Unidentified Network / Limited or No Connectivity for Wireless Connection

My last two post regarding Unidentified Network and Limited or No Connectivity was really a hit and gain lots of traffic to my site. Certain established forums linked to my post and i must say, i really like sharing my technical knowledge.

The first two post i posted earlier were merely for Wired Connection. In this post, i will elaborate more on problems with Wireless Network.

I bet most of you will face Unidentified Network/Limited or No Connectivity with your wireless connection. Don’t panic, cause the root of the problem is quite simple. Usually if you ever get an error when u connect to a wireless network saying Unidentified Network/Limited or No Connectivity, it means that u got a security enable wireless network and u entered the wrong security key (This only apply for WEP).

So, like i said, don’t panic. If you unsure of your WEP key, you can always retrieve it from your modem page. Please take note that your ISP don’t have your WEP key as the key itself was generated or saved inside your modem. So what u need to do is, try to access your modem page, if you unsure on how to open the modem page, try to open your Command Prompt and key in ipconfig, then enter. Before you do this, please make a wired connection first so you can access your modem page.

Once you enter, you will get this:

• Ip Address: xxx.xxx.x.x
• Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0
• Default Gateway: xxx.xxx.x.x

You can access your router/modem page by key in your default gateway address on your web browser.

Take note that most router/modem got their own username and password, for this, you need to know what is the default username and password, and if you had changed before this, please remember the username and password. Also bare in mind, its not the same as your ISP username and password.

Once you login to your router/modem page, try to search for wireless security, usually u can find the option security under wireless. Certain router/modem will show u the character of your WEP key but certain doesn’t. In this case, you might need to retype a new WEP key. Please refer here regarding how to key in the WEP key. Once you done, do not forget to save the settings and close the browser. Now its time to test the wireless network.

Usually when you are connected to a wireless network, Windows will save your wireless network inside your PC. Meaning that you might need to update the current Preffered Network WEP key. I will update more bout this later since my laptop battery can only last for few more minutes.

Unidentified Network, Limited or No Connectivity (For Vista and XP)

Its been a while since i last post regarding troubleshooting steps. I’ve noticed that my post regarding the Unidentified network got quite a hit since i posted it. So i will elaborate more regarding these problem; Unidentified Network(in Vista) or Limited or No Connectivity(in XP).

Please bare in mind that my previous post is only for certain type of modems while in this post, i will explain what is the possible cause of the problem either in Win XP or Win Vista.

There are a few troubleshooting steps that you can try if you are encountering any of this problem. First of all, the reason for this issue is because your PC are unable to communicate with the modem, hence it cannot get any IP address from the modem at all. The problem could lies on these 3 things:-

• Faulty Network Cable
• Network Card(NIC) issue
• Modem Issue

So to check on this issue further you can try the steps below:-

1. First try to check you network cable, try to unplug and replug the cable from both end, the modem and the pc. Since the cause of this issue is because modem unable to communicate with PC there is a chance that your network cable/LAN cable or Ethernet cable is faulty. You can also try to disable and enable back your local area connection.

For XP-> go to your control panel -> click under network connection -> right click on Local Area Connection and disable it -> right click again to enable it back.

For Vista-> go to your network and sharing center-> click under manage network connection located on the left hand side -> right click on Local Area Connection and disable it -> right click again to enable it back

You can also test it with a different pc(if you got), if using the same cable on different pc still get the same error, it could be due to your cable it self.

2. (Please make sure you remember on your login password before proceed) You can try to do a hard reset on the modem/router itself. Normally, at the back of the modem you can find a tiny hole says Reset. You need to find a pin or paper clip and press and hold for around 10 to 15 secs. Once you had done the hard reset, try again to plug to the PC and check whether the issue resolve or not. If it is resolved, you need to configure your modem/router again.

3. If the first 2 troubleshooting steps doesn’t work, you can try to check on the Local area connection whether its been hardcoded or not. If it has been hardcoded with a different ip address(different than your modem/router ip add), you need to change it to obtain an ip address automatically. If it has not been hardcoded with any ip address, you can try to manually key in the ip address(make sure you already know the default gateway and the ip address of the modem/router before manually key in).

