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Pismo & USB WiFi Prob - Won't Connect - 2007/07/15 17:10I have a Pismo PB with 384MB Ram and Tiger. I bought a "GigaFast" 802.11b/g USB WiFi adapter which I installed and set-up as instructed. When I open the Network Preference Panel it's seen as an Ethernet device, which seems odd, but it shows it to be "active." When I open the GigaFast Preference it sees whatever WiFi networks available.
Here's the problem ... when I select a network and press the "connect to this network" button all that happens is an eternal "connecting ..." message, but it doesn't connect.
The vendor can't help and the manufacturer recently went belly-up due to price pressure from China (or so they said).
The only hint of a possible cause is a message in the Network Preference when I select "Network Status." It shows the WiFi Adapter to be active but also delivers the following message:
Ethernet Adapter (en1) is currently active. Ethernet Adapter (en1) has a self-assigned IP Address and may not be able to connect to the internet.
I noticed that if I select "configure" in the same window I'm taken to another where I can select "Manual" or "Using DHCP with manual address" but even if I knew what address to put in there I don't know if it'd help any more than I know if it's the problem.
BTW, the GigaFast Preference Panel provides a ton of information about the networks it senses.
Any ideas out there?
Thanks a lot, David
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Cacicedo
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Posts: 332
Re:Pismo & USB WiFi Prob - Won't Connect - 2007/07/16 09:05Try the following in the Network control pane: set it to Using DHCP, and then in the server address box, type in the IP address of the wireless router you're using. That address should be available in the instruction booklet that comes with the router. If you don't have the booklet, post here what kind of router it is, and I'm sure someone else will have the same kind of router and will be able to give you the address. For D-Link routers it's 192.168.0.1, by the way, and for the Airport router it's 10.0.1.1
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gr8karma1
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Re:Pismo & USB WiFi Prob - Won't Connect - 2007/07/16 11:44Thanks for the input. When I select "Using DHCP" the "self-assigned" IP Address shows up and can't be changed. Did you mean "Using DHCP with manual address?" Also, I don't have a router. My intent is to use this laptop when I'm on the road using the wireless networks provided by hotels, airports, coffee shops and so on. The software that came with the adapter gathers info on the available networks. If it shows an IP Address, would I enter it in the "Using DHCP with manual address" IP Address field?
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Cacicedo
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Re:Pismo & USB WiFi Prob - Won't Connect - 2007/07/16 15:47I guess I don't understand your set up. I assumed you had a wireless router. If you don't have a wireless router within signal range of the laptop, the DHCP function will assign a self-generated IP address to your network settings, which is what you're now getting. If your purpose is to surf when there's a signal available, just leave the settings as "Using DHCP," and when you're within range of a signal, the router will assign an IP address to the laptop.
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gr8karma1
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Re:Pismo & USB WiFi Prob - Won't Connect - 2007/07/16 23:00What I'm doing is bringing my Powerbook with the USB WiFi adapter into areas where wireless networks (routers) exist. The USB WiFi adapter and its software detect the networks and can even tell me their names and signal strength. Actually, it provides absolutely everything one might expect from such a device EXCEPT a useful connection. It sees the networks, I can select any of them and then tell it to "connect" but then I simply get the "connecting..." indication but no connection.
When I use it on my windoze laptop, it does all of the above BUT it actually connects to the network I select, so I know it works. It's just that I'd like to use my Mac rather than the Dell.
The Mac knows it's there, says it's active, it and it's software seems to be working properly. I just don't actually get online. I mentioned the message from the Network Preference only because it's the only hint I had of a potential problem. I'm sure it's something simple ... I just don't know what it is.
Thanks for your efforts. On a number of forums, you are the only person to even attempt a suggestion.
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Cacicedo
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Re:Pismo & USB WiFi Prob - Won't Connect - 2007/07/17 10:14The only other suggestion I have is to ask whether the USB dongle is Mac compatible. I've never heard good things about USB wi-fi devices on the Mac, so that's why I'm wondering. If you can get hold of a WAVELan PCMCIA card, I can guarantee that it will work on your computer simply with the AirPort software that comes with the Mac OS--no need to install anything.
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