Wireless connection problem

[Simon]

My cousin has just phoned with a connection issue.  Her router is a Netgear with a Netgear wireless dongle, and the computer states there is no wireless connection.  The wireless, and all other lights, are up on the router, which appears to be connected to the network, so I immediately thought that the fault much be with the dongle, but the dongle is picking up surrounding networks, yet won't pick up their own.  Any suggestions?

[Glenn]

Reboot the router

[Rik]

I can't think of a better piece of advice.

[Simon]

She's tried that. 

[Rik]

Delete the connection from the laptop and then get it to refresh the connection list.

[Simon]

OK, the connection is set up via the Netgear software (it's a desktop, btw), and this claims there is no wireless connection.  She has rescanned, and it finds other networks, but not their own.  In Network Connections, LAN is correctly disabled, but so is the Wireless Network, and there doesn't seem to be an option to enable it, just Repair, which she has done.

[Rik]

Try deleting and starting from scratch.

[Simon]

Delete the wireless connection from Network Connections?  She wouldn't be able to set it up again, so it would mean a trip up to London for me, as I'm not good at giving instructions over the phone.  This would mean connecting the router with a cable, and doing all that stuff, yes?

[Rik]

No, it shouldn't do, it's just a matter of running the New Connection Wizard, or should be.

[Simon]

So, it makes no difference that the Netgear software is being used, rather than Windows?  She's going to need the WEP key, isn't she?

[Rik]

It might, actually, I'm not familiar with the Netgear app. Isn't there something similar in that?

[Simon]

Sorry, I meant WPA.  

Yes, there probably is, but I'm not familiar with it either.  When I last did one of these for a friend, we used the Windows software.  I'll get back to her and see what we can sort out.

[Rik]

The Windows version should work fine.

[Glenn]

Does she have a wired connection at all?

If so get her to install logmein so you can do it remotely

[Simon]

Unfortunately, she doesn't, Glenn.

[Rik]

Could she get a cable?

[Simon]

That looks like an interesting app, though, Glenn.

Could she get a cable?

Possibly.  But she thinks she has the WPA key saved, so hopefully won't need it. 

[Rik]

She can just set a new one at the router with a cable... It doesn't even have to be Vince.

[Simon]

OK, we created a new connection, which works, but the connection to the router won't stay 'live' for long enough to even set the password for the wireless security.  I'm thinking that the wireless output from the router may have broken down.  

Oh, and having changed the SSID on the router, the wireless software still comes up with the old SSID, and won't detect the new one.

[Rik]

Weird. The router does sound suspect, but I think you're going to have to go 'hands on'.

[Steve]

Thank goodness I've forgotten all this However I find it a bit odd she's not seeing the SSID,my worry is there's 2 pieces of software trying to do the same job

[Simon]

The odd thing is that she can connect to the router initially, but the connection keeps 'timing out' whenever she tries to do anything, like change the SSID, so we don't know if the change has been accepted or not.  I have suggested she finds the Ethernet cable, so that we can set up the router while wired, and then try the wireless side.  I have also suggested that they bring the router closer to the PC, but there isn't another phone point in the house, which is near a power point, hence the need for the wireless set up in the first place.

[Steve]

Is she connecting or is that just a cached page in the browser.

[Glenn]

Check in Services, to see if the WirelessZeroConfiguration service is turned off, it should be if you are not using Windows to configure the wireless.

[Baz]

is there an Attached devices list set up, is the dongle on that