WIFIRANGER TROUBLESHOOTING POSSIBLE CAUSES

Transcription

1 Rev 1-8/1/2013 WIFIRANGER TROUBLESHOOTING No IP Address from WiFi Network DESCRIPTION The WiFiRanger is told to connect to a WiFi network but gets the message No IP Address in it s WiFi status box on the main tab of its Control Panel. While connecting to another network, the WiFiRanger needs to ask for an IP address. If it cannot get one, the WiFiRanger cannot get online. POSSIBLE CAUSES 1. Network failed to respond to automatic IP address requests (DHCP) 2. Network can t give any more IP addresses out 3. Network is too far away or too low of a signal 4. WPA or WEP password is wrong 5. Network cannot be used for public internet access

2 NETWORK FAILED TO RESPOND TO AUTOMATIC IP ADDRESS REQUESTS Symptoms WiFiRanger occasionally fails to connect to another WiFi network Solutions Try connecting again. Networks that are busy, far away, or poor signal may not respond to IP address requests quick enough, resulting in no connection. More Information NETWORK CAN T GIVE ANY MORE IP ADDRESSES OUT Symptoms WiFiRanger continually fails to get an IP address from one particular WiFi network Solutions Wait a while, then try connecting again Ask the network owner to increase IP address pool (DHCP pool) Ask to lower DHCP lease time to make IP addresses expire faster so other devices connect quicker Find another wireless network to connect to

3 More Information NETWORK IS TOO FAR AWAY OR TOO LOW OF A SIGNAL Symptoms The WiFi network shows as only 1 to 2 bars or the link quality is under 16. Solutions Make sure Radio Power is set to High in WiFiRanger Control Panel (WiFi tab) Get closer to the WiFi network Remove obstacles in the way or increase line of site If managing the other WiFi network, change broadcast channel to a lesser used WiFi channel More Information WPA OR WEP PASSWORD IS WRONG Symptoms Other people are online using the same WiFi network The signal is good, at least 3 bars The signal you re connecting to is password protected

4 Solutions Double check the password on the WiFiRanger s WiFi tab. If the password is wrong, delete the key and reconnect to the network, then enter the correct password Make sure there are not duplicate passwords for the same network entered More Information NETWORK CANNOT BE USED FOR PUBLIC INTERNET ACCESS Symptoms You don t know where the WiFi signal is You don t know who manages the network You can t connect directly with a computer and get online You are unsure if it s even used for a public internet source Solutions Find another wireless network to join More Information

5 DETAILED INFORMATION 1. Network failed to respond to automatic IP address requests (DHCP) The WiFiRanger requests an automatic IP address for 12 seconds after successfully connecting to a WiFi network. If it does not receive an IP address within that time, it will fail. Try connecting again and see if it responds to an IP address again the second time around. 2. Network can t give any more IP addresses out WiFi networks have a limited number of IP addresses to give out. Sometimes the total number of IP addresses are very large and shouldn t ever run out, but other times the number of IP addresses are very small. Depending on the network configuration of the router that is responsible for handing out IP addresses, it is possible that only a couple hundred IP addresses are available. If there are two hundred or more users connecting to the same WiFi network as you re attempting to connect and they each have one or two devices connected to the network, you can see how IP addresses can run out very fast. Here are some things to try: Wait a little while, then try connecting again. Automatic IP addresses have a lease time. If the network has ran out of IP addresses, they will eventually expire so those IP addresses can be used again for other devices. Perhaps try connecting again during a non-peak time.

6 Contact the network owner and ask them to increase the IP address pool (DHCP pool) of the network or expire old addresses not in current use. Alternatively, they could shorten the lease time of IP addresses to expire faster, so valid devices trying to connect can be connected faster. Find another wireless network to connect to. If there are multiple WiFi networks around you from the same location, a different WiFi signal may have a different IP address pool. If one WiFi signal doesn t return an IP address, there s a good chance another will. 3. Network is too far away or too low of a signal Just because the WiFiRanger can hear a WiFi signal, it doesn t mean the downstream WiFi network can hear the WiFiRanger. This is usually the case with poor public WiFi. If a network is very far away or its signal is too weak (possibly because it s inside a building, in an office, or behind concrete walls), there s a good chance that it cannot broadcast its information as far as the WiFiRanger can. Getting closer to the WiFi network may help the W i F i R a n g e r obtain an IP address. You can picture WiFi as an analogy of a dad and son playing catch with a baseball. The son will never be able to throw as far as the dad can, so the dad has to move in to catch the son s baseball. Usually the dad is the WiFiRanger and the son is the WiFi network it s trying to connect to. 4. WPA or WEP password is wrong This is only applicable if the network the WiFiRanger is trying to connect to shows a WPA or WEP network type. If you know this network is working for others but you haven t been able to get the WiFiRanger to successfully connect to it, it s best to check the WiFi password. The WiFi password is also known as the

7 WPA key, WPA passphrase, or WEP key depending on the type of WiFi encryption. To check the password in the WiFiRanger, go to the WiFi tab in its Control Panel. The first box will show WiFi Network names and their WPA or WEP keys. Check to make sure that the key is the correct password. Keep in mind, passwords are case- sensitive which means that B is different from b. Lowercase and uppercase matters If the password is incorrect, click the red X in the Delete column, then go back to the Main tab and try joining the network again. It will ask for the password again so you can enter it in correctly. 5. Network cannot be used for public internet access While this last possibility is uncommon, it is worth mentioning. There are a lot of wireless networks around and while most may be used for public WiFi or guest WiFi where you might be staying, there are other WiFi networks that appear as open but are not used for a public WiFi connection. If you do not know where the WiFi signal is coming from, who offers the public WiFi or who manages the WiFi network, and if you don t know if other people are using the same network for an internet connection, then there s no way to tell if that particular WiFi network can be used for an internet connection. Find out more information about the WiFi network to see if it really is a network that can be used for internet or if it s used for something else. Just because a wireless network shows up, does not mean it s guaranteed to automatically hand out an IP address and provide an internet connection. A great example of this are printers that output a WiFi signal such as hpsetup, yet provide no internet connection.