Using wireless access at a Best Western hotel - getting "Limited or no connectivity"

C

Colonel Sanders

Supreme [H]ardness
Joined
Sep 26, 2001
Messages
5,592
So I'm currently staying at a Best Western hotel that offers free wireless internet access. I have two identical HP ZD8000 laptops which have built in Broadcom wireless NICs.

I have been here since Tuesday and up to now, both laptops have been connecting just fine to the wireless connection. However, today when I simply swapped the laptops' physical location (my girlfriend wanted to use hers on the desk rather than the coffee table, which is about 2 feet away) I suddenly got a "Limited or no connectivity" error on one of the laptops and I can't access the internet with that one. The other laptop held its connection and still works fine.

I tried moving the laptops back around (in case it was some weird wireless interference issue) but the same thing is occurring.

For whatever reason, it is stopped at "Acquiring network address" whenever I try to reconnect to the wireless network. I keep getting a private 169.xxx IP address, which is why I can't connect to anything.. but I don't see any way to get an IP.

I've tried talking to the buffoons that work here but they don't have a clue.

Any ideas? This is really pissing me off since it was working totally fine until I simply tried to physically move the laptops (I didn't even turn them off while moving them)
 
try clearing all settins on your wireless adapter (back to defualt or whatever), then disable, now reboot.

Then when rebooted, go and configure the adapter and then enable it. That may work, windows can sometimes corrupt settings and all types of stuff. If that doesnt work, you can always make the laptop that gets the connection to share it with the other comp.
 
Sloth_Boy said:
try clearing all settins on your wireless adapter (back to defualt or whatever), then disable, now reboot.

Then when rebooted, go and configure the adapter and then enable it. That may work, windows can sometimes corrupt settings and all types of stuff. If that doesnt work, you can always make the laptop that gets the connection to share it with the other comp.
Click to expand...

How do I get the laptop with the working connection to share it?
 
I'd suggest going into the wireless config, removing the profile windows has inevitibly set up for the best western wireless, disabling the card, rebooting, then re-enabling the card. Should work like a charm.
 
insanarchist said:
I'd suggest going into the wireless config, removing the profile windows has inevitibly set up for the best western wireless, disabling the card, rebooting, then re-enabling the card. Should work like a charm.
Click to expand...

Where do I remove a wireless profile?
 
right-click on the little wireless icon thingy in your taskbar

go to 'view available wireless networks'.

On the left side of the resulting window, click on 'change the order of preferred networks'

in the 'preferred networks' box, click on the profile for best western

click 'remove'

profit :)
 
insanarchist said:
right-click on the little wireless icon thingy in your taskbar

go to 'view available wireless networks'.

On the left side of the resulting window, click on 'change the order of preferred networks'

in the 'preferred networks' box, click on the profile for best western

click 'remove'

profit :)
Click to expand...

OK, thanks.. that's what I figured you meant.

I did that and after I reboot and reenable the connection, it detects the hotel's network once again, and when I try to connect to it, it does the same thing... times out when trying to get the IP address, then pops up with "Limited or no connectivity"
 
Check and see if your sending but not receiving. That would be a problem with security. Do you have SP2 installed. Definitely want to do that if you don't though I'd imagine you don't have that laying around on a cd and with not internet connectivity........

When you see the networks available, does it say the hotel's connection is Unsecured?
 
ktwebb said:
Check and see if your sending but not receiving. That would be a problem with security. Do you have SP2 installed. Definitely want to do that if you don't though I'd imagine you don't have that laying around on a cd and with not internet connectivity........

When you see the networks available, does it say the hotel's connection is Unsecured?
Click to expand...

Yeah, SP2 is installed and all the windows updates up to about 3 days ago are installed.

The status portion of the wireless connection window does show that it's sending a few bytes, but seeing as I don't even have an IP I'm not sure how that's possible...

The hotel's connection comes up as unsecured.

Also, after googling "limited or no connectivity" I found a link to a patch that may or may not fix the problem.. but I have no way to get the file from one laptop to the other (no CDs and no network cable to hook them together :rolleyes: )

edit: Also, I'm not sure if this is relevant at all, but on both laptops, the hotel connection shows up twice in the list of available networks. However, on the laptop that is still working, you can click either of them and it will connect just fine.. the other laptop won't connect to either.

All this because I unplugged the laptop from the ac adapter for 20 seconds and moved it 24 inches from where it was :rolleyes:
 
Well, I have one last suggestion before I give up. Does your wireless have a utility that goes with it, or is the only way to communicate with it windows' god-awful built in wireless config? Unfortunately for me, the card I'm using (I know your's is built in) is half-retarded, so I have to use windows' config to even see the card... :( It automatically disconnects every hour/2-hours or so, since microsoft in there infinite wisdom decided it was a great idea to scan for new wireless connections, even when the one I'm on is just great.


F*cking idiots.
 
I bet the wireless network IS secured and encrypted. that's why you're not pulling an IP.

edit: nevermind, didn't finish reading the rest..
try this:

disable/enable the wireless connection in network connections
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /renew

uninstall the device driver and reinstall it
 
Moving the laptop didn't have anything to do with it. You're getting a 169.x.x.x address because your laptop can't talk to their DHCP server. I would guess they are having a problem with there server which you can't do much about. Try the above mentioned ipconfig /release and ipconfig /renew and see if it will grab an IP. I would guess one of two things has happened:
1) Their DHCP server is broken and won't work. Your other laptop is working because its lease hasn't expired yet.
2) Their DHCP server is working, but has exhausted its available leases. The only way you're going to get a new one is if someone else releases theirs or their lease expires and doesn't get renewed.

You could do a /release on your working laptop and do a /renew on your not working laptop and if its case #2 you'll get the same IP. If its case #1 however you will have lost your connections. The other thing to try is to set a static IP in the same subnet of your working laptop and hope you don't hit an existing device.

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top