Questions about setting up a network in my home

StuntDouble

StuntDouble

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I just recently got Verizon High Speed internet at my house. The modem I received is a Westell 327W. It has wireless capabilities as well as ethernet connections.

My problem is this, the desktop that is going to be hooked to the modem doesn't have a wireless card, while my laptop does. If I hook the modem to the desktop, should I still be able to connect wirelessly with my laptop?

Can anyone give me some guidance as far as setting up my system to work wirelessly?
 
Yes, it's able to do wired and wireless at the same time.

Plug your desktop into one of the four ethernet ports on the back, then using your internet browser (internet explorer or firefox) go to http://launchmodem

Log in using the username and password that you got from verison.

Then click on the wireless tab up at the top, hit configuration and then give the wireless network an SSID (a name for it, so smithhouse or homenet or anything). Any channel you like (if you get bad signal strength down the road, try changing the channel to avoid interference from home appliances), set mixed mode, disable 4x support, and enable SSID hiding.

For the wireless security option, use WEP, a 128-bit key, and type in a random key for it (each digit in the key is 0-9 or a-f). Write this key down on a piece of paper (along with the SSID that you chose earlier). Disable MAC address filtering.

Save the changes, and then turn on your laptop, tell it that you want to connect to a new wireless network, and tell it the SSID and WEP Key that you wrote down on the paper. It should connect okay and you should have internet access now.
 
mycroftt said:
Why do you recommend disabling MAC address filtering?
Click to expand...

Opinions vary on this but...basically if someone is trying to get into your wireless network they can use a sniffer to get the MAC address of a computer or the wireless router itself and spoof the address to gain access. Disabling MAC filtering is by no means a fool-proof security measure, but when used in conjunction with the recommendations by the_mac, it helps to provide better security for your wireless network.
 
the_mac,

I was able to access the modem, and change the necessary settngs. I've run Network connection wizards, followed your instructions, and my computer is still telling me the wireless network is unavailable. The distance from the modem to the computer doesn't seem to matter, it just will not pick up on the network. Any suggestions?
 
morrowj_98 said:
Opinions vary on this but...basically if someone is trying to get into your wireless network they can use a sniffer to get the MAC address of a computer or the wireless router itself and spoof the address to gain access. Disabling MAC filtering is by no means a fool-proof security measure, but when used in conjunction with the recommendations by the_mac, it helps to provide better security for your wireless network.
Click to expand...

If you have an encrypted network with the SSID hidden, the only people that will be able to gain access already know how to spoof a MAC address. For a novice, it's a pain in the ass to look up the MAC on the laptop, enter it in the modem settings, and pray you didn't typo. If this was for an enterprise wireless network, there would be WPA encryption, a MAC whitelist, and a layer of VPN software on top of it. But this is just a home network that you would prefer that little Billy next door didn't use to download the latest T-Pain album and Girls Gone Stupid XVII.

Chris Mapp said:
the_mac,

I was able to access the modem, and change the necessary settngs. I've run Network connection wizards, followed your instructions, and my computer is still telling me the wireless network is unavailable. The distance from the modem to the computer doesn't seem to matter, it just will not pick up on the network. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

First step is to reboot the modem. You should be able to log in and find a reboot button somewhere on the config screens, or just turn it off and unplug it for a few minutes. Try connecting with the laptop again.

If that doesn't work:

Log back into the modem, go to the wireless set up page, and we're going to make a very open, very unsecure, very TEMPORARY network to make sure that everything is working as it should.

Click on the wireless tab up at the top, hit configuration and then give the wireless network an SSID (temp1 is a good example). Any channel you like (if you get bad signal strength down the road, try changing the channel to avoid interference from home appliances), set mixed mode, disable 4x support, and disable SSID hiding.

For the wireless security option, disable WEP. Disable MAC address filtering.

Save the changes, and then turn on your laptop. Have it search for available wireless networks, and then have it connect to temp1 (your new TEMP, UNSECURE network).

If that works, then try adding a WEP key (both to the modem and to the laptop). After that, try hiding the SSID. Only leave the temp network active for a minimum amount of time, because you really don't want to invite people into your own little world. It's bad form. Post back and let us know what develpops.
 
the_mac,

I shall give it a try when I got home from work tomorrow morning. This is probably a stupid question, but if the wireless thing doesn't work out, is it possible to have two dsl modems connected to the same line in different locations?
 
As far as I know, it's not possible, but I could be wrong on that one.

The other option would be to just run a network line from the modem to the laptop. You can run it through ventilation shafts, or on top of a drop ceiling, or anywhere that you could run low-voltage line.
 
the_mac,

I just tried that as well, and got the same result. Refreshing the network list came up with nothing. The only other thing I can think of is that my wireless card really isn't working, though it says it is.
 
You can also check to see if your wireless card has a driver or firmware update.
 
Hey Ken,

I actually did that just a little while ago, and found some updated files. After downloading those, I found out that the wireless antenna is shut off. Whenever I try to use the Intel program to enable it, it says the hardware is shut off, and I need to press Fn+F2, or switch it on manually. Well, I can't find a switch anywhere, and FN+F2 doesn't do anything. So I'm still baffled.
 
There's no hardware switch (like you mentioned earlier), so try either FN+F2 or mucking around in the windows wireless settings looking for things you can enable or turn on.

Sorry I can't be more help, my brain's fried tonight
 
the_mac,

I actually tried that, no effect. All the other fn combinations work though.

Cougar,

Thinking back, this laptop was reformatted a while back, and when it was done, the wireless adapter was no longer recognized. I had to download the driver in order for my system to recognize the adapter. Is it possible that it was never enabled again in CMOS? If that's the case, how do I enable it in CMOS again?
 
Well, some good news..turns out that it was turned off in CMOS. Turned it back on and Voila! Now I just need to set my network up again and see if it will connect. Thanks for the info gentlemen.
 
I did not know the head cat around here was a computer geek in addition to all his other talents.:D:D Congrats on nailing the problem.:thumbup::thumbup:
Jim
 
Ok, even more good news, my network connection finally showed up. However, when I connected it says I have little or no connectivity, because the network did not assign a network address to the computer.

Where do I go from there?
 
You'll want to start with nothing secure - to get it tested and running. Once you've done that, then you can setup wireless security.

If your laptop isn't getting an address, it means that the Westell is not setup as a DHCP server. There should be some setting for the modem to enable that. After you've enabled it, try to reconnect from your laptop.
 
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