Senao (Intersil) wireless card, issues w/ a internal NIC

[videobruce]

There are two issues;

1. Keeping both NICs' enabled,
2. Encription key type keeps changing.

I have been getting my feet wet with wireless with the loan of a older high power wireless PCIMA card, the Seneco SL-2511CD + EXT2;
http://www.senao.com/english/product...3&proid=000033

I used it for hours yesteday for the first time with little problems.
Today, I enabled the previousely disabled internal NIC and it disabled the wireless card. I then disabled the wired and now I can't get the wireless to connect.

It sees the Gateway (Westell DSL modem/router) ok, but doesn't connect. I checked the encription which is set to 64 bit WEP using a alphanumeric 5 digit key on both ends (no change from yesterday) and nothing.

I noticed the wireless card program keeps changing the key type back to hexidecimal from alphanumeric. I change it back, but it doesn't hold. This didn't happen yesterday.

Both cards can't be enabled at the same time either.

I'm running XP Pro sp1 on a HP ZV5000 Laptop.

Hope all of that made sense...........

[mbossman2]

something must be dropping from the properties of the wireless card upon transition from wired to wireless...are all the properties the same? (mainly IP address acquistion). Also are there any policies on your LAN that dictate how often a client can obtain an IP address? Does the network expire an IP address, upon disconnect? When we started to do wireless that was a big issue: disconnect from the wired, go wireless and the security policies would block your network reentry until the wired IP address expired and was no longer associated with your MAC address.

As to running both simultaneously. I know that we can't do that on our network, again due to security policies. What are you hoping to accomplish by having both up and running simultaneously?

[glc]

I would recommend you use a 10 digit hex key if you are using 64 bit WEP. I would also recommend you upgrade XP to SP2 and use the Windows zero configuration wireless to manage the connection instead of the card utility.

Doesn't the zv5000 have an internal wireless adapter? If so, and you are using a card, you need to disable the internal wireless in the bios.

[videobruce]

IP addresses are fixed, no conflicts with either card or any other. Regarding having both up and running, just to have the ability to choose between the two if need be. I'm not sure just how the wireless will be used. I will venture out and 'sniff' for hotspots to see what I can connect to, but most of the time it will be indoors at home on a wired connection (except when I might take it out on the porch or backyard durning the summer).

The Laptop doesn't have a internal wireless. It might of been an option, but I didn't buy it that way.

I normally don't use XP, it was suggested 'Wireless Zero Configuration' might be a issue. It was set to manual. I set it to automatic. If I let Windows control the cards, I loose 3 out of the 5 tabs in the wireless cards utility. It seems easier to access this utility that hunting through Windows buried settings (nothing unusual). Though I don't like additional services running, it appears either way there will be one (MS or the cards utility).

I'm still 'playing around' with the card. Regardinhg the type of kyes changing, that appears to be by design since from reading elsewhere the alphnumeric entry has to be converted to hexadecimal, so the screen switches over to hex even though I orginally chosen alpha. Confusing feature/action.

[glc]

SP2's wireless zero config is a LOT better than SP1's, that's why I suggested that. When it detects a wireless network in range, it pops up a balloon, you click on the icon, highlight the network you want to connect to, and hit Connect. It will ask for the key, put it in, it connects. It then puts that network into the list of preferred networks and will automatically connect every time you restart. I haven't found a card utility yet that's this straightforward.

[videobruce]

Interesting. I see SP3 is out.
I only have FP on the Laptop and it is rarely used. I perfer 2k since it is about 1/2 the bloat FP is.

What appears to be happening now, both cards show in the system tray, but there is some conflict when the destop shows. It takes over one minute for the icons to display. It seems to be something with WZC. I don't have the check-box checked to let Windows manage the cards because of the deletion of those three tabs in the utility.

I will 'play' around with this some more.

[glc]

WHERE is SP3 out?

If you use WZC and Windows to configure the wireless card, you need to take the card utility out of the startup. You will not be using the utility at all.

[videobruce]

Well, I will be damned where I saw it, but it was more than one place, SP3 was mentioned as being out about a month ago...........
Maybe they were talking about Office SP3;

http://labnol.blogspot.com/2005/05/w...ce-pack-3.html

[glc]

You jumped the gun......

Microsoft has officially confirmed that Windows XP SP3 will be released after Windows Vista sometime in 2006.

Yes, Office 2003 SP3 is out.