WindowsWindows95, 98, MEWindows XPWindows 2000Macintosh

If you are having trouble connecting to the Internet via wireless after following the instructions thoroughly, the following are some tips to troubleshoot the problem.

Step 1 - (General Setup Troubleshooting)

If you are using a wireless card other than the ones which we have provided instructions, check the following:

  1. Your card is IEEE 802.11b compliant.
  2. SSID (for Cisco cards), or Network Name (for Lucent cards) is blank.
  3. Client name is your name, with no spaces, or any unique value. If you have a common name try using your full name to make sure someone else is not using it.
  4. WEP encryption is not enabled.
  5. Make sure you are on a floor that has an access point (1,3,4,5), and are as close as possible. See the Map for details.

Step 2 - (DHCP/registration troubleshooting)

Check your IP address in one of two ways, depending on your version of Windows:

Windows 95/98/ME

Go to Start, Run, and the type winipcfg and press enter. In the window that comes up, choose your wireless adapter from the drop down box. Go to part 2B.

Windows NT/2000/XP

Go to Start, Run and then type command and press enter. At the command prompt type ipconfig /all
Your results should be similar to the image below.

part 2B. - Now that you have your IP address from above, check the following:
  • 10.X.X.X means you need to (re)register your wireless card at the laptop registration page.
  • 131.247.X.X means DHCP is working, and you should be able to access the Internet.
  • Any other value means there is an error in your installation or setup.

Step 3 - (DNS troubleshooting)

If your IP address is 131.247.X.X, and you still cannot access the Internet.

  • Go to Start, Run, and then type command and press enter.
  • At the command prompt, type ping 131.247.100.1 and press enter. Observe the results.
  • Next, type ping helios.acomp.usf.edu and press enter. Observe the results.
  • Contact the Academic Computing Help Desk and inform them of the results of the test. It should be similar to the results below.

Step 4 - Go to your card manufacturer's website and download the newest drivers and client software for your card. Uninstall the old drivers and software, and then install the new versions. In some cases it is very important that the drivers and client software are the same versions.

For questions or help contact the Academic Computing Help Desk at 974-1222, in LIB 608, or wireless@acomp.usf.edu