# Laptop connecting to internet via wireless router



## jldjs (Sep 23, 2003)

Could use an explanation please. Have a laptop running XP Home with D-Link wireless adaptor. Installed a Belkin wireless router and ethernet cabled it to a cable modem. Life is/was good as far as accessing internet. But, then I connected the router directly to the laptop with an eternet cable into the laptops ethernet port. COuldn't get on the internet!
Can the laptop only have one way to connect at a time, meaning either/or wireless adaptor or ethernet cable to router??
When connecting the router to laptop should the router's power cable be disconnected and the laptop turned off?
Also tried connecting the router to laptop using a USB/ethernet adaptor and oneof the laptop's USB ports. After idle time was unable to reconnect to internet until I ebooted the laptop. Sure would like to understand this connecting stuff better. Appreciate some help.


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## skinnywhiteboy (Jan 26, 2001)

1) It doesn't matter how many adapters you have, they should all be able to connect at the same time. Your router will just issue a different IP to each adapter.

2) The router nor the laptop's power does not have to be disconnected just for the sake of pluggin an ethernet cable in. The router should issue out an IP and your laptop should pick it up on the fly.

3) So far as USB goes, I would avoid that all together if possible. Why connect one more device to your computer if you can just use ethernet, which is a lot more stable for internet connections anyway.



jldjs said:


> Could use an explanation please. Have a laptop running XP Home with D-Link wireless adaptor. Installed a Belkin wireless router and ethernet cabled it to a cable modem. Life is/was good as far as accessing internet. But, then I connected the router directly to the laptop with an eternet cable into the laptops ethernet port. COuldn't get on the internet!
> Can the laptop only have one way to connect at a time, meaning either/or wireless adaptor or ethernet cable to router??
> When connecting the router to laptop should the router's power cable be disconnected and the laptop turned off?
> Also tried connecting the router to laptop using a USB/ethernet adaptor and oneof the laptop's USB ports. After idle time was unable to reconnect to internet until I ebooted the laptop. Sure would like to understand this connecting stuff better. Appreciate some help.


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## jldjs (Sep 23, 2003)

Thank you. I'll try with the ethenret to the router when I'm at my desk (where the router is) and unplug it when I go downstairs and use the wireless adaptor. Maybe connecting the router thru the usb was a problem, that being I would have to reboot after long idle times to get an internet connection.


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## jldjs (Sep 23, 2003)

Another question. When I connect the router to laptop with ethernet cable and then pull the wireless adaptor cars I cannot connect to internet. I check the local connection thru Control Panel and it is enabled using IP address different than the routers. The wireless adaptor uses 192.168 etc.etc. but the local connection uses 169.254.etc.etc. Where did it get that IP addess from? WHy doesn't it also show the same IP address,except for the last part as the wireless adaptor?


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## skinnywhiteboy (Jan 26, 2001)

The reason you cannot connect is because your ethernet card is not getting a valid IP address. IP address starting with 169.x.x.x are called APIPA and are invalid. Check the cable and/or try pluggin into a different port on the router. Also, are both routers uplinked to each other properly??


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## jldjs (Sep 23, 2003)

There's only one router. It is a wireless Belkin that is cabled direct to the cable modem and I have another ethernet cable from its first of four ports connected tot he ethernet connection on my laptop. After I connect the laptop to the router is there a way to get the router to give the ethernet adaptor a new IP address? 
How can I check the cable? I'm using the new one that came with the router.
Again thanks for your help. I know a little bit about this but obviously not enough. I know the IP address 169. etc.etc.etc. is wrong and expect it should be similar to the routers. I do have the Obtain IP address selected for the ethernet's TCP?/P.


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## TerryNet (Mar 23, 2005)

"How can I check the cable?"

You have 2. Switch them. If the router no longer gets internet, you know the cable is bad.

Try connecting the PC to a different port on the router--always an outside chance that one port is bad.

Check the web site of your laptop manufacturer or ethernet card manufacturer for an updated driver. (Find the exact name/model of your ethernet card via Device Manager.)

Use Device Manager to uninstall the ethernet adapter, restart computer, reinstall the adapter.

As skinnywhiteboy said, the connections you are trying to do should be causing you no problems. The above steps should quickly find or fix the "easy" stuff that could be going wrong.

As for the USB/ethernet adaptor, about all I can say about USB is that it is a great interface, with puzzling problems. After the idle time disconnect (because your PC goes into Standby?), you may be able to get reconnected a little more quickly and easier by removing the USB connection and reinserting it. Hopefully you'll get the ethernet card problem solved and get forget the USB.


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## jldjs (Sep 23, 2003)

THanks for your help. I discovered the problem this morning. The MAC address for the ethernet adaptor was not entered into the router's MAC filter table!! After correcting this the router gave out a proper IP address and everything is okay now.


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## jldjs (Sep 23, 2003)

ANother question though. I am able to connect to internet over the ethernet connection. But, after the PC is idle for a while, I try IE and get "Page not found". THe ethernet connection still has a good IP address. If I unplug the ethernet, I can connect to internet using the wireless adaptor. So, I plug the ethernet back in, wait a minute or so to get an IP address from the router and I can connect again. What is happening after an idle period where I can not connect again using the ethernet connection?


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## TerryNet (Mar 23, 2005)

Are you shooting yourself in the foot again by having the router disconnect after an idle period? Sorry, but I had to ask that after your MAC address filtering confession.


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## jldjs (Sep 23, 2003)

I don't know! It's my daugther's router and she had a "friend" of hers install it. She told me it all worked before she moved so I never considered the MAC filtering. She has a Belkin router and I'm not familiar with it. I can check for an idle disconnect setting (?). She can always connect using the wireless adaptor.
Again thanks for your interest in my problem and responding.


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## jldjs (Sep 23, 2003)

Further looking and I see that the ZA firewall is blocking UDP requests from the ethernet adaptor to the router, according to the ZA firewall log. The ethernet adaptor is entered into the firewall table as is the wireless adaptor. DOn't understand this very well so not sure what to do to fix the blocking. Any ideas??


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