For XP -> go to control panel again -> click under network connection -> right click on Local Area Connection and click on properties -> highlight the internet protocol TCP/IP-> click the properties button -> You can see the IP address and DNS address here -> once done click on OK and it will close the page -> click OK again to close the LAN properties -> Disable and enable back your Local area connection.

For Vista -> Open the Network and Sharing Center -> click under manage network connection -> right click on Local area connection and click on properties -> highlight the internet protocol version 4 -> click on properties button -> you should see your ip address and dns address here -> once done click on OK and it will close the page -> click OK again to close the LAN properties -> Disable and enable back your Local area connection.

Normally this troubleshooting should be able to resolve your issue but if still the same problem:-

4. Try to check your NIC (Network Card) whether its working properly or not. You can try to reinstall the NIC driver.

For XP -> you need the driver cd

For Vista -> you can just uninstall it first and reboot your pc, Vista should be able to install the driver automatically.

5. If the NIC is working properly, please check on your modem/router.

As you can see, for this issue, it is best if you have a second computer to test since there are possibilities that problem can either come from PC or the modem itself. If you have a different PC, and it working properly on that PC, clearly we can say its a PC issue. One thing that i need to stress out here is, these problem is not cause from your ISP. Please remember that. Most of the technical issue regarding the internet connection came from the PC or modem itself.

Hope that my guide here can help people who use the google button often. Feel free to drop a comment if you have anything to ask. On my next post, i will be posting about the POP3 Email common issues.

*New*Vista Troubleshooting Page

Hi guys…checkout my new link, Vista Troubleshooting Page. Actually this simple site was build by my colleague, Calvin. So Kudos to him to provide us the guide…..You can view the picture under crappy guide for dummies….enjoy..

Set up Internet Connection(Broadband) on Mac

Its been a while since i update this blog with my troubleshooting steps. As i can see, my posting for Unidentified Network for Vista is quite a hit, so i want to continue to post on a rare troubleshooting steps, steps which is hard to find in internet.

A lot of my colleague, when receive a call from a mac user, they will freak out. Relax guys, Mac is not that hard and basically Mac is quite simple(for me). All the settings are the same only the interface might differ and plus, u cannot right click on Mac.

Well the setting im going to provide below is mainly for Ethernet modem. When using Ethernet modem, they are 2 ways for you to connect. First using a dialer, and second using the modem interface.

Connect using modem/router interface

Okay, we all know if you want to connect via interface you can open the web browser and just type in the default gateway and you can get the page. What if you not sure about the default gateway, or you not sure whether you already select the right network port. These are the way to check on router/modem default gateway on Mac:-

Click on the Apple sign and select Location –> Network Preferences

Credit to Netfaqs.com

For the Location you can select Automatic, but for the screenshot there, it had been rename to Broadband ISP (Do not panic as this is only the connection name)

The important part is the Show, you can choose either to show Internal Modem(Normally your 56k modem), Airport(Also known as Wireless Network Card) or Built In Ethernet(Your Network Adapter or LAN Adapter). In this case, make sure you select Built In Ethernet.

Under the Configure IPV4, make sure you select Using DHCP

Once you select that, you should be able to see your default gateway for modem/router on the Router.

If let say under some circumstances you are not able to view the router address there, Do not panic as there is one more configuration you need to check.

Credit to Netfaqs.com

Click under PPPoE Tab and make sure Connect using PPPoE is NOT tick.

Once you set the settings, you should be able to see the router/modem default gateway under the TCP/IP tab. Then you can directly open you browser and type in the address and set your internet connection from modem/router interface.

If let say you still can’t view the router address and you happen to know the default gateway, you can try this option:-

1. Under TCP/IP tab on the Configure IPV4 option, select Manually.

2. Configure the IP Address (Depends on the router address, if router address is 192.168.1.1, you can configure the IP address as 192.168.1.2)

3. Configure the subnet mask to 255.255.255.0

4. Configure the router address to 192.168.1.1 (If the router address is 192.168.1.1)

5. Configure the DNS server(Refer with your respective ISP)

6. Click Apply Now

7. Open your web browser and type the router address

8. If it works, please let me know as this is only my logic theory, never tested it as normally i can view the router address.

Connect via PPPoE Dialer on Mac

If let say you want to connect via PPPoE dialer from your Mac(Modem on bridge mode):-

Go to Apple sign –>Location–>Network Preferences (screenshot same as above)

Make sure you select Built In Ethernet and click on PPPoE tab

Credits to netfaqs.com

Tick on Connect using PPPoE and enter the Account Name(Username) and Password.

