How do I get my PC to detect the Aircard and not an Ethernet cable?

[Stg-Flame]

Just built a new PC (Win 10 64) for a family member and where they live, cable isn't available, so they use an AT&T Aircard via USB. When I built the PC, I had it connected via Ethernet cable to my Xfinity, but every time that they start up the PC, it says it cannot connect to the Internet because the ethernet cable is missing. When they restart the PC, it will usually detect the aircard, but lately it can't find it at all. When I set it up at their house, I made sure to install the drivers for the aircard and I had it working before I left, but it's a persisting issue and now they are unable to connect at all.

What are my options here? This was my first time using Windows 10 so a lot of the time I was switching between my PC and theirs trying to troubleshoot issues I was running into.

 

[ch33zw1z]

Are there driver updates for the Air card?

Since it's USB attached, see if there's USB drivers as well.

 

[Stg-Flame]

To my knowledge, there haven't been any driver updates for the card, but I'll check next time I'm over there. Also, the USB drivers should be up to date since it's a brand new build, but I'll check those as well.

 

[ch33zw1z]

USB 2.0 or USB 3? I've had some weird issues mixing ports with devices...just a thought.

Edit, what model aircard?

 

[Stg-Flame]

I've tried both USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 and neither works. The card is a 770S AT&T Aircard.

Edit: I found a possible solution on the AT&T website regarding drivers for tethered aircards. I'll take the drivers over tomorrow and install them to see if that doesn't fix the issue.

 

[Fardringle]

Have you tried the Aircard on another computer? Since it was working previously but is not working now, it's possible the adapter has failed. Especially if new drivers don't help.

 

[Stg-Flame]

Seems a little odd the adapter would die so shortly after using it in a new computer when it's worked just fine for the past few years, but I can always hook it into another computer to double check.

 

[Stg-Flame]

Ok, so the aircard works perfectly fine on other PCs, so that's not the issue and I was told the only change to the PC since I left is they installed Pillars of Eternity, but I don't see how that would cause any issues. The drivers I found did not work either.

I'm at a loss here. Does anyone have any ideas how to get Windows 10 to detect a tethered aircard? I decided to try calling Netgear (manufacturer of the aircard) and I was informed I would need to pay a "small" service fee of $50 just to speak to a service technician.

 

[ch33zw1z]

https://www.netgear.com/service-providers/products/mobile/mobile-hotspots/770s.aspx#tab-techspecs

According to that, windows 10 isn't supported.

The good news is, it's saying that there's WiFi connectivity, so go through it and see if you can use WiFi instead of USB

 

[Stg-Flame]

I read that previously, and while it says it's not supported, it did work for a while. I'm not sure if there was an update that killed the aircard compatibility or what happened. I'm going to go to our local AT&T store to see what a new aircard is going to cost.

 

[ch33zw1z]

Can you use it wirelessly?

 

[Stg-Flame]

Unfortunately no.

 

[ch33zw1z]

Ok, so it doesn't broadcast a WiFi signal that you can see?

 

[Stg-Flame]

It will broadcast the signal. My dad connects to it via WiFi all the time.

 

[ch33zw1z]

So I'm a bit confused. Why not put a WiFi card in the windows 10 pc and let it go.

 

[Stg-Flame]

Because there's no need for another card when the USB tethering is supposed to work.

 

[ch33zw1z]

Ok, I can get that. If I were in your shoes, I would be getting the WiFi card for Windows 10, something that nice and supported.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Because there's no need for another card when the USB tethering is supposed to work.

I thought that it was officially unsupported in Windows 10?

Really, just deal with the issue, and buy a wifi usb adapter for $10-15 if that's what is needed to get it working.

 

[Stg-Flame]

According to AT&T, that card is no longer supported and has been out of date for a few years. Apparently they were sent a notice in the mail about upgrading to a newer aircard, but they ignore all promotional mail sent to them, plus they were still using the PC I built for my mom back in 2008-2009 which used Vista.

We called the store and they said since my parents used the 770S for so long and since they've been good customers for years, they will provide us with a free upgrade to the newest model. If that still doesn't work, I'll grab a wireless adapter (assuming my ancient one from 2005 doesn't work which I'll try tomorrow) and set that up.

 

[ch33zw1z]

2005 eh, does it have windows 10 support?

 

[Stg-Flame]

I'm 99.9% sure it doesn't because it was an extremely cheap wireless adapter that I received while I was in college. But hey, I know where it's at and I'll be headed over there anyway, so why not give it a try if all else fails?

 

[VirtualLarry]

is this 'aircard', like a MiFi device?

Why not get a router with 'WISP' (also known as 'client mode' in DD-WRT) mode, and then set up a LAN behind that router, for both PCs. That would be IMHO a better way to set things up.

 

[Stg-Flame]

Well, both PCs entails my PC and the PC I just built for my mom. My PC lives with me and her PC lives with her about an hour away. Where she lives, they can't even get DSL, so they have to use an aircard (basically wifi/hotspot tethering your smartphone). I have Xfinity at my house but this AT&T aircard is the best they have available. My parents don't do any online gaming, but considering my mom's new PC is better than my PC, she needs the speed and capacity to download larger games. She used an entire month's data limit just to download Pillars of Eternity. For larger games, I bring her PