Troubleshooting

61

2

Using a computer that is connected to your router through a network cable (as

opposed to wirelessly), make sure that

Broadcast SSID

is enabled. This setting is

found on your router’s wireless

Channel and SSID

configuration page.

If you are still unable to access the Internet after disabling any firewall software, please

contact Dynex Technical Support.

Problem: My wireless network performance is inconsistent.

Data transfer is sometimes slow.

Signal strength is poor.

I am having difficulty establishing and/or maintaining a Virtual

Private Network (VPN) connection.

Solution:

Wireless technology is radio-based, which means connectivity and the

throughput performance between devices decreases when the distance between devices

increases. Other factors that will cause signal degradation (metal is generally the worst

culprit) are obstructions such as walls and metal appliances. Note also that connection speed

may decrease as you move farther away from your router.

In order to determine if wireless issues are related to range, we suggest temporarily moving

the computer, if possible, five to 10 feet away from your router.

Changing the Wireless Channel

Depending on local wireless traffic and interference, switching the wireless channel of your

network can improve performance and reliability. The default channel your router is shipped

with is channel 11. You may choose from several other channels depending on your region

(see “Changing the Wireless Channel” on page 26 for instructions on how to choose other

channels).

Limiting the Wireless Transmit Rate

Limiting the wireless transmit rate can help improve the maximum wireless range, and

connection stability. Most wireless cards have the ability to limit the transmission rate. To

change this property, go to the

Windows Control Panel

, open

Network Connections

, and

double-click your wireless card's connection. In the

Properties

dialog box, select the

Configure

button on the

General

tab (Windows 98 users will have to select the wireless

card in the list box and then click

Properties

), then choose the

Advanced

tab and select the

rate property.

Wireless client cards are usually set to automatically adjust the wireless transmit rate for you,

but doing so can cause periodic disconnects when the wireless signal is too weak. As a rule,

slower transmission rates are more stable. Experiment with different connection rates until

you find the best one for your environment. Note that all available transmission rates should

be acceptable for browsing the Internet. For more assistance, see your wireless card's user

manual.

62

Troubleshooting

Problem: I am having difficulty setting up Wired Equivalent Privacy

(WEP) security on your router.

To solve the problem:

1

Log into your router.

2

Open your Web browser and type the IP address of your router. (Your router’s default is

192.168.2.1.) Log into your router by clicking the

Login

button in the top, right-hand

corner of the screen. You will be asked to enter your password. If you never set a

password, leave the password field blank, then click

Submit

.

3

Click the

Wireless

tab on the left of your screen. Select the

Encryption

or

Security

tab to go to the security settings page.

4

Select

128-bit WEP

from the drop-down menu.

5

After selecting your WEP encryption mode, you can type your hex WEP key manually,

or you can type a passphrase in the

Passphrase

field, then click

Generate

to create a

WEP key from the passphrase. Click

Apply Changes

to finish. You must now set all of

your clients to match these settings. A hex (hexadecimal) key is a combination of

numbers and letters from A-F and 0-9. For 128-bit WEP, you need to enter 26 hex keys.

For example:

C3 03 0F AF 4B B2 C3 D4 4B C3 D4 E7 E4

= 128-bit key

6

Click

Apply Changes

to finish. Encryption in your router is now set. Each of your

computers on your wireless network will now need to be configured with the same

security settings.

Caution

: If you are configuring your router from a computer with a wireless client, you will

need to ensure that security is turned on for this wireless client. If this is not done, you will

lose your wireless connection.

Note to Mac users

: Original Apple AirPort products support 64-bit encryption only. Apple

AirPort 2 products can support 64-bit or 128-bit encryption. Check your Apple AirPort

product to see which version you are using. If you cannot configure your network with

128-bit encryption, try 64-bit encryption.

Troubleshooting

63

Problem: I am having difficulty setting up Wired Equivalent Privacy

(WEP) security on a Dynex client card (wireless network card or

adapter).

Solution:

The client card must use the same key as your router. For instance, if your router

uses the key 00112233445566778899AABBCC, then the client card must be set to the exact

same key.

To solve the problem:

1

Double-click the

Signal Indicator

icon to bring up the

Wireless Network Utility

screen.

Click the

Advanced

button to view and configure more options of your client card.

2

Click the

Wireless Network Properties

tab, then select a network name from the

Available Networks

list and click the

Properties

button.

3

Under

Data Encryption

, select

WEP

.

4

Make sure that the

The key is provided for me automatically

box at the bottom is

unchecked. If you are using this computer to connect to a corporate network, consult

your network administrator to see if this box needs to be checked.

