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awaspaas · 03:59 PM

So, am I doing something terribly wrong or is wireless networking under Windows XP just THAT bad?

On my GF's Toshiba laptop with a Belkin PC-card 802.11B adapter, when she comes to my place to use my internet, the situation could not be more frustrating. First, when you're connecting to the network, it takes about 2 minutes to "connect" and then when the window goes away, the status says not connected, but the button below says "Disconnect!" Alas, the cognitive dissonance.

The process of entering my WEP key into the software was like pulling teeth. The first few times I typed the gynormous number in the settings (twice), when I went back to that screen again, it was all gone! Wiped out! Eventually, it "stuck" - but after using it for 15 minutes or so, the connection would drop. We reconnected it a few times after this, but finally it wouldn't reconnect. Sure enough, the WEP key was gone again.

So I've disabled WEP on my router (which required a restart on the PC by the way, my Mac just needed the network reselected) and just using MAC-address access control (better than nothing) and it seems a bit more stable, although it still disconnects periodically. And that awful screen that lists available networks still says "not connected" even when it is!

So, what the hell is going on here. Is that Belkin PC card a piece of crap or something? Would this experience be any improved with a Linksys PC card or something like that?

chabig · Jan 9, 2005, 04:20 PM

I think that' about normal for wireless networking on Windows.

Xaositect · Jan 9, 2005, 04:46 PM

Belkin, Linksys, Netgear, D-Link....

Doesn't matter. They all use the WinXP interface to run the card, so you end up with the same screens for any of them. Connection-wise, Linksys and Netgear seem to get the best reception with this generation of cards, but who's best changes once in a while. If you have an Airport Base Station or Express, loading the Airport Admin software seems to help stabilize connections to the bases, even if you never fire it up to manage one. Again, I said seems, because I have not really specifically tested the change, just noticed it seems to work.

If you uncheck "Use Windows to manage your connection" in the connection properties dialog box (may be a slightly different wording, I don't have a windows box in front of me), you can then use the utility that came with the card (unless it didn't install - some don't if it's XP). That might be a bit nicer. Then again, some are worse. Re-checking the box will take you back to the WinXP stuff.

awaspaas · Jan 9, 2005, 05:16 PM

Oh no, that Belkin software was even worse news that what I described above (if that's even possible) - the only way I got her card to work at all in the first place was to dump that Belkin software.

But really - this can't be normal. Does WEP just not work in Windows? I'm connecting to a Linksys WRT54G router. I don't see how any normal home user could put up with this. Are there really 100 Billion users with wide-open networks because WEP sucks so much? What am I missing here?

Oh, and she just lost her connection when I turned the dishwasher on. WTF?

Steve · Jan 9, 2005, 05:49 PM

WEP worked fine on my Windows XP Desktop at home on our Airport network. Connection came up in my taskbar, connected, typed in the WEP key, and was online with no issues.

awaspaas · Jan 9, 2005, 05:50 PM

Did it actually ask you for a WEP key? I've had to type it in some settings place when I've done it.

Steve · Jan 9, 2005, 05:52 PM

IIRC, yes, but that was 6 months ago, so I may be mistaken.

Link · Jan 9, 2005, 06:15 PM

I have a $7 generic 802.11B dongle on my PC, and while I installed the driver, windows still handles it's wireless config...

The problem was, I had to setup a 128 (or is it 106) bit *HEX* key on my whole network in order to use WEP with the stupid thing.

Otherwise, it hasn't been a problem

Sherwin · Jan 11, 2005, 10:08 AM

Originally posted by awaspaas:
Is that Belkin PC card a piece of crap or something?

Yep. Same crapiness with the one I own under both 98 and 2000.

It's running 128-bit WEP now (off an AirPort) but it took some head scratching to get it working and showing up when it's supposed to.

Millennium · Jan 11, 2005, 10:55 AM

Originally posted by Link:
The problem was, I had to setup a 128 (or is it 106) bit *HEX* key on my whole network in order to use WEP with the stupid thing.

Yeah; I hate that part of it. Though to be fair, I don't understand why AirPort's hex-equivalents of ASCII passwords don't work on these devices, such that you have to explicitly specify hex. It seems to work with Windows cards well enough, but the USB and Ethernet converters don't like them; why?

Anyway, what I usually do is specify an AirPort password, get its hex equivalent, and then explicitly specify that equivalent as the key.