[SOLVED] WAP only lets client find Vista DHCP server if security is off

[shanonius]

Hi Everyone. Here is the setup and situation in question:

Vista Basic is running Internet Connection Sharing. It runs from the internet NIC to a bridged connection containing both a Wireless NIC and and cable NIC. "Belkin Wireless G Plus MIMO" Router is plugged into the cable NIC. Vista Basic, acting as the DHCP server, sucessfully able to allocate IP addresses through my "Belkin Wireless G Plus MIMO" router (DHCP disabled on this unit, obviously) to an XP client. It is successfully acting as a Wireless Access Point at this stage. Only problem is, I have to put security on the wireless access, otherwise anyone in my buildng can leech my connection. It works like a dream, up until the point I enable security on the Belkin. After that, DHCP is completely unreachable. XP client can still log on to router all right, but ipconfig on the XP client shows an auto configuration address in the 169.254.x.x range, thus no DHCP. If I plug a cable (as opposed to wireless) from the XP client into the Belkin, voila, DHCP assigns a 192.168 address and I can start browsing the internet again. The Wireless security on the Belkin has somehow blocked access to the Vista Basic DHCP server.

Some additional info, in case it's relevant:
XP client's Wireless NIC can only do WEP, so I've got it and the belkin on WEP 64bit security.
Belkin has a manually assigned IP address in the server's range, which is doing the trick

Any thoughts welcome

[johnwill]

That explanation was as clear as mud.

First off, why are you using a router and ICS together? What is the source of the Internet signal? Why not just connect the router as it's intended to be used so the machines are independent?

Unless you have a really old wireless adapter or you haven't upgraded XP to at least SP2, it should be able to do WPA encryption with no problem.

[shanonius]

Hi there, thanks for the reply!
I use a HSDPA USB stick for my internet connection, so it has to go through a computer first. I want to use the router because I'm pretty sure it has better range and a more reliable signal than my Wireless NIC, and I wont have to keep setting up the ad-hoc network each time. XP client is on SP3, and is running on an IBM T41P laptop with an Intel Pro/1000 MT Mobile Connection network card. It is pretty old, I guess. I've looked for a driver update for that NIC which would allow WPA but haven't had any luck getting one that worked. You know what, though: I think it is the WEP which is the problematic factor, because after reading your post, I tried changing the Belkin over to WPA2-PSK and using a much newer laptop (one which supported that encryption) as the client, and it worked. Now I guess I just have to keep on trying to find a driver upgrade for the T41p's wireless card, if there's one out there. Thanks again. Any thoughts why WEP would have stopped me contacting the DHCP server?

[shanonius]

PS. I found the website which has the updated driver. I unzipped it and ran the programs within it and rebooted. When I went to connect I found I was able to use WPA (Not WPA2, though). Any, T41p is now successfully connecting after I configured the access point to WPA. All good. http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=lenovo&lndocid=MIGR-70504

[johnwill]

Glad you worked it out, you lost me in the footwork of the first post.