How to persuade Windows to make home networks work

WHILE INTEL'S ANYPOINT system worked well enough, albeit at a very slow speed, we thought it was time to rewire the network here in INQ Central.

We asked Intel if it sold 802.11b wi-fi systems (Intel makes very reliable kit and excellent software, plus it still seems to hire competent technical writers) and the firm oddly enough said "no", so we decided instead to go down the Linksys route.

And we're happy to report that three weeks down the line, with a little help from our friends on our reader forum, Hermit's Cave, from Linksys tech support itself, and through a combination of luck and bad luck, we've finally got two machines running on our Wi-Fi network from one Internet connection, with only one broken desktop XP PC which refuses to work at all, now.

The Spex and the Requirements
When the WAP 11 wireless access point and two WPC 11 802.11b cards arrived at INQ central, it all looked pretty easy to us.

The desktop connected to the DSL bone, we bought a Sony PIII-M with a wireless bone, we needed two WPC 11 cards for the writer's bones, now hear the word of the lord.

The idea is you plug in the WAP 11 v2.2 to the machine that you want to share the connection - that is in this instance our desktop. You plug in the wireless cards to your notebooks, follow a few simple instructions and off you go.

Indeed, the WAP 11 plugged into the E'net cable of the desktop most obligingly. The wireless cards said they were having excellent signals, and we thought everything was going to be plain sailing.

We were trying to connect one desktop running Windows XP, one notebook running Windows XP and one notebook running Windows 98. Our connection to the wibbly web is BT Openwoe DSL using the GreenBAT ADSL modem.

Documentation
We know technical writers cost a fair bit, but couldn't Linksys not ruin the ship for a ha'porth of tar and include full instructions in the printed pamphlet and the far cheaper PDF with the disks, so that ignoramus have a clue. Also Linksys - we know that Cisco has taken you over and perhaps this may have affected morale, but the realities don't start to play until December, so couldn't you make your web site a little more friendly?

Support
Linksys offers excellent support. You place a call and the guys call you back sometime but we'd suggest using the email details produce far better results, as you'll read later.

The trouble is that by the time Linksys called back, the desktop machine had developed some curious Windows XP style errors as a result of attempting to use ICS - Microsoft Internet Connection Sharing - with the result we were getting TCP/IP errors which we still haven't been able to fix two weeks on.

That, of course, is a Microsoft problem but Vole doesn't allow you to re-install TCP/IP in Windows XP, with the result that we had to plug our DSL connection into our notebook to be able to connect to the Intermesh and write our daily quota of stories.

The desktop XP machine is still screwed and can't connect, but at least our notebook can see it on the network so our data files, all religiously backed up, are intact.

When we had a call from Linksys, the guy was very good. We had to do all sorts of things by opening what we used to call the DOS box, or command line interface, and using the "ping" command.

Yes, "ping" is a command that every granny and tyro sold on accessibility and graphics user interfaces is, we're sure, understands.

What to do?
This is what you have to do if you've a configuration like ours and you've bought a WAP 11 v2.2 and two WPC cards, thanks to a kindly support person at Linksys who wouldn't give up trying to help.

We tried finding this kind of info via Google but that wasn't easy, so we think this may help you if you've been WAPP11ed.

This page applies to Windows XP machines at Microsoft's support page.

If you've a Windows 98 PC, follow closely this information - it has worked for us - although read the conclusion of this "review".

"Before you can assign a static IP address, you will need the DNS configuration information from your ISP. Or, on the Host computer, click Start, click Run, type winipcfg, and then click OK. Click ICShare Adapter, click More Info, note the DNS server address, and then click OK. After you obtain the DNS setting, follow these steps:

"Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Network. Click the TCP/IP component installed for the Network Adapter on you LAN.

"Click Properties. On the IP Address tab, click Specify an IP Address. In the IP Address box, type 192.168.0.x (where x is a number between 2 and 254).

"NOTE: The IP address should be one that is not currently in use by another computer on your LAN. In the Subnet Mask box, type 255.255.255.0. On the WINS Configuration tab, click Disable WINS Resolution. On the Gateway tab, type 192.168.0.1 in the New gateway box, and then click Add.

"On the DNS Configuration tab, click Enable DNS, type the host computer name in the Host box. NOTE: The Domain box can be left blank, and note that the computer name is case-sensitive.

"In the DNS Server Search Order box, type the IP address for your HOST computer (usually 192.168.0.1),, and then click Add.NOTE: If the HOST IP address does not work properly, try using your ISP's DNS server IP address.

"Click OK, click OK again, and then click Yes if you are prompted to restart the computer". (You always are, in our experience).

This is good. But why isn't it in either a) The Linksys documentation or b) On the Linksys website. (It might be there - maybe it's the search function that's skewiff, it's certainly not in the documentation).

Conclusion
Three weeks later, we've got a dead Windows desktop which apparently can't be re-fxed, a notebook connected to the DSL running Windows XP, a notebook sharing that connection running Windows 98, and a wireless connection built into the first notebook which doesn't seem to work.

Hope this helps any other poor suckers out there.... µ