Precedence: list
Message-ID: <list-1252527@2rosenthals.com>
Reply-To: "OS/2 Wireless Users Mailing List"
 <os2-wireless_users@2rosenthals.com>
Sender: "OS/2 Wireless Users Mailing List"
 <os2-wireless_users@2rosenthals.com>
To: "OS/2 Wireless Users Mailing List"
 <os2-wireless_users@2rosenthals.com>
Date: Sat, 07 Jul 2007 13:33:01 -0600
From: "Andy Willis" <os2-wireless_users@2rosenthals.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Subject: Re: [OS2Wireless] First experience with Vista and Wi-Fi

Lewis G Rosenthal wrote:
> Apologies for the reference in the subject to the Evil Empire's latest 
> alphaware foisted on an unsuspecting public... I just thought this 
> worthy of note.
> 
> A couple weeks ago, I had occasion to break from the network upgrade I 
> was doing to visit a client whose two new Gateway notebooks (no, he 
> didn't get them form me, nor did I recommend them - egad, no!) were 
> having trouble connecting to his venerable LinkSys WRT11. I convinced 
> him that it was indeed time to upgrade the router/AP, and start with a 
> fresh WRT54G and perhaps opensource firmware (though I ended up sticking 
> - for the time being - with the factory pack). Out we went to pick one up.
> 
> I configured the unit for WPA2 encryption, TKIP+AES, PSK (LinkSys refers 
> to this as "Personal") which I find to be the most user-friendly (some 
> non-standard clients have trouble with AES or TKIP - usually AES - so 
> accepting both makes things a bit easier).
> 
> I was (as most of you on this list might guess) rather unimpressed with 
> Vista, particularly on the substandard Gateway hardware (selling 
> machines with Vista and only 512MB RAM is like selling W2K stations with 
> 128MB...it's not even a bad joke). However, my impression of Vista was 
> not simply as a result of the lackluster performance, but more the 
> inordinate amount of clicking to get to the proper area to set things up 
> (even after I figured out where it was).
> 
> Once connected, I turned off beaconing in the AP. The notebooks 
> continued to work for the rest of the time I was there. I had a 
> workstation downstairs with an older LinkSys PCI card in it, which I 
> upgraded (the new card was defective, and kept dropping the signal; a 
> subsequent replacement resolved the issue). A couple days later, my 
> client called me to tell me that he couldn't get either of the notebooks 
> to connect. After a few minutes on the phone, I had him log into the 
> WRT54G from his wired desktop and turn beaconing back on. This seemed to 
> resolve the problem.
> 
> I know we have kicked around on this list various issues with GenMAC and 
> non-beaconing AP's. I generally do not have a problem, but I was 
> wondering whether I missed a change in the RFC's somewhere? The 
> workstation downstairs with the LinkSys PCI card had no trouble once I 
> set up the profile with the (rather long) PSK. I was able to reboot 
> several times and get right onto the network.
> 
I don't know if an RFC changed but I have WPA2 and beaconing off and I 
find on my T42 that I often have to force the connection with Genmac 
(reboots often just reconnect but if I connected to any other network 
it won't connect on its own).  If I boot into the XP sp2 partition 
then Access Connections seems to always pick it up but I do that 
rarely enough for it not to be a fair test.  The T60 from work with XP 
sp2 I generally have to tell Access Connections to connect to it as it 
won't connect on its own.
Andy

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
This message is sent to you because you are subscribed to
  the mailing list <os2-wireless_users@2rosenthals.com>.
To unsubscribe, E-mail to: <os2-wireless_users-off@2rosenthals.com>
To switch to the DIGEST mode, E-mail to <os2-wireless_users-digest@2rosenthals.com>
To switch to the INDEX mode, E-mail to <os2-wireless_users-index@2rosenthals.com>
Send administrative queries to  <os2-wireless_users-request@2rosenthals.com>
To subscribe (new addresses), E-mail to: <os2-wireless_users-on@2rosenthals.com> and reply to the confirmation email.
Web archives are publicly available at: http://lists.2rosenthals.com

This list is hosted by Rosenthal & Rosenthal, LLC
P.O. Box 281, Deer Park, NY 11729-0281. Non-
electronic communications related to content
contained in these messages should be directed
to the above address. (CAN-SPAM Act of 2003)

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=