

ifconfig

into it?

Trevor

Also, when it says that it's connected, can your router see it?

Trevor

It can not.

Sure:

icoLast login: Thu Feb  9 09:43:54 on console

Welcome to Darwin!

nfigpismos-Computer:~ pismo$ ifconfig

lo0: flags=8049<UP,LOOPBACK,RUNNING,MULTICAST> mtu 16384

        inet6 ::1 prefixlen 128 

        inet6 fe80::1 prefixlen 64 scopeid 0x1 

        inet 127.0.0.1 netmask 0xff000000 

gif0: flags=8010<POINTOPOINT,MULTICAST> mtu 1280

stf0: flags=0<> mtu 1280

en0: flags=8863<UP,BROADCAST,SMART,RUNNING,SIMPLEX,MULTICAST> mtu 1500

        ether 00:30:65:74:e2:20 

        media: autoselect (<unknown type>)

        supported media: none autoselect 10baseT/UTP <half-duplex> 10baseT/UTP <full-duplex> 10baseT/UTP <full-duplex,hw-loopback> 100baseTX <half-duplex> 100baseTX <full-duplex> 100baseTX <full-duplex,hw-loopback>

fw0: flags=8822<BROADCAST,SMART,SIMPLEX,MULTICAST> mtu 2030

        lladdr 00:30:65:ff:fe:74:e2:20 

        media: autoselect <full-duplex> status: inactive

        supported media: autoselect <full-duplex>

en1: flags=8863<UP,BROADCAST,SMART,RUNNING,SIMPLEX,MULTICAST> mtu 1500

        inet6 fe80::20d:88ff:fe67:73d8 prefixlen 64 scopeid 0x5 

        inet 169.254.23.136 netmask 0xffff0000 broadcast 169.254.255.255

        ether 00:0d:88:67:73:d8 

        media: autoselect (<unknown type>) status: active

        supported media: autoselect DS1 <half-duplex> DS2 <full-duplex> DS5 <half-duplex> DS11 <full-duplex>

pismos-Computer:~ pismo$ 

That's a MAC address of a D-Link device, so this appears to be the USB device in questions.

That's still a self-assigned IP address. I thought you manually set it to 192.168.2.254?

Trevor

I did..still says that..I'm lookin at it right now...maybe something in the computer has other ideas??

It sounds like a driver issue, which brings me back to not liking USB devices for this purpose--they need a driver, and I've never seen a manufacturer of USB WiFi devices yet that can write a good driver.

On the other hand with an ethernet to WiFi bridge (Amazon search: Gaming Adapter), no driver is necessary, it just works. Faster than USB, too.

Trevor

I'm with you, Trevor...

but why (and maybe this isn't even a "scientific" question to ponder) why is it that I effortlessly can get on the wifi at the coffeeshop and library?

I guess the answer is that both have no privacy? IOW, if you can see their signal, you can get on.

even the other coffeeshop..a starbuck's..all that's required is you agree to their TOS, and away you go...

I will not un-secure our wifi, but if that's the answer to this problem, I guess that's the answer, techically.

I thank you, once again, for helping me with this issue, Trevor

a

Ah, I had forgotten that aspect. For the answer to your question, see post #8 by NaOH, who has given a good guess as to what's happening there.

Trevor

Yeah..I think that's got to be it.

Thank you again to both of you.

a

I'll guess that's spam since it's lifted from what I wrote in comment #3.