Problems in ad-hoc wifi network - signal strength weak, unable to ping

Hi,

I need some help with Win7 wifi. I'm trying to create an ad-hoc wifi network between my Windows 7 laptop (Toshiba c650) and my samsung wave y handset. My wifi card is atheros-AR9285. When I connect to this network from my wifi, connectivity is established, but with some problems:

[1] It takes a long time for the ad-hoc network to show in the network-and-sharing centre.

[2] The signal strength is most of the time weak with just one bar visible (though my handset sits just besides my laptop. Do you think it could be conflicting with my neighbour's access-point with much higher signal strength?)

[3] The handset is assigned an IP in the range of 169.254.*, but when I ping this address from DOS, I get the error "PING: transmit failed. General failure.". I even tried to assign a static IP to my handset, but when connected, it automatically changes to 169.254.* range. What could be the issue here ?

Cheers,

Prahlad.

prahladyeri said:

Hi,

I need some help with Win7 wifi. I'm trying to create an ad-hoc wifi network between my Windows 7 laptop (Toshiba c650) and my samsung wave y handset. My wifi card is atheros-AR9285. When I connect to this network from my wifi, connectivity is established, but with some problems:

[1] It takes a long time for the ad-hoc network to show in the network-and-sharing centre.

[2] The signal strength is most of the time weak with just one bar visible (though my handset sits just besides my laptop. Do you think it could be conflicting with my neighbour's access-point with much higher signal strength?)

[3] The handset is assigned an IP in the range of 169.254.*, but when I ping this address from DOS, I get the error "PING: transmit failed. General failure.". I even tried to assign a static IP to my handset, but when connected, it automatically changes to 169.254.* range. What could be the issue here ?

Cheers,

Prahlad.

Have you tried using the connectify software for this?

Your Hotspot, Your Way - Connectify

It should work with any Windows 7 certified driver to create a secondary access point from your machine. It uses the Microsoft Virtual WiFi miniport adaptor for this which should install with your Windows 7 certified wireless driver. You should be able to see it there in Device Manager under Network connections.

@chev65 - Thanks for the suggestion. But the Connectify solution involves a WPA2 key, and somehow my handset is supporting only WEP encryption (hence I'm stuck to using only ad-hoc wifi).