Wired link all OK, wireless drops bridged internet link, LAN stays on

[kvenl]

Hi there and thanks for reading.

My config (part of):

- Desktop PC with wired LAN connection to router. Router connects to ISP.

- I connect laptop (if docked) via wire on adapter desktop. bridged with LAN to router; everything works ok then !

- Same desktop has USB wireless connection stick

- the wireless connection is bridged (with XP bridge) to the wired

connection to the router

- My laptop (Dell Latitude D600) also has a wireless adapter, built-in

(Intel Pro) : I want to use the connection anywhere in my house, the same as it was wired.

- 802.11 authentication is disabled for the wireless connections

- Both machines have XP Pro SP2, both drivers of the wireless devices

are the latest (signed); WEP enabled, ZCS is started.

What happens is:

- when I connect through the wireless connection on my laptop to the

desktop (with the wired connections not connected) at regular intervals

(abt 5-10 minutes) the internet connection drops.

- while the internet connection is down, the LAN connection between the

two remains, because I can still transfer files between them

- I still can ping the desktop (and other devices in LAN) but CANNOT ping the router (192.168.0.1)

anymore; all pings that works are also in the 192.168.0.x range and "given" by the router

- after some minutes the internet connection restores and continues to

work again, and everything can be pinged again

- then it goes down again (after 5-10 minutes) etc

So the question is:

why does it work while wired, but why does the internet link drop while wireless?

Thanks a lot for your time and possible answers...

Kees (the Netherlands)

[Takeshi]

What make of wireless router? Firmware up to date?

Have you tried without WEP (for testing)?

Any setting on WAN filter?

[rendrag]

Are you using the desktop as a wireless access point?

I've never had much success with bridging 2 connections in XP. I had connectivity problems as well. I would try starting with no security as takeshi mentioned, and slowly work up.

[kvenl]

Hi and thanks for reacting guys !

The make of the router is Sitecom DC-202.

Well, I doubt if gthe WEP or other encryption is the problem, because the connection to the desktop itself stays up, because I can still transfer files between the laptop and desktop.

So the connection (with WEP) between the two works allright I guess.....

But I will give it a try later.

Any other ideas?

Cheers

Kees

Edited September 5, 2006 by kvenl

[Takeshi]

So your desktop has wired connection to router, another wired connection to dockstation and a wireless USB stick, all bridged?

When internet is down on laptop, is it also down on the desktop?

I've not used bridging before but I'm inclined to agree with what rendrag says.

[kvenl]

Yes the internet connection on the desktop stays up.....

[Takeshi]

It'd be far simpler and less frustrating to get a wireless router. B)

[kvenl]

Anyone else has an explanation of this strange behaviour of that wireless connection?

Thanks!

[rendrag]

Anyone else has an explanation of this strange behaviour of that wireless connection?

Windows?

Seriously though, the only reason I can think as to why you lose internet (but not LAN) connectin is that somehow Windows stops bridging the wireless and wired connections. That would explain why you can still transfer files to the desktop from the wireless laptop, but you can't ping the router.

As it has come up in other threads recently, I am not aware of a single person that has set up bridging in XP at all reliably. I just don't think MS put bridging into Windows XP actually thinking anyone would try to use it.