Enterasys Roamabout and shitty Win XP

[Jim Carter]

On Wed, 22 Jan 2003 ScapeSmerk at netscape.net wrote:
> I posted this once before and have still had no joy with getting my
> roamabout card to work in Windows XP (eXtremely Pathetic?) The Card is an
> 802.11 DS card.

I can't remember if I responded to your previous post, so if some of this
is duplicate info, please forgive.

The Enterasys person's advice seems reasonable to me, except I've never
heard of "Wireless Zero Support".  Whatever they give you in a default
Windoze installation, it does really work.  I've done it.

I don't have a Windoze session in front of me, so this is from memory,
but...  For an Ad-Hoc network, open Network Connections, click on the icon
for your card, and hit "Configure this network" or "Change properties" or
whatever they call it.  Or right click on the icon and follow the menu to
"Properties"; it's the same thing.

Under "Card Configuration" (I'm sure that's the wrong label; it's the
button in the top panel with the name of the card), open that dialog and
select the "advanced" tab.  There you can set the channel, and I think also
the ESSID (which you're really supposed to set elsewhere).  Hit OK.  It
proceeds to close the dialog box you want to use next, and to reset the
card and attempt DHCP (failing).  Note, the card will start on the
designated channel, but eventually will try them all.

Get the Properties dialog open again and pick the Wireless Networks tab.
"Add" a new network.  Here's where you fill in the ESSID (at the top) and
the WEP key.  You are using WEP, aren't you?  At the bottom, tell it you
have a "computer to computer" net (Ad-Hoc).  (Do they let you specify the
channel here?  I don't remember.  If so, specify here rather than on
"Advanced".)  Once that's done, it should associate with the Linux partner
in a few seconds.  (If you're not sending out DHCP from the Linux box,
you'll need to configure a static IP address, default gateway, DNS, etc.)

It works for me.  But interoperability problems between vendors in Ad-Hoc
mode led me to shell out for an Agere AP-200 access point, and I haven't
regretted that choice.  Also see this URL; at the end I discuss options,
and reasons for them, when setting up a wireless network at home.
http://www.math.ucla.edu/computing/user_support/hardware/wiresetup.html

Hmm, could it be that one card is using Ad-Hoc Demo mode and the other is
using IBSS?  They don't interoperate.  IBSS is better if there's a choice.

James F. Carter          Voice 310 825 2897    FAX 310 206 6673
UCLA-Mathnet;  6115 MSA; 405 Hilgard Ave.; Los Angeles, CA, USA 90095-1555
Email: jimc at math.ucla.edu  http://www.math.ucla.edu/~jimc (q.v. for PGP key)