5

Type your WEP key in the

Network key

box.

Important

: A WEP key is a combination of numbers and letters from A-F and 0-7. For

128-bit WEP, you need to enter 26 keys. This network key needs to match the key you

assign to your router.

For example:

C3030FAF4BB2C3D44BC3D4E7E4

= 128-bit key

6

Click

OK

, then click

Apply

to save the settings.

If you are NOT using a Dynex wireless client card, consult the manufacturer’s user manual for

that wireless client card.

Problem: Do Dynex products support WPA/WPA2?

Solution:

Note

: To use WPA security, all your clients must be upgraded to drivers and software that

support it. At the time of this publication, a security patch download is available, for free,

from Microsoft. This patch works only with the Windows XP operating system.

Download the patch here:

274845dc9e91&displaylang=en

You also need to download the latest driver for your Dynex wireless 802.11n desktop or

notebook network card from the Dynex support site. Other operating systems are not

supported at this time. Microsoft's patch only supports devices with WPA-enabled drivers

such as Dynex 802.11n products.

Download the latest driver at http://www.dynexproducts.com.

64

Troubleshooting

Problem: I am having difficulty setting up Wireless Protected Access

(WPA) security on my router for a home network.

To solve the problem:

1

Select

WPA-PSK (no server)

from the

Security Mode

drop-down menu.

2

For

Encryption Technique

, select

TKIP

or

AES

. This setting will have to be identical

on the clients that you set up.

3

Enter your pre-shared key. This can be from eight to 63 characters and can be letters,

numbers, symbols, or spaces. This same key must be used on all of the clients that you

set up. For example, your PSK might be something like: “Smith family network key”.

4

4. Click

Apply Changes

to finish. You must now set all clients to match these settings.

Problem: I am having difficulty setting up Wireless Protected Access

(WPA) security on a Dynex client card (wireless network card or

adapter) for a home network.

Solution:

Clients must use the same key that your router uses. For instance, if the key is

“Smith Family Network Key” in your router, the clients must also use that same key.

To solve the problem:

1

Double-click the

Signal Indicator

icon to bring up the

Wireless Network Utility

screen.

2

Click the

Advanced

button. The Dynex Wireless LAN Utility will open. This Utility lets

you manage all the advanced features of the Dynex wireless card.

3

Click the

Wireless Network Properties

tab, select a network name from the

Available Networks

list, then click the

Properties

button. The

Properties

page

opens.

4

Under Network Authentication, select

WPA-PSK (no server)

.

5

Type your WPA key in the

Network key

box.

Important

: WPA-PSK is a combination of numbers and letters from A-Z and 0-9. For

WPA-PSK, you can enter eight to 63 characters. This network key needs to match the key

you assign to your router.

6. Click

OK

, then

Apply

to save the settings.

Troubleshooting

65

Problem: I am having difficulty setting up Wi-Fi Protected Access

(WPA) security and I am NOT using a Dynex client card for a home

network.

Solution:

If you are NOT using a Dynex wireless N USB or wireless N notebook network card

and it is not equipped with WPA-enabled software, a file from Microsoft called “Windows XP

Support Patch for Wireless Protected Access” is available for free download:

Download the patch from Microsoft by searching the knowledge base for “Windows XP

WPA.”

Note

: The file that Microsoft has made available works only with Windows XP. Other

operating systems are not supported at this time. You also need to ensure that the

wireless card manufacturer supports WPA and that you have downloaded and installed

the latest driver from their support site.

Supported Operating Systems:

•

Windows XP Professional

•

Windows XP Home Edition

To enable WPA-PSK (no server):

1

1. In systems running Windows XP, click

Start

,

Control Panel

,

Network

Connections

.

2

Right-click the

Wireless Networks

tab. The

Wireless Network Connection Properties

screen opens. Make sure that the

Use Windows to configure my wireless network

settings

box is checked.

3

Back on the

Wireless Networks

tab, click the

Configure

button. The

Client Card

Properties

screen opens.

4

For a home or small business user, select

WPA-PSK

under

Network Administration

.

Note:

Select WPA (with radius server) if you are using this computer to connect to a corporate

network that supports an authentication server such as a radius server. Consult your

network administrator for further information.

5

Select

TKIP

or

AES

under

Date Encryption

. This setting will have to be identical to

your router that you set up.

6

Type your encryption key in the

Network key

box.

Important:

Enter your pre-shared key. This can be from eight to 63 characters (letters,

numbers, or symbols). The same key must be used on all of the clients that you set up.

7

Click

OK

to apply settings.