Vista laptop connected to linksys WRT54GS router but not internet

Guys, I have a dell vostro running Vista Ultimate, I've connected it to my Linksys WRT54GS router, typed in passwords etc. It says its connected to the router but I cant connect to the internet through the laptop.

When I open up internet explorer it fails to connect to the internet even though its connected to my router. When I click on diagnose problem I get

It's my first time using Vista and I don't know a great deal about wifi tbh. I'd appreciate any advice.

 

Have you tried to plug directly into the router with a cable to see if you connect that way? If you are able to get to the internet, then you can at least narrow down your list of suspects.

I have no experience with Vista but when I have encountered this type of probelm in XP I can usually fix it by restarting my computer and both the router and modem. I assume you have already done this though...

 

I personally don't know why everyone likes this router. I had to replace two of them as both had the same problem and it could not be fixed.

I replaced both with cheap and simple plug and play Trendnet routers...not a problem

Good luck...

 

I have the same problem with my Netgear MR814 (802.11b) and Vostro 1500 (Dell 1390 wireless B/G card). When I turned off encryption I was able to connect, but obviously this is not ideal. I'm thinking about buying a new router, but I'd rather get this one working.

 

CrouchCop,

Try a static ipaddress. Your router may not work with Vista on some machines. Or shall I say until SP1 is released vista does not work with it...

You get the famous local only access... what is actually occuring is it can not find a DHCP address... there are many articles on the subject at google groups & windows tech net - but it's hopeless really. set static ip address, downgrade or get a new router.

Have a look at this:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928233/en-us

 

I'd recommend loading OpenWRT onto the router OpenWRT.org Get eather Kamikaze or White Russian. Vista had the same problem on my WRT54G and that's got it running even better. And if you get Kamikaze it even prolongs your router life from changing settings. There's also an extremely configurable firewall and packages if you need different things. That firewall handles port forwarding and blocking and it isn't limited in length. I also see a performance increase from running this (When in XP). 500kbps faster!!! O.O
But it isnt exactly for those that haven't any knowledge of Linux as it is Linux based and uses VI, and the Linux commands. It's still pretty simple though.

 

All I had to do with my Linksys WRT54G to get it working with my Vista laptop was download the firmware upgrade from their website and restart. It would probably be easier to try a basic firmware upgrade from the manufacturer first, especially if he/she is not familiar with the navigation required.

Crouchcop, if you haven't upgraded to the latest firmware on your router I would suggest trying that first. Mine works with DHCP and Static both. Some people have mentioned DHCP problems so switching to static could potentially help, but I would try the firmware upgrade first.

 

Myne was latest and that revision still is. My hardware's old... WRT54G v2 Old one with larger ram compared to the recent revision. Could be the hardware in the computer playing a role too. Oh well I love OpenWRT and woulden't go back to not using it.

 

I never realised anyone replied to this thread.

I figured it out eventually I had the subnet mask of my router entered as 255.255.255.0 rather than using the subnet mask of my modem which was 255.255.255.xxx These numbers make no sense to me but that was the problem.