Hi there,

 

Have you set up your wireless access point/router as a DHCP server?  Sorry if this sounds obvious, but I don't know your level of expertise.  Basically, you need to make sure that your Wireless Access point or router is configured to give any computers connecting to it a valid TCP/IP address and gateway address which will allow your computer to browse the web.

 

Check your wireless access point / router manual to see how to set this up.

 

Give me a shout if you need any more help

 

Derek

well when it comes to wireless im very basic...ive always had cable modern....so can you please guide me though the steps..thanks

OK, no problem. My hoe network consists of

My PC, which has a wireless network adadpter

A wireless ADSL router (Belkin F5D7632), which connects to the phone line with an ADSL splitter, tp [rovide internet and wireless access.

 

Your network may differ, so I can only really give you a rough idea of things to look for.

 

I can configure my Belkin router using Internet explorer and a traditional network cable (supplied with the router, to connect my PC physiclly to the router).  Once the PC and router are connected together with the cable, the manual tells me the address to type in my web browser to connect to the router to set it up properly.

 

Setting up the router allows you to get the router connected to the internet, and to allow other wireless PC's access the internet via the router.

 

In my router, there are 5 general sections of configuration settings, and the three main ones used to get you going are;

LAN - (Local Area Network i.e. how your PC and other PC's in the house connect to the router)

WIRELESS - (Wireless settings such as Wireless network name which is broadcast by the router, security settings for wireless communication, and peed settings).

 

There are typically lots more settings (like firewall settings for example) but we'll stick to talking about these 3.

 

WAN - All of the settings configured in the WAN section are settings that only your Internet Service Provider (ISP) should have given you when you signed up.  They include things like User Name and Password for the internet connection, your protocol type and encapsulation.  Might sound like gobbledygook now, but it will make sense once you see the settings options in your router.

 

LAN - The LAN section is where you can set up a TCP/IP address for the router itself, and configure DHCP, which is what I was talking about earlier. TCP/IP (in very, very basic terms) works like postal addresses, in that every PC needs to have a TCP/IP address before it can communicate with another PC, and the addresses have to be unique.  Your router needs to have one, and once you've configured this you can set up DHCP.  DHCP is like Royal Mail, in that it decides who should have what address and post code.  You configure DHCP so that the router gives any PC connceting to it a TCP/IP address and a gateway address setting.  In our case, the gateway address is actually the address of where to find the internet, and is actually the TCP/IP address of the router.

 

WIRELESS - typical settings here are;

 

SSID - This is the name that will appear as an "Available Network" on your PC when it comes within range of your wireless router

 

Channel - Wireless uses radio communication, and the channel is like the channels of a radio.  In your house, there may be other non-PC devices which use the same radio frequencies as your wireless network (like a cordless telephone for example) and if they use the same cannel as your wireless network, you can have problems connecting because of interference.  You can change the channel to sort this, and typically you can choose between 1 and 12 here)

 

Wireless Mode - Your router and your PC's wireless network card must be configured the same way here.  There have been different "standards" used for wireless networking since it was first introduced.  The most common are 802.11b, 802.11g and 802.11n (newer).  802.11g is the standard typically used by 54G network devices (the 54 refers to the speed in Megabits that the device can communicate, and the 802.11g standard is an international standard).

 

There's a lot to take in here, but I've covered the basics (I think/hope!).  Maybe if you send m information on your network I can help out a little more, but see how you get on anyway, and get back in touch if your stuck.

 

Cheers

 

Derek

 

 

wow!!

 

Derek that was amazing....im very impresses..I want to thank you up front!!..ok now...Like i said before I have and inspiron 6000 notebook....with wireless internet....the network card, is a DELL WIRELESS 1370 WLAN Mini-PCI Card....i have no routers in my house, and like i told you before Im use to the cable modern...lol...punch in a mac # and your good to go...lol...well a lil more than that but you get the idea!!!....so my deal is i got signal, I check the Wireless connection status,  and im connected, but when i log on the internet i get the offline screen....so that where i get lost....so what next...thanks

 

jon

Am I correct in saying that you are no longer intending to use your cable modem?

 

Basically, the Dell Wireless 1370 WLAN Mini-PCI Card only enables you to connect to other 802.11b or 802.11g (54G) Wireless devices, and Wireless networks only have a range of several metres.

 

To connect to the internet you'd need to have either a Wireless network router or modem, and this would in turn be connected physically to either a cable service or an ADSL service (usually through a phone line or a cable socket).  So, your internet connection would need to consist of the following things;

 

PC/Laptop -> (via wireless or network cable) -> ADSL/Cable Router or Modem -> (via phone or cable socket) -> Internet Service Provider (ISP)

 

Just to complicate things ;-) , there are other ways that newer laptops can connect to the internet.

 

PC/Laptop (with Mobile phone modem drivers) -> (via Bluetooth) -> Bluetooth enabled Mobile Phone with subscription which includes internet access

 

OR

 

PC/Laptop with built in Mobile SIM Card slot and mobile phone network subscription with internet access.

 

Don't want to bamboozle you, hope this helps.  Again, any more queries let me know.

 

Derek