46

Troubleshooting

2

Click the

Connections

tab, then select

Never dial a connection

. If you cannot make

a selection, go to the next step.

3

Click

LAN Settings…

. The

LAN Settings

page opens.

4

Make sure there are no check marks next to any of the displayed options. Click

OK

to

close the page, then click

OK

again in the

Internet Options

page to exit.

To change settings in Netscape® Navigator® 4.0 or higher:

1

Start Netscape, then open the

Edit

menu and click

Preferences

. The

Preferences

page

opens.

2

Click

Advanced

, then click

Proxies

.

3

Select

Direct connection to the Internet

, then click

OK

to exit.

Troubleshooting

Placement of your router for optimal performance

Your wireless connection will be stronger the closer your computer is to your wireless router.

Typical indoor operating range for your wireless devices is between 100 and 200 feet. In the

same way, your wireless connection and performance will degrade somewhat as the

distance between your wireless router and connected devices increases. This may or may not

be noticeable to you. As you move farther from your wireless router, connection speed may

decrease.

Troubleshooting

47

Factors that can weaken signals simply by getting in the way of your network’s radio waves

are metal appliances or obstructions, and walls.

If you have concerns about your network’s performance that might be related to range or

obstruction factors, try moving the computer to a position between five and 10 feet from the

wireless router in order to see if distance is the problem.

Note

: While some of the items listed below can affect network performance, they will not

prohibit your wireless network from functioning. If you are concerned that your network

is not operating at its maximum effectiveness, this checklist may help.

1. Placement of your wireless router

Place your wireless router, the central connection point of your network, as close as possible

to the center of your wireless network devices.

To achieve the best wireless network coverage for your “wireless clients,” (for example,

computers enabled by Wireless Notebook Cards, Wireless Desktop Cards, and Wireless USB

Adapters):

•

Make sure that your wireless router’s antennas are parallel to each other, and are

positioned vertically (toward the ceiling). If your wireless router itself is positioned

vertically, point the antennas as much as possible in an upward direction.

•

In multistory homes, place the wireless router on a floor that is as close to the center of

the home as possible. This may mean placing the wireless router on an upper floor.

•

Try not to place the wireless router near a cordless 2.4 GHz phone.

2. Avoid obstacles and interference

Avoid placing your wireless router near devices that may emit radio “noise”, such as

microwave ovens. Other objects that can inhibit wireless communication can include:

• Refrigerators

•

Washers or dryers

•

Metal cabinets

•

Large aquariums

•

Metallic-based, UV-tinted windows

If your wireless signal seems weak in some spots, make sure that objects such as these are

not blocking the signal’s path between your computers and wireless router.

3. Cordless phone placement

If the performance of your wireless network is impaired after attending to the above issues,

and you have a cordless phone:

•

Try moving cordless phones away from the wireless router and your wireless-enabled

computers.

•

Unplug and remove the battery from any cordless phone that operates on the 2.4 GHz

band (check manufacturer’s information). If this fixes the problem, your phone may be

interfering.

48

Troubleshooting

•

If your phone supports channel selection, change the channel on the phone to the

farthest channel from your wireless network as possible. For example, change the

phone to channel 1 and move your wireless router to channel 11. (Your channel

selection will vary depending on your region.) See your phone’s user guide for detailed

instructions.

•

If necessary, consider switching to a 900 MHz or 5 GHz cordless phone.

4. Choose the “quietest” channel for your wireless network

In locations where homes or offices are close together, such as apartment buildings or office

complexes, there may be wireless networks nearby that can conflict with yours. Use the Site

Survey capabilities of your Wireless Networking Utility to locate any other wireless networks,

and move your wireless router and computers to a channel as far away from other networks

as possible.

Experiment with more than one of the available channels, in order to find the clearest

connection and avoid interference from neighboring cordless phones or other wireless

devices.

For more wireless networking products from

Dynex, use the detailed Site Survey and wireless

channel information included in your User Guide.

These guidelines should let you cover the maximum possible area with your router. If you

need to cover an even wider area, we suggest the Dynex Wireless G Range Extender/Access

Point.

5. Secure connections, VPNs, and AOL

Secure connections typically require a user name and password, and are used where security

is important. Secure connections include:

•

Virtual Private Network (VPN) connections, often used to connect remotely to an office

network

•

The “Bring Your Own Access” program from America Online (AOL), which lets you use

AOL through broadband provided by another DSL or cable service

•

Most online banking Websites

•

Many commercial Websites that require a user name and password to access your

account Secure connections can be interrupted by a computer’s power management

setting, which causes it to “go to sleep.” The simplest solution to avoid this is to simply

reconnect by re-running the VPN or AOL software, or by re-logging into the secure

Web site.

