Wireless Bridge won't allow Internet (or anything else)

[jkada]

Hello,

Firstly I apologize, but if this has been posted and answered in a previous post I have not been able to find it, but then I'm a bit of a forum beginner so... *shrugs*

Anyway, I just loaded my daughter's new computer with Windows 7. Everything was fine. I had a wired direct connection to my linksys router, downloaded updates, surfed the Internet. Life was large.

But my home is a bit older, and her bedroom is upstairs, whereas my office is downstairs. So I use an external 3com wireless bridge, which connects to a cisco access point connected to my linksys.

But when I do this, my daughter's PC doesn't recognize the network as my home network, but rather a public one, and won't give me access to anything outside her own computer.

I can ping the 3com bridge from her PC, and from my own pc downstairs, so it's not the wireless connection, so I'm thinking it's something in Windows 7 that's not allowing traffic on what it's deeming to be a security risk network.

I'm not as experienced as some when it comes to computers but is it possible that when you designate a network as your "home" network that Windows captures some information about that network? i.e. MAC addresses of your router etc, and so if you connect in a different way (via a bridge) it locks you out?

*shrugs* Regardless of why it's doing this, I need to find a way to convince my computer that it's on the home network and it's safe to surf etc... Any help would be greatly appreciated, because at this point my only thought would be to re-load the computer again, but this time using the wireless bridge during the install rather than hooking it up after so that it's the "first" network Windows sees so that I can then designate it as the "Home" network.

Once again, thank you in advance for any of your suggestions.

 

[chev65]

I'm not a network bridge expert because I don't manage one but these might help.

Create a network bridge

Windows 7 Create network bridge - CNET Windows 7 Forums

 

[RedBirdDad]

Hello,

Firstly I apologize, but if this has been posted and answered in a previous post I have not been able to find it, but then I'm a bit of a forum beginner so... *shrugs*

Anyway, I just loaded my daughter's new computer with Windows 7. Everything was fine. I had a wired direct connection to my linksys router, downloaded updates, surfed the Internet. Life was large.

But my home is a bit older, and her bedroom is upstairs, whereas my office is downstairs. So I use an external 3com wireless bridge, which connects to a cisco access point connected to my linksys.

But when I do this, my daughter's PC doesn't recognize the network as my home network, but rather a public one, and won't give me access to anything outside her own computer.

I can ping the 3com bridge from her PC, and from my own pc downstairs, so it's not the wireless connection, so I'm thinking it's something in Windows 7 that's not allowing traffic on what it's deeming to be a security risk network.

I'm not as experienced as some when it comes to computers but is it possible that when you designate a network as your "home" network that Windows captures some information about that network? i.e. MAC addresses of your router etc, and so if you connect in a different way (via a bridge) it locks you out?

*shrugs* Regardless of why it's doing this, I need to find a way to convince my computer that it's on the home network and it's safe to surf etc... Any help would be greatly appreciated, because at this point my only thought would be to re-load the computer again, but this time using the wireless bridge during the install rather than hooking it up after so that it's the "first" network Windows sees so that I can then designate it as the "Home" network.

Once again, thank you in advance for any of your suggestions.

What model 3COM Bridge? Is it connected to the ethernet port of you daughters PC then wireless to the Cisco AP?

Something like this perhaps?

PC=>Ethernet=>3Com Bridge=>Wireless=>Cisco AP=>Ethernet=>Linksys.

 

[jkada]

Yes, it's hooked up exactly like that.

It's a 3Com 11a/b/g Wireless Workgroup Bridge (Model WL-560, 3CRWE675075)

Also, the Cisco AP is a 350 Access Point. Just a B radio, but really, what more do you need to surf and read e-mail?

Looking forward to your reply.

 

[RedBirdDad]

Does your daughter's PC get an IP address off the Linksys router the same as your wired PC? I want to make sure the connection is really bridged.

 

[jkada]

I knew there was a piece of information I forgot to include... Yes. Her PC gets her IP address via DHCP, and it DOES successfully get a valid IP from the Linksys router. So there is at some point, communication from her pc to the router (and beyond, as I can see in the ipconfig information that comes from my ISP).

 

[RedBirdDad]

By the way: Welcome to Seven Forums!

Ok, so at least it's getting the right DHCP responses. It looks like you just need to change the Network location.

You should be able to change the location. Try this:

Control Panel => Network and Internet => Network and Sharing Center => From there you should be able to change it to Private. Look for View your Active Networks. You should be able to click on "Public Network" and bring up a new window that will allow you to change the location to Private.

You may also want to look at Change Advanced Sharing Settings (left side of the page) to make sure you have Network Discovery enabled. If it can't see the other devices it may throw it's hands up and just call it Public.

 

[chev65]

If you can't change the Network location the normal way this might help.
Windows 7 Unidentified Network, Limited Access, No Internet Connection Problem Resolved

 

[RedBirdDad]

If you can't change the Network location the normal way this might help.
Windows 7 Unidentified Network, Limited Access, No Internet Connection Problem Resolved

Secondary Default GW of 0.0.0.0? Somebody's DHCP isn't playing by the rules...

Come to think of it, I think I've seen that somewhere...

 

[chev65]

It happens all the time with Win 7 apparently, there are other threads at Technet about this.

 

[RedBirdDad]

It happens all the time with Win 7 apparently, there are other threads at Technet about this.

Interesting. I know I've seen this somewhere, I just can't remember. I'll need to take a look.

 

[chev65]

This link shows a few different ways around the problem if you read down the list.
Cannot change active network from public to home in Windows 7

 

[jkada]

Thanks for the welcome to the forums... I wish it wasn't because I want to throw my daughters PC out the window.

I will take a closer look at your suggestions when I get home from work today.

To update... last night I tried re-loading the computer, but instead of plugging directly into the router I thought I would try doing the whole thing having the wireless bridge connected, thinking that if it was the only way the computer ever saw to communicate then maybe... *shrugs*

Regardless, that didn't work, same issues. So just to eliminate a hardware issue with the bridge, I plugged it into my other daughter's PC, as well as my work laptop and both worked fine (however, both of those were running Windows XP).

So for an apples to apples thing, figuring that I had now ruled out everything except windows 7, I proudly went upstairs to try the bridge on my wife's PC (yes I have many PC's in my house) which was running Windows 7... and guess what? It worked just fine!

So... my initial thought this morning was that perhaps I needed to update the firmware of my daughter's motherboard? Or do you folks still think that this is a Windows 7 thing that rears it's ugly head but only with certain computer hardware configurations?

I'm not a huge fan of upgrading motherboard firmware unless I absolutely have to...

So maybe I'll read the links supplied by you folks tonight first and see what happens, unless my new information suggests something different to you guys.

Once again I can't thank you guys enough. For you folks to take your free time to help strangers with their issues that may or may not me self induced says a lot. Much appreciated.

 

[RedBirdDad]

Good luck, let us know how it goes. W7 has some really cool stuff but it does have it eccentricities.