You can tick on Show PPPoE status in menu bar and click Apply Now.

Click on Go and select Applications

Credits to netfaqs.com

Click on Internet Connect, Make sure you select Built In Ethernet for your configuration option and it will prompt you the Account Name and Password, you can click on Connect to dial in.

Okies, i think thats all for now, will update more troubleshooting steps in the future.

Unidentified Network in Windows Vista

Has any of you came across this problem? When you plug the Ethernet cable and your LAN try to identify your network, and finally it return as Unidentified Network. You try to ipconfig and the results you get is an IP of 169.254.x.x with no default gateway of the modem. Well this is the latest problem i came across troubleshooting an Aztech modem with Windows Vista. To be more accurate, Aztech 600EU.

When the first time i came across this problem, i try to disable and enable the lane, unplug and replug the cable, restart the computer, disable the IPv6(which i got a tips from one of my customer who went to Aztech), disable all the firewall and anti-virus, but still, this problem occurred. My customer was nearly give up and she was just about to terminate her line before i try this one last troubleshooting.

Troubleshooting for Unidentified Network

Go to the control panel(Switch to classic view) and click Network and Sharing Center

Click “Manage Network Connection” on left side below the task.

 

You should be able to see your LAN there, Right click on the LAN and select ‘Properties‘

 

Select the ‘Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IP v4)‘ and click ‘Properties‘

Click on the ‘Use the following Ip Address‘

This Example is only meant for A600EU with default gateway 192.168.1.1

IP Address: You can key in any IP range from 192.168.1.2 ~ 192.168.1.254(I think so)

Subnet Mask: You will have a default which is 255.255.255.0

Default Gateway: Enter your modem/router default gateway for example 192.168.1.1

Prefered DNS: Check with your ISP

Alternate DNS: Check with your ISP

After enter all the information click ok, and close everything, then restart your computer. After your computer restart, you can try to ipconfig, and you will see the ip address and default gateway there. You should now be able to open the modem page.

However, when i tested this A600EU, and try to key in the login information inside the modem page, suddenly the page refresh to default setting. I try it a few times, and still after click the connect button, it refresh to default settings. So as usual, i set the modem to Transparent Bridge Mode and create a Vista dialer, after creating the dialer, you should be able to connect and surf. How to set the 600EU to transparent bridge mode, well i can’t tell you the exact way since this model got various type of interface which is different. If let say you get one of the 600EU modem which says the default gateway is 192.168.1.1 and the interface is all in Grey color, then all you need to do is click under Setup –> DHCP Configuration –> make sure the Server and Relay is Off –> click on Connection 0–> Choose the type ‘Bridge‘ and make sure the VPI and VCI settings is correct(Depends on your country) –> Click Apply–>Click Save Settings–>Click Reboot to reboot the modem. After reboot the modem, you can start creating your dialer.

As for today, i think all of Aztech Ethernet modem should work with Windows Vista, only the USB modem is facing the driver issue problem. 1 thing i realize with Aztech modem, although it is an ethernet modem, still you need to set to transparent bridge mode before can use them (example on 305E and 600EU). However, for Aztech modem/routers (305EW and 600EW) both should be able to connect via modem/router page.

Summary on Aztech Modem and Routers (As tested by myself)

Aztech 305E Ethernet Modem:-

• Able to get default gateway when ipconfig
• Unable to connect via modem page
• Need to set to Transparent Bridge Mode
• Need to use Vista Dialer

Aztech 600EU Ethernet/USB Modem(tested once with 192.168.1.1 default gateway, grey interface):-

• Unable to get any default gateway
• Been detected as Unidentified Network
• Need to Hardcode The IP and DNS
• Unable to connect via modem page
• Need to set to Transparent Bridge Mode
• Need to use Vista Dialer

Aztech 305EW Modem cum Router:-

• Able to get default gateway
• Able to connect via the modem/router page
• No need to create Vista dialer

Aztech 600EW Modem cum Router:-

• Able to get default gateway
• Able to connect via the modem/router page
• No need to create Vista dialer

So i think thats all for now. I will try to continue my research on Vista. Good day to you all.