Wireless router nightmares

In My Humble Opinion
1

I have two Acer Aspires that run Windows 7, a desktop and a laptop. I use ethernet cables at home. Recently, the ethernet port on my desktop shorted out. Acer components are difficult to replace, since they’re all integrated into the motherboard. A friend suggested I try out a wireless router, or look into getting an ethernet-to-USB converter.

I tried out both. The converter didn’t work, because it’s for category 5c cables, and all mine are 5e. I tried a Netgear wireless router, but neither one of my Acers would detect it. I tried updating my drivers, but apparently my model (AX1420) is obsolete. I can’t find that model on Acer’s website. They have X1420, and I tried the drivers for that, but nothing changed.

I also think I’ve come across a fundamental truth about wireless routers that I don’t know, and apparently everybody else on the planet knows about but me. The manufacturers saw no need to include this fundamental truth in the instructions because it’s as blatantly obvious as flipping the power switch. Hours of Internet searching have turned up bupkiss. Some of you out there are probably snickering and can’t understand why it’s not super obvious to this moron.

The fundamental truth that I am ignorant of is this: if this is a wireless router, why am I required to hook up a **cable to my computer? I thought I wouldn’t need to do that. I thought I could just plug it in, hook a cable to my modem, and go from there, wireLESS. That’s the point, right? I just have to be near a WiFi source and I’m good to go. But it’s not working that way, if at all.

So, I went back to my friendly computer parts store, and exchanged the Netgear router for a DLink. I exchanged the converter for one that could work with category 5e cable. Neither works. Same conundrum with the Netgear product. I have to hook up a cable from the router to my computer. Why??? Again, neither my desktop or laptop see the wireless router. I know my laptop is capable of utilizing wireless routers. I’ve used it at Starbuck’s, for Og’s sake.

I hooked up the cable to my laptop, as my desktop’s ethernet port is burned out. With cable, it works fine. Without cable, neither PC sees the wireless router. I’ve registered with the manufacture, put in config settings through my browser, put my laptop on TOP of the router, nada. I’ve googled for wireless router brands that are compatible with Acers. I can’t find any such lists.

Help me, SDMB Kenobi. You’re my only hope!

2

You need to hook a computer up to the wireless router so that you can change settings. Back in the day wireless routers were wide open right out of the package. Now they have security setting enabled fresh from the box.

You should be able to access the router’s settings with the laptop connected.

What you may well need is a computer savvy buddy to help you out in person. For a good friend, this would be a 6-pack of beer for me to get it running.

3

It’s that complicated Jerry? Yikes!

I did get to the router settings stage. I’m just not sure what to do now. The instructions say to add wireless devices by accessing their own control panels, but like I said, nothing comes up. Am I supposed to define a Network such as “Homegroup 9” or something?

4

You will need to give your wireless network a name. So, call it Knowed Out, or something similarly easy for you to identify.

Also, sometimes routers have a setting hide their names from the network. Go into your router settings, and see if it has a Wireless setting that says something like “Hide SSID.” If it does, you want to make sure that this setting is OFF, because you want your SSID to be visible. Then, when you fire up your wireless computer and tell it to look for wireless networks, it will find the Knowed Out wireless network.

You should also set a good password for the wireless network, so that strangers outside your house can’t get access to it.

Which model DLink do you have?

5

I’m just about clueless about wireless, although recently I have had to deal with it just a little.

I do know that you don’t need a cable hooked up to your PC. But even with your PC right next to your router or wireless access point or whatever, your PC needs a set of ears to hear that Wi-Fi music. Do you have a wireless network adapter? Surely you do and just didn’t mention it since it’s so obvious? Although my PC is wired with ethernet I can still access the internet wirelessly if I unplug the cable. It just requires a little USB thingy which receives the Wi-Fi signal and does something and passes it to the computer via the USB connection. I thought laptops would have one of these built in, but older PCs do not necessarily. My brother-in-law bought one for me with installation CD for about $10 in a bargain bin.

6

Wow.

An incredibly important question that i never even thought to ask. I just assumed that someone who buys a wireless router would have a wireless adapter, but this might not be the case for the OP.

My desktop doesn’t have a wireless card, because it sits right next to my router, and given the choice, i’ll always take a wired over a wireless connection.

7

Are these brand new wireless routers? If you bought them used, the prior owner may have changed the settings so that the wifi name is not visible. If this is the case, there is usually a reset button on the back which will revert the router to the default settings. Regardless, try using the reset function on the router and see what happens.

You said your laptop can see the wireless at Starbucks, so chances are it is okay. Do you have any other devices which can access wifi, such as a phone or tablet? Can they see the wifi?

One possibility is that your USB ethernet device is not compatible with the frequency of the router (802.11xxx). If the router is N-only and your USB device is something else, it won’t see it. The Starbucks router uses all the frequencies, but yours may only support a subset.

8

One thing to keep in mind: You say you borked up the ethernet port on your desktop. You may have done more than just bork up the port, you may have damaged the network section of the board, which is where the external network adapters may route through (or your computer may be routing everything through the driver for that hardware), which could prevent you from using that hardware and its driver.

9

Here is the fundamental truth that you have come across:

So is everything else in your computer, or it soon will be. The useful life of a computer has been reduced to about 4 years, and compressing rapidly.

10

rsa, mhendo: I have no wireless network adapter. Didn’t know I needed one. I’m currently at work and don’t remember the DLink model.
filmore: Brand new wireless routers. I have no other wireless devices. My phone is just an ordinary flip phone.
crazyjoe: I’m beginning to think that may be the case. I’m going to keep trying to get the wireless router thing set up until I abandon all hope of it working, then take the desktop to the repair shop.

11

How do you know those usb-to-ethernet doodads aren’t working because of cat 5e vs 5c? I find it really hard to believe that this is the reason.

In any case, why would your friend suggest one of those devices when you could have just picked up a PCI ethernet card for like 10 dollars and wouldn’t have to do anything silly like converting ethernet to USB for a desktop with open expansion ports?

12

That is the best solution, I believe.

13

My daughter and I both had Acer Aspires (they don’t work any more, though) running Windows XP, which worked just fine with my Belkin G wireless router. Model F5D7234-4

Don’t know if the different OS is going to make that information worthless, though.

The Belkin does work with my wife’s Dell, that runs Win7, FWIW.