Wireless network setup help

[MeetYourMaker]

Im trying to help someone setup a new PC with a new router and its not working, infact its driving me mad so hopefully someone has some other ideas to try.

PC: Dell all in one desktop, builtin broadcom 802.11n
Router: Netgear DGN2000 802.11n

The PC has Vista home premium, all updates, connection strength good 3/5
There are 2 issues.
1) PC can scan for networks, it gets a list but when clicking on connect the password box for keyphrase comes up but ultimately does not connect.
2) When I have managed to connect the PC to the router the connection sometimes up as limited or local only and has no internet connectivity, this can be for days before it suddenly starts working again.

Things Ive tried
checked for firmware and driver updates
reinstalling software for network card
resetting router to factory defaults and reconfiguring
using different security, off, wep, wpa etc
disabling IPV6
manually setting up IP info
disabling other network devices

They have 4 other devices which all connect without a problem, XP home desktop, 2 XBOX 360, Vista home premium laptop

 

[Nephilim]

does this dell PC connect to other WLANs without problems? sounds a little like the network card is faulty. Do you really need the "software for network card" or can you just use the inbuilt Vista configuration tools? (like on XP, I dont know Vista tbh) you could try reinstalling the device completely on windows, with drivers etc.
I've had similar problems with my WLAN setup at home with one of my machines, it just worked after several reinstallations of both router and network card. Fuck knows why.

 

['//3iRd(o)]

Disable Link Layer Topology. I had the same problem with Vista vs. Netgear DG.

 

[MeetYourMaker]

Nephilim, when I said software I meant the driver software, its using Vista config tools. PC connects fine to a crappy Orange livebox they used to have. Ive tried reinstalling software, reconfiguring the router but its sometimes working and never a permanent fix, itll always break or indeed fix itself after a while.

Ill give that a go Timo,

 

[Ðeadßoy]

i found this has helped on some pcs

untick allow computer to disable this device to save power in device manager

also in add remove programs

turn off windows features

untick Remote Differential Compression

it dont half slow networks down

 

[Hardcore]

very unlikely and just in case nothing else helps:
but maybe that PC's MAC address is blacklisted in the router?

( hmm well - you've tried "resetting router to factory defaults" ... )
( can't be the IP either if you use DHCP... )
( well... the solution must be somewhere near timo's or DB's answers anyway... ... sorry ... GL! )

 

[TuT]

Any antivirus/firewall software installed that might cause the problem?
I once had a similar prob with HIPS (Host intrusion prevention) in Mcafee.

 

[MeetYourMaker]

I know its not mac filtering or antivirus/firewall software

Ill give the other ideas a go at the weekend

 

[sneez]

At my work I see loads of these issue's. If one of above suggestions fixed it please reply mym!

What you could also try is changing the 'Channel' (in the router)
Channel 1,6 or 11 are good

 

[-CrackKing-]

winsock fix?

 

[MeetYourMaker]

Already tried that, didnt make a difference


Typical, since posting this thread their wireless connection has been working perfectly, they wont let me go anywhere near it till it breaks again

 

['//3iRd(o)]

Well it sounds exactly like the problems I having with LLT, was only after leaving it for a while it decided to connect correctly of it's own accord.

Disabled LLT and it connected first time every time.

 

[pinhead]

Maybe you got 2 DHCP servers running on the same network?
Sounds like it doesn't seem to get its IP address, or somehow the packets don't get there :/

You could try removing the whole "router" thing by putting all ethernet cables in the switch ports of the wireless router. And then disable the DHCP on the wireless router so it'll get it's IP from the other router.

 

[MeetYourMaker]

Theres only the ADSL wireless router, if that was the problem then the other 4 device on the network would have similar problems which they dont.
I had checked it, as I said, even setting IP info manually doesnt help which would bypass the need for DHCP completely