Most of my day today was spent trying to figure out a problem with my wireless connection...
It all started Friday night, when I moved my laptop and disconnected it from the hardwired network. I expected to be able to use wireless, and the laptop did connect to my wireless network like usual, and I could access files on the network server, etc. However, when the time came to get out on the internet, no dice...
There was absolutely no internet access. No Web, no FTP, no ICMP. Not even to an IP address (ruling out DNS issues). I went to the wireless router config page, checked everything again and again, and from what the settings were, I should have had Internet access!
Maybe it was the computer? I thought. I took the computer outside and briefly utilized a neighbor's open WiFi network to confirm the fact that it was connecting okay, and it was.
I reset the router to factory default, and that did nothing. I then thought "Maybe I need to upgrade or reinstall the firmware". Plugged my cat5 cable back in, typed http://www.iblitzz.com and there was nothing. Apparently the company, Blitzz Technologies, went down the tubes. Not a trace of them on the Web. After 3 hours of searching I found the same firmware file that was already on the router. I reloaded it and it didn't fix the problem.
I figured that the router was having some issue with routing traffic between the wireless interface and the WAN (cable modem). My solution to that was to use our trusty old Linksys BEFSR41 router as the actual NATing device and just set the wireless router up as an access point (so the WAN port would not even be used). The Linksys was already in the basement acting as a switch, so I decided to move the cable modem down there. After running to Lowes and buying new F connectors for the end of the cable (had to chop the old one off as it wouldn't fit through the hole in the subfloor. I tried to save it by making the hole bigger, but the drill bit ended up eating the coax cable along with an ethernet cable running in the same hole. I then had to splice the ethernet cable back together. Oh well, it only feeds my brother's Xbox 360), the cable modem was operational in its new home.
I got the Linksys up and running, changed its IP address range from the 192.168.X.X to my favorite - 10.X.X.X. The computers which are hardwired were operational once again.
After getting the wireless router converted to a plain old access point, I could see the network and connect to it...but STILL ONLY LOCAL STUFF! The next two hours were spent tweaking settings and constantly modifying the network topology, but NOTHING WORKED.
I had a PCI wireless card around and I put this in a computer and tried to connect to the network - AND IT WORKED, BEAUTIFULLY. But it still didn't work for the laptop!
It was something in the laptop...after checking and checking again, I did a System restore back to a day when I was SURE that the wireless worked. Sure enough, that fixed it! It seems like the culprit was something that happened after I set up the Microsoft Loopback adapters (described in the previous post). I set up a loopback adapter again, and it seems to be doing okay. I have the adapter disabled, though, untill I need to use it.
As for the time and effort used to move the cable modem, I wanted to do that anyways and get it in the cabinet with all of the other network hardware. I guess this just gave me an excuse and motivation to actually do it!
This web log post went through that wireless connection, beamed upstairs to the access point (old router), then to the Linksys through a 50' gray ethernet cable, then to the cable modem, out through the new F-connector, and on its merry way to Andreas where it rides on the almost never-ending, 7200 RPM, coal-fired carousel waiting to be flung off to people like you.