A second alternative is to change your computer’s power management settings so it does not

go to sleep. However, this may not be appropriate for portable computers. To change your

power management setting in Windows, see the

Power Options

item in the

Control

Panel

.

If you continue to have difficulty with Secure Connections, VPNs, and AOL, review the items

above to be sure you have addressed these issues.

Troubleshooting

49

Problem: Installation CD does not automatically start.

Solution:

If the CD does not start the Easy Install Wizard automatically, it could be that the

computer is running other applications that are interfering with the CD drive.

1. If the Easy Install Wizard screen does not appear within 15-20 seconds, open up your CD

drive by double-clicking the

My Computer

icon located on your desktop.

2. Next, double-click on the CD drive containing the Easy Install Wizard Software CD.

3. The Easy Install Wizard should start within a few seconds. If a window opens showing the

files on the CD, double-click

EasyInstall.exe

.

4. If the Easy Install Wizard still does not start, see “Manually configuring network settings”

on page 43 for an alternate setup method.

Problem: The Easy Install Wizard cannot find my router.

Solution:

If the Easy Install Wizard is not able to find the router during the installation

process, please check the following items:

1. If the Easy Install Wizard is not able to find the router during the installation process, there

may be third-party firewall software installed on the computer attempting to access the

Internet. Examples of third-party firewall software are ZoneAlarm, BlackICE PC Protection,

McAfee Personal Firewall, and Norton Personal Firewall.

If you do have firewall software installed on your computer, please make sure that you

properly configure it. You can determine if the firewall software is preventing Internet access

by temporarily turning it off. If, while the firewall is disabled, Internet access works properly,

you will need to change the firewall settings to function properly when it is turned on.

Please refer to the instructions provided by the publisher of your firewall software for

instructions on configuring the firewall to allow Internet access.

2. Unplug the AC adapter r from the router for 10 seconds, and then plug the power back into

the router. Make sure that the router's Power light is on and solid green. If not, make sure

that the AC adapter is correctly connected to the router and plugged into a wall outlet.

3. Make sure that you have a cable (use the cable included with the router) connected

between (1) the network (Ethernet) port on the back of the computer and (2) one of the LAN

ports, labeled “1” through “4”, on the back of the router.

Note

: The computer should NOT be connected to the port labeled “Internet/WAN” on the back

of the router.

4. Try shutting down and restarting your computer, then rerunning the Easy Install Wizard.

If the Easy Install Wizard is still unable to find the router, see “Manually configuring network

settings” on page 43 for an alternate setup method.

Problem: The Easy Install Wizard cannot connect my router to the

Internet.

Solution:

If the Easy Install Wizard is not able to connect the router to the Internet, check

the following items:

50

Troubleshooting

1. Use the troubleshooting suggestions within the Easy Install Wizard. If the troubleshooting

screen does not open automatically, click the

Troubleshoot

button in the lower, right-hand

corner of the Easy Install Wizard window.

2. If your ISP requires a user name and password, make sure that you have typed in your user

name and password correctly. Some user names require that the ISP's domain be at the end

of the name. For example:

. The

@myisp.com

part of the

user name may need to be typed as well as your user name.

If you continue to have no Internet connection, see “Manually configuring network settings”

on page 43 for an alternate setup method.

Problem: The Easy Install Wizard completed installation, but my Web

browser doesn't work.

- OR -

I am unable to connect to the Internet. The router's WAN light is off

and the Connected light is blinking.

Solution:

If you cannot connect to the Internet, the WAN light is off, and the Connected light

is blinking, the problem may be that your modem and router are not connected properly.

1. Make sure the network cable between the modem and the router is connected. We

strongly recommend using the cable that was supplied with your cable or DSL modem for

this purpose. The cable should be connected at one end to the router's Internet/WAN port,

and at the other end to the network port on your modem.

2. Unplug the cable or DSL modem from its power source for three minutes. After three

minutes, plug the modem back into its power source. This may force the modem to properly

recognize the router.

3. Unplug the power to your router, wait 10 seconds, and then reconnect the power. This will

cause the router to reattempt communication with the modem.

4. Try shutting down and restarting your computer.

Problem: The Easy Install Wizard completed installation, but my Web

browser doesn't work.

-OR-

I am unable to connect to the Internet. The Router's WAN light is on

and the Connected light is blinking.

Solution:

If you cannot connect to the Internet, the WAN light is on, and the Connected light

is blinking, the problem may be that your connection type may not match the ISP's

connection.

•

If you have a

static IP address

connection, your ISP must assign you the IP address,

subnet mask, and gateway address. See”Alternate setup method” on page 14 for

details on changing this setting.

•

You may need to configure your router to meet the specific requirements of your ISP. To

search our Knowledge Base for ISP-specific issues, go to:

http://www.dynexsupport.com and type in “ISP.”