[vox-tech] Wireless Networking Confusion

[Richard Harke]

On Sun June 11 2006 14:23, Jeff Newmiller wrote:
> Richard Crawford wrote:
> > I have two laptops, both running Kubuntu Dapper, both updated.  Both have
> > the same brand and model wireless card, which is enabled in both with
> > ndiswrapper.  However, for some reason, I can get to computers in my
> > local network with one, but not with the other.  The other laptop -- an
> > old IBM Thinkpad -- can get to sites outside my home network just fine
> > when a network cable is inserted into it.
> >
> > My wireless configurations appear to be the same for each (with the
> > exception of the IP address; both computers have static IP addresses in
> > my network). My WAP is not configured to filter according to MAC address.
>
> Something is different.
>
> > The section of /etc/network/interfaces for each computer is the same:
> >
> > iface wlan0 inet static
> > address 192.168.1.xxx
> > netmask 255.255.255.0
> > gateway 192.168.1.1
> > wireless-essid RLYEH
> > wireless-key xxxxxxxxxx
> >
> > auto wlan0
> >
> >
> > (For one, the IP address is .115; for the other it is .122)
> >
> > I can't think of anything I might have missed.
>
> Well, with all WAPs I have had experience with, they are
> configured as routers with a NAT firewall on the upstream
I have just installed a WAP on my home network and use it with the
existing router. Two advantages (for me)
slightly cheaper than full router
I can turn off WAP without turning off the rest of the network. this is
to improve security.
> side, and you have omitted the upstream network configuration of your
> WAP.  However, in that case you need DIFFERENT network numbers on the
> upstream side (your LAN) and the downstream side (your Wireless network).
> The fact that one laptop works would suggest that you have worked this
> out, but in previous posts you have mentioned using 192.168.1.x for your
> wired LAN so it seems worth bringing up.
>
> Also, I try to use DHCP and config the WAP to assign specific IP addresses
> by MAC address if I want "static" setup... this is much more flexible
> for the laptop configuration.
>
> a) wired network config?
> b) WAP is firewalled or bridging?
> c) what commands did you use to test connectivity, on what computer
> were they invoked, and what were the results?
My laptop is configged to use a wired connection also. I have a jack in the 
dining area in case I work on the dining room table. But I found I had to do
a ifdown eth0 (the wired connection) before eth1 would work. eth0 is
auto but eth1 is not. I also want to use the wireless at hotspots and that 
turned out to be quite a hassle. I have a mapping stanza in the interfaces 
file and that took a while to get working. What works is
LOGICAL=HOME ifup eth1   The environment var LOGICAL is then
used in my script that is called from mapping stanza. There is
another name for a hotspot config. One issue remains.
If I go out to a hotspot, when I come home it does not work cleanly.
I have to manually modify resolvconf as it continues to have the hotspot
DNS enteries.
This is Kubuntu, Breezy Badger
Richard harke