Well, that didn't work
Jan. 25th, 2009 11:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dreamsharkThe next thing on my Electronica Upgrade list was to find a way to get the computers in the attic onto the newly rejuvenated wireless network. There's no pressing need to do this except that we have extra computers up there, so why not? So I bought one of those USB wireless adapters, a nice new one that supports 802.11g. Since the Wireless Access Point that's working so well is a Netgear Rangemax, I bought a Netgear Rangemax USB adapter, figuring that combination had the best chance of actually working.
It didn't. The first annoyance was that the adapter came wrapped in a warning note: be sure to install the driver from the CD before plugging in the device! But there was no installation CD or any further installation instructions. Instead there was another piece of paper saying that the driver and manuals could be downloaded from the website. Well that's just great. Remember, the device I'm trying to install is a web access device. Until I get it working, that computer can't get to the Internet. *duh*
So I downloaded the driver and manuals to my main computer and burned them to a CD (I wanted to have my own copy, in case the driver disappears from the website next year when they stop selling this device). While I was at it, I installed the driver on Main Computer, which is about two feet from the Wireless Access Point. At first it didn't seem to be working at all, but after a reboot and a couple of unplug/replugs of the USB adapter it finally found the network. So far so good. I took the CD upstairs and installed it up there. No luck. The adapter came up, but could not find my network. "If you can't see your local network, check to be sure your wireless router is powered up!" the Network Wizard suggested cheerfully. What, do I look like an idiot? Of course it's powered up. I have a laptop sitting right next to your stupid adapter that sees that network to the tune of 4 out of 5 bars. *Grrrr* Piece of worthless junk. Of course, since it took several tries to get the thing working on the other computer, I had to keep trying for an hour or more with the attic computer, just to be sure. Nothing I did worked - rebooting, plugging into a different USB port, using a different USB cable, moving the adaptor around, reorienting the WAP. Annoyingly enough, I could see about 10 of the neighbors networks, faintly but better than my own network (unfortunately, all of them were secured. The one that isn't is only visible from the 1st floor.)
It didn't. The first annoyance was that the adapter came wrapped in a warning note: be sure to install the driver from the CD before plugging in the device! But there was no installation CD or any further installation instructions. Instead there was another piece of paper saying that the driver and manuals could be downloaded from the website. Well that's just great. Remember, the device I'm trying to install is a web access device. Until I get it working, that computer can't get to the Internet. *duh*
So I downloaded the driver and manuals to my main computer and burned them to a CD (I wanted to have my own copy, in case the driver disappears from the website next year when they stop selling this device). While I was at it, I installed the driver on Main Computer, which is about two feet from the Wireless Access Point. At first it didn't seem to be working at all, but after a reboot and a couple of unplug/replugs of the USB adapter it finally found the network. So far so good. I took the CD upstairs and installed it up there. No luck. The adapter came up, but could not find my network. "If you can't see your local network, check to be sure your wireless router is powered up!" the Network Wizard suggested cheerfully. What, do I look like an idiot? Of course it's powered up. I have a laptop sitting right next to your stupid adapter that sees that network to the tune of 4 out of 5 bars. *Grrrr* Piece of worthless junk. Of course, since it took several tries to get the thing working on the other computer, I had to keep trying for an hour or more with the attic computer, just to be sure. Nothing I did worked - rebooting, plugging into a different USB port, using a different USB cable, moving the adaptor around, reorienting the WAP. Annoyingly enough, I could see about 10 of the neighbors networks, faintly but better than my own network (unfortunately, all of them were secured. The one that isn't is only visible from the 1st floor.)
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no subject
Date: 2009-01-26 01:30 pm (UTC)