wireless behaving strangely

[Kumaiti]

Here is the picture:

I have installed a wireless router and two identical (same brand, same model) wireless PCMCIA cards in two laptops (one running WinXP and the other WinME).

The WinME laptop runs perfectly ok.
The WinXP laptop runs weirdly... The connections works for about one or two minutes and then the browser simply can´t go ANYWHERE. However, it shows strong signal. Sometimes if I check using IPCONFIG it shows that the it is using a private ip address instead of the DHCP assigned.
To make it work, I DISABLE the connection and enable again, and then it works a few minutes again. IPCONFIG /RENEW don´t work.

Is there any known issue between WinXP and wireless connections ??

Thanks for the help

[PrntRhd]

Is the XP laptop fully up to date on Windows Updates?
I would run a full set of security scans.

[Mark Miller]

Just a note about XP and wireless. It is supposed to be the best of the Win oses to run any kind of networking including wireless.
Mark:)

[Kumaiti]

I scanned for viruses, nothing.
I checked with hijack this and nothing strange.

And still it works one or two minutes and then stops.

I tried disabling the WinXP support and allow the program that comes with the card to work, and still the same. If I disable the program and leave only Windows to handle the connect, exactly the same.

I am starting to wonder if the computer is not losing the signal.. Programs that show signal strengh are usually accurate or not ??
Also, it all started when I enabled the WEP. Before that it used to work ok for quite a while.

[deddard]

Have you tried assigning IP addresses manually?
Using DHCP is ok, but it does leave things open to security problems - problems can also occur if there are other wireless networks close by as well.
It depends on how you can configure the Wireless Access Point, but it is usually beneficial to assign the addresses statically, and only allow the statically configured addresses to access the WAP.
Another thing may just be to move channels - it is possible that there is interference from another Wireless LAN.
Check to see which LAN you are actually connecting to when the system freezes - is it the same one you think you should be connected to?

Best practices for using wireless:
Assign Static Addresses to all NICs
Only allow specific IP addresses to access WAP
Only allow specific MAC addresses to access WAP
Use highest-level of encryption supported - usually WPA
Create more than one password for the SSID (network ID) and rotate them
Disable the ability to configure the WAP from wireless
Password protect ANYTHING that allows you to assign a password

Although wifi is supposed to be standard, problems still occur frequently.
I have a Buffalo WAP connected to a switch/router & NIC (PCMCIA) that are all assigned static addresses.
The laptop will automatically connect to the WAP on bootup, but will drop the signal after a couple of minutes. I then get the usual 'found a network' and have to connect again to get things working.
It doesn't cause any major problems, but unless I choose to connect, my browser goes nowhere - why it drops the signal is anyone's guess. I use XP's built in wireless facilities to connect.
I have WPA encryption set up, and it is on 802.11g.

[Kumaiti]

Yes, I have tried to assign the IP addresses manually and yet the same thing happens.

And there is no other wireless network close by. And i changed the channels.

The weirdest thing is that inthe same room another laptop works perfectly OK.

[fug2000]

Seems Windows XP has driver issues. Check out http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,63705,00.html

[Kumaiti]

Oh, thanks a lot... That article kind of "save my a**"..