[Dean]

I have a Linksys BEFW11S4V.2 wireless router and I have to keep it unsecured or else the wireless will not work.

We can log in with the password and it says it is connected but with limited or no conductivity.
If I hit repair, it says it is renewing IP Address but then finally says it can not assign the computer an IP address.

My twin granddaughters want to get their Ipods online and also the laptops from time to time but the wireless only works if I have the WEP key disabled.
I would like to keep it secure but this stuff is so far over my head with all the "dhc" and whatever long list of "initials" settings I'm totally lost.

As far as I know, I haven't had any problems leaving the wep disabled and if any neighbors are using it, I can't tell it unless maybe that's why some videos are slow and have to stop and restart several times.

Anyone that knows about this stuff have any ideas?

[6970chevelle]

I was having the same problem a few days ago. My laptop would say it was connected but with no internet service. It was saying my IP address was not correct. Don't think my router is the same as yours, but I fixed mine by unplugging the router and leaving it unplugged overnight. The next day when I plugged it in, my connection was fixed. Not sure why, as I had reset the thing several times and that did not fix it but just shutting it down did. Good luck.

[Philip]

Unplugging just for a few minutes will normally clear any problems with the linksys routers. I usually do this about once a month, mine is the old blue one with 2 removable antennas.

[Andy69]

Linksys routers are crap. We were replacing them annually at the office before I realized the problem.

Buy a different brand.

[atle]

Dean, the "thing" that assigns your ip address is the DHCP option. This must be "on". How old is the router? They do get hot, and they do burn out.

You could always try doing a factory reset, there's a hole on the front or back of the router, push that in and count to 30 or so and release. see if that helps.

[DaleM]

Any brand of router can go bad. I've used Lynksys for a number of years at home without problems. I recently bought a Netgear wireless router out of necessity due to a change in my home network to a faster N wireless speed. I have mine set up to limit access by MAC address. Only real compaint I have with it is I have to reboot the router when I add a new device, something I did NOT have to do with the Linksys unit. I still use me linksys hub though for hard-wire connections.

[Dean]

I'll have to try unplugging it and see what happens.
I haven't done that in quite a while now and I used to have to unplug it a couple of times a day to reset it then I figured out all I need to do is type 192.168.1.1 and log on then it works again.

I wish I wasn't so thick headed and could learn all this stuff.

[LevonH]

Hi Dean. The DHCP on the router can cause a little problem on occasion if you do not shut your computer off. What happens up here is that your router gets an IP address form the ISP. They "lease" the address for up to 30 days and if you do not shut your computer off occasionally, the lease expires and does not renew so you end up with a dead link to the ISP. With 6 computers in our house we usually get them all shut off at some point but the "boy" forgets sometimes and I end up doing the ruthless pre-emption (AKA Power Plug) to reset it. Ours is a D-Link.

[Dean]

Interesting but the laptop and iPods are shut off every day, the laptop several times a day.

[LevonH]

Recheck the settings in the router and see if DHCP is set to automatic. Some let you do automatic or manual. My Dlink is that way.

[Dean]

FIXED

Many thanks to atle!!!
http://www.chevelles.com/forums/member.php?u=52403

I thought that my router log on password and the WEP key were one and the same.

[atle]

anytime Dean !! any problems gimme a ring

[Dean]

Granddaughter's iPods worked OK too Anhtuan

[Dean]

Hey Anhtuan, remember that I didn't have a "wireless tab" before, well guess what I have one now.

[atle]

Originally Posted by Dean

Hey Anhtuan, remember that I didn't have a "wireless tab" before, well guess what I have one now.

weird!! probably only shows up when you activate the wireless security. good work, you are now a wireless expert.