D-Link DI-713P Wireless Router Setup Questions

nagibbs

Golden Member
Jun 1, 2000
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I am beginning the process of networking two computers and need some help. I choose the wireless route since the second computer is located upstairs where cabling is not an option. I got the D-Link DI-713P wireless router from amazon (it has arrived) and i got a Netgear FA312 NIC card for my machine (colocated with the Wirelss router). I installed the Netgear NIC card with no problen then hooked up the DI-713P. The cable runs from the NIC card to the port on the back of the router. I have on order an Orinoco Gold Client for the remote computer (should arrive today). My question is; the instructions that came with the wireless route really don not give any instructions as to the setup of the router, so what do I need to do to set up the router? E.g. do I need to do something in Windows (98SE) or does it (the wireless router) not require any additional setup? Also, we will have cable internet available in a month or two (Insight Communications Cable) and I would appreciate any recommendations as to a good Cable modem that would work with this system. I have seen the Toshiba PCX1100U and wondered if that modem will work with this network system. Thanks

nagibbs@iquest.net

 
 

Dizway

Senior member
Oct 24, 2000
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You don't really need to do much to the router if you will not be using encryption. Just make sure your wireless card's SSID matches the router's SSID (default). If it doesn't work, try changing it on both to a common SSID.
 

Nack

Senior member
Oct 10, 1999
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Do what Dizway said about making sure the SSID is set the same on both devices.

Also, you will want to UPGRADE THE FIRMWARE on your router to the latest (using a wired connection). I noticed a significant increase in signal strength once I did that. It is under Gateways on the D-Link FTP site. I believe the latest is 2.57 b3, but don't quote me on that.

You will probably also want to set up encryption (so nosy neighbors don't sniff your packets and read your mail), and you may also want to set up MAC address control (so those same neighbors don't go buy themselves a wireless NIC and lunch off your cable connection, cutting into your bandwidth). The encryption allegedly costs you a bit of bandwidth (which you probably don't need for sharing a cable connection anyway), and the MAC control costs you nothing.

Both are reasonably easy to set up.

Before setting up encryption or MAC address control, you will want to make sure it works well with no encryption and no MAC control first. Once it is working perfectly, proceed with the other two.

For the encryption, just set the encryption level the same on both sides (I use 128-bit shared key encryption between my D-Link 713P and 3com wireless PC Card), and put in the same keys on both sides. Make sure the same key is enabled on both sides. Once that is done, save the changes, re-boot the router, apply the changes to your client card's software, and hope it connects. :) WEP Encryption is supposed to cut your bandwidth (and probably does), but strangely, I noticed that the reliability of my connections was significantly improved AFTER I enabled this feature. Of course, now that I have the "new, improved" Comcast Internet (as opposed to real cablemodem service like I used to have), I don't need too much bandwidth to share this connection anyway. :p

The MAC control is very easy to use. Just put in the MAC addresses of your wired and wireless client cards into the the appropriate menu in the router, set the router to deny access for both connection and association to any unspecified MAC addresses, check the appropriate boxes to enable your selections, save changes, and re-boot the router. The easiest way to do this is connect all of the computers you want to the router, and copy over the macs. You should probably take out the IPs, so that the router can still assign whatever IP it wants to each wireless client without it messing things up.

Almost forgot. One more piece of advice. If you have a wired NIC (integrated or PCI card) in the PC you want to connect wirelessly, disable it in device manager, or your wireless NIC may pull an IP address, but just mysteriously decide not to transmit ANYTHING (except the IP address). Not even a ping. Took me a few HOURS to figure that one out...

Nack
 

valkyrie

Golden Member
Oct 9, 1999
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I too am having a problem with this router. I got it all setup with all 3 ports running fine (wired) and the print server works great. But I can't connect wirelessly. I have a Wavelan PC Card (Silver) that seems to be working fine on my WinXP laptop. I have upgraded the firmware to the latest on both the card and router, and have the newest XP drivers for the card. Yet, WinXP can't find any networks (my laptop is a few feet away from the router, and still nothing).

Does anyone have any idea what I might be doing wrong?

Thanks
 

Nack

Senior member
Oct 10, 1999
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I hate to be redundant, but is the SSID set to the exact same IDENTICAL thing on BOTH the router side and the NIC side (set that in the NIC's software). Also, what is your encryption level set to on both. You should set it to enable insecure connections on the router, and also turn off encryption on the NIC. Also make sure the NIC is set to connect to an access point network, rather than an ad-hoc network. See if any of that works.

Nack
 

valkyrie

Golden Member
Oct 9, 1999
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Nack, okay, here's my settings. On the Dlink router's configuration page for "wireless", here's what I have:

Network ID (SSID): default
Channel: 6
Security: "Enable secure access"
WEP Key: Number 1 is enabled (it won't let you de-select any of the 4 WEP bullets), but there's nothing in the "setting" field

On the client side (WinXP Home, latest orinoco drivers for the silver card)
The software did not automatically detect a network, so I had to "add" one to the "preferred networks" section on the "wireless networking" tab in windows. The client manager continuously scans, but still finds nothing. (And my laptop is less than 6 feet away from the base station). I've tried everything I can think of here. Do I maybe have a bum client card?

Thanks for any and all help, this is so very frustrating.
 

JonB

Platinum Member
Oct 10, 1999
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nagibbs, I have the D-Link 713, the earlier version without the print server. In Nack's response above, he mentioned using MAC entries to limit access, but the D-Link doesn't have that option. (its a low-end router).

If you really want to keep people out, you'll need to:

1. use an SSID other than default
2. enable encryption
3. disable DHCP and assign each computer a 192.168.0.xxx address. Then you can block all other IP address connections.

I don't know where you live, but I have few neighbors and run pretty much wide open (except for the default SSID).
 

gaidin123

Senior member
May 5, 2000
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Actually the Dlink DI713P does have MAC address control now. It may be a feature in the newer firmwares since you got yours but it is there. You can restrict certain MACs from DHCPing or you can statically assign IPs to certain MACs.

Also heed Nack's advice about upgrading via a wired connection. Do NOT upgrade it over wireless. For whatever reason it killed my router when I did that. The wired still worked fine but the wireless connection had almost no signal strength. At the time there was no warning on the downloads page or anywhere in the firmware readme or flasher program...

Gaidin
 

JonB

Platinum Member
Oct 10, 1999
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www.granburychristmaslights.com
gaidin123, since you have a 713P and seem to know the config screens, does it have a setting on the Advanced - Miscellaneous page to "Discard Pings from the WAN" ????

My 713 did not, not with any of the three firmware revisions. I did find a "hack" that brought it back to my menu and allowed me to enable the feature. Now my router is fully stealthy to the world. Hopefully I won't get so many hits from Nimda infected computers now.

If the 713P is missing that feature, it isn't too hard to make it work.
 

gaidin123

Senior member
May 5, 2000
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<< gaidin123, since you have a 713P and seem to know the config screens, does it have a setting on the Advanced - Miscellaneous page to "Discard Pings from the WAN" ???? >>



Yes, there is the discard ping option under the misc. section in the advanced area. Just today I got my replacement one from Amazon with the newest(?) firmware 2.573a. I don't remember if that option was there on my original router...

Gaidin