Page 1 of 2

Clueless Linksys Employee?

PostPosted: Mon Oct 07, 2002 11:38 am
by rberger
Just called Linksys since I can't get a wireless connection to my new BEFW11S4 using the defaults (wired connection works fine). Couldn't fix the problem over the phone, but I'm going to try the wireless router at home anyway so I didn't pursue very far.

In passing, I asked the tech about MAC filtering and he said that I couldn't filter out wireless connections by MAC, but rather I could only filter out by IP address based on connected machines. He was wrong, wasn't he?

Re: Clueless Linksys Employee?

PostPosted: Mon Oct 07, 2002 11:50 am
by Thorn
Originally posted by rberger
Just called Linksys since I can't get a wireless connection to my new BEFW11S4 using the defaults (wired connection works fine). Couldn't fix the problem over the phone, but I'm going to try the wireless router at home anyway so I didn't pursue very far.

In passing, I asked the tech about MAC filtering and he said that I couldn't filter out wireless connections by MAC, but rather I could only filter out by IP address based on connected machines. He was wrong, wasn't he?

Absolutely.

I'm always amazed at how little the Linksys Tech Support knows about their own products.

I set up a BEFW11S4 last week. It filtered MAC just fine. So well in fact, that I at first locked my test laptop out because I typed in the MAC incorrectly. :eek: Once I figured out what was wrong, I was at least assured that the MAC filtering works.

Blackwave is near Linksys HQ. Maybe he can explain it?

PostPosted: Mon Oct 07, 2002 11:55 am
by rberger
Thanks, I was just checking. No need to call in the big guns. :)

I'm more curious about why I couldn't see the signal w/NS just 10 feet away. It showed up twice but then went away. I wonder what'll happen tonight on my DHCP Road Runner connection at home (work is a static Road Runner IP). I hope I can finally do work in the kitchen instead of annoying my sleeping wife with the lights on in the bedroom/office. :o

Re: Re: Clueless Linksys Employee?

PostPosted: Mon Oct 07, 2002 12:01 pm
by blackwave
Originally posted by Thorn
Blackwave is near Linksys HQ. Maybe he can explain it?


I think we can blame it on fluoride in the water system... I mean seriously look at my hair. :D

PostPosted: Mon Oct 07, 2002 12:30 pm
by Chris_Schear
You need some daytime pictures. I'd be thrilled if you put a token golf club somewhere in the shot, just for character.

Re: Re: Re: Clueless Linksys Employee?

PostPosted: Mon Oct 07, 2002 2:58 pm
by stonent
Originally posted by blackwave


I think we can blame it on fluoride in the water system... I mean seriously look at my hair. :D


So I see you have your mini rig there.. Did you catch any APs? I'd guess 99% of them had an SSID of Linksys with no WEP.

http://home.attbi.com/~stonent2/nowep.wav

PostPosted: Mon Oct 07, 2002 7:01 pm
by rberger
Well I just got off the phone with another Linksys tech who was more knowledgable. It didn't help, however. My home wired connection works but my wireless still does not.

I do have both a cordless phone and a baby monitor in the bedroom where the AP is. What's the probability these are causing interference? I've turned off the monitor, but it didn't help. The phone is plugged into its base unit, too, but isn't helping.

When I bring up the Orinoco Silver Client Manager, it's showing linksys on Channel 10. Is there a way to force it back to 6? When I change the router to Channel 10 there's still No AP found by Netstumbler on the Orinoco. (I know it's good, I used it earlier to connect at Cup O Joe's AP.) There were a few bars in the SSID chart for the router where a connection must have been temporarily made. The green bars go from -40 down to -95, with red bars beneath going from -95 down to -100. I've looked around but can't find anything explaining the db charts to a dumb newbie like myself.

Any suggestions, oh masters?

PS. I've tried cycling the phone through various channels, but to no avail. The Orinoco still stays on 10, although it sometimes quickly flickers to 3 and then back to 10. Infant receivers are off, but the transmitters are still on (can't wake the kids, it's almost midnight). I should shut the transmitters down too, shouldn't I?

PostPosted: Mon Oct 07, 2002 7:28 pm
by Optikillusion
Originally posted by Chris_Schear
You need some daytime pictures. I'd be thrilled if you put a token golf club somewhere in the shot, just for character.


Daytime? Whats that?
CARPE NOCTEM!

Re: Re: Re: Re: Clueless Linksys Employee?

PostPosted: Mon Oct 07, 2002 9:37 pm
by blackwave
Originally posted by stonent
So I see you have your mini rig there.. Did you catch any APs? I'd guess 99% of them had an SSID of Linksys with no WEP.


Interestingly about 6 months ago their APs were detected from the street, they have about 6, 1 with WEP.. though now they don't appear to be detected from the street anymore... one almost has to hug the wall to get them detected, but they are still there. ;)

PostPosted: Mon Oct 07, 2002 10:09 pm
by stonent
Which brings me to an interesting thing. I was in CompUSA a few weeks ago playing with the new Toshiba Pocket PC with built in wireless card. I hit autoconfigure and it locked onto a linksys WAP in the store. I now had wireless internet access from the Toshiba. There was no WEP running. Gee did I break the law or what? hehehe.

I could go either way considering I was in the store and many of the computers there have wireless access, but there was a second WAP detected on there which had a SSID that looked like something internal and I didn't mess with it. Oh well, just interesting none the less. What happens if Joe Nobody buys one of these things and in his excitement (sounds like me) unboxes it to play with it in his car and unwittingly auto-locks onto the WAP in the store. Poor guy broke the law and didn't even know it.

PostPosted: Mon Oct 07, 2002 11:05 pm
by hratch
you just said that you have an orinoco SILVER client manager...is the linksys set to use 128 bit WEP? or is it off?

try without WEP and see if it will work.
set your client manager to the SSID of ANY and see if it finds the AP.

Channel isn't set in client managers. they don't care. they only look for the specified SSID.

PostPosted: Tue Oct 08, 2002 2:42 am
by rberger
Originally posted by hratch
you just said that you have an orinoco SILVER client manager...is the linksys set to use 128 bit WEP? or is it off?

try without WEP and see if it will work.

set your client manager to the SSID of ANY and see if it finds the AP.

Channel isn't set in client managers. they don't care. they only look for the specified SSID.


WEP is off. Tried 'linksys' and 'any' and neither found the AP. Thanks for coming back to the topic.

PostPosted: Tue Oct 08, 2002 1:15 pm
by az2k
What version of firmware is on the BEFW11S4? One of the versions had an issue where XP clients could not see the AP.

I have a BEFW11S4 and can access it with a Lucent (silver) no problem.

Keith

PostPosted: Tue Oct 08, 2002 5:37 pm
by rberger
Originally posted by az2k
What version of firmware is on the BEFW11S4? One of the versions had an issue where XP clients could not see the AP.


az2k, do you have any cordless phones and/or infant monitors nearby/in the house?

It's version 2 and I updated via the website to the current firmware, which is 1.4.3 I believe.

Both the wired and wireless machines have Win98SE, so XP is not a factor.

Any ideas???

PostPosted: Tue Oct 08, 2002 7:41 pm
by hratch
it needs to be 'ANY' as in all caps. does this thing connect to anything at all? (checking your post)...

maybe that damn card is no good and we are just chasing our tails. (or tales in some cases)