My wireless network connection says "Limited or no Connectivity". How can i fix this?

Question

Hi there guys,

recently i bought a D-link DWL-G122 usb adaptor but after installing the driver i get this problem "Limited or No Connectivity" and also a message saying "You might not be able to access the Internet or some network resources. This problem occurred because the network did not assign a network address to the computer".

The adaptor seems to be connected to the router just fine and the signal says its Execellent, but i just cant connect to the internet... My computer is running on Windows XP, using a D-link router. Also when i use a ethernet cable it works perfectly fine.

Would really appreciate to get some help to fix this problem. Many thanks in advance.

Answer 1

The "Limited or No Connectivity" message occurs when your computer can't get valid IP parameters (address, mask, gateway, etc) from the router/AP (this is done via a process called DHCP - Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol).  So, it makes up its own "link local" address in the 169.254.x.x range which is reserved for on-segment access only.  That is, you can't send/receive traffic off your immediate network.

This can happen on a wireless connection for many reasons, including:

A.  your PC is associated to someone else's access point (AP), so it doesn't answer your PC's DHCP requests for IP parameters

On WinXP, if you hover over the wireless networking icon in the system tray, it'll show you the SSID to which you're associated.  A good rule of thumb is to always change your AP's default SSID to a unique one so you can readily identify the associated one as being yours.  (If you haven't, you should do this.)

B.  your router/AP hasn't been properly configured to serve up IP parameters

Usually it's a checkbox to be selected in the router/AP's configuration user interface.  You should double-check this isn't the problem.

C.  your signal strength is too weak or your wireless environment is too noisy to allow the 4-stage DHCP process to complete successfully

DHCP proceeds through 4 stages (Discover, Offer, Request, Acknowledge) with certain timeouts.  If traffic isn't passing quickly enough, or cleanly enough, the entire process times out and your PC reverts to a "link local" address.  To remedy this (once you know A & B aren't problems), you need to make sure your signal strength is good AND there aren't other devices using the same channel.

Signal strength is the easy part (just position your PC 5 or 6 feet away from the AP), but to ensure other devices aren't crowding out or corrupting the same channel spectrum you're using, you need a special device.  (Because the interfering devices could be cordless phones, or even high energy electric motors.)

A quick note about 802.11g wireless channels.  Although AP's designed for North America can sometimes be configured for channels 1 through 11, only 3 of these (1, 6, 11) are non-interfering.  So make sure you only use one of the 3 listed channels.

Therefore, I suggest you take note of the channel in use by your router/AP and make sure it's one of the 3 values I mentioned - if it wasn't, this in itself may fix things.  You can also experiment changing it to one of the other 2 to see if things improve.

HTH,

David

Answer 2

Hi,

'Limited or no connectivity' issue occurs in windows wireless because of the following conditions:

1) If you try to connect your computer to a network which is secured (or security enabled, like WEP, WPA, etc.). You can tell this by looking at the 'Available Networks' in the software that you have installed with DLink. The best solution is to try and put the password, and your router should provide your computer with an IP Address.

2) If you are providing the security and it is still not assigning an IP Address, try the following steps:

    (a) Click on 'Start'

    (b) Click on 'Run'

    (c) Type in 'cmd' and press 'OK' and it will give you a black window.

    (d) Type in the following commands in the window:

                ipconfig /release (press Enter)

                ipconfig /renew (press Enter)

          This will try and repair your connection and will provide your computer with an IP Address.

3. If still not getting IP Address, connect your ethernet cable to the router, and verify you are connected and if possible can browse websites. Now go back to the DOS prompt as explained above, and type in the following command:

           ipconfig (press Enter)

This will give you details about your IP Address something like 'Ethernet Adapter Local Area Connection Connection specific DNS' or something similar. Note down the IP Address, subnet mask and default gateway numbers and then follow these steps:

    (a) Go to 'Control Panel'

    (b) Click on 'Classic View' in the left menu

    (c) Open 'Network Connection'

    (d) 'Right Click' on the wireless connection among the listed adapters, and then select 'Properties'

    (e) Highlight 'Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)' from that list and click on 'Properties' at the bottom

    (f) Now select 'Use the following IP Address' and type in the following:

               (a) IP Address : <noted IP Address> + 10 to the last set of numbers (For e.g. if the noted IP Address is 192.168.1.1, then you should put 192.168.1.11)

               (b) Subnet Mask : <noted Subnet Mask)

               (c) Default Gateway : <noted Default Gateway>

    (g) Now Select 'Use the following DNS Servers' and type the following:

               (a) Preferred : <noted Default Gateway>

               (b) Alternate : 4.2.2.2

Try these steps, and if you are still having issues, then something needs to be checked on the wireless router settings, and I would suggest you to contact DLink Technical Support or a Computer Technician, who can fix wireless issues.

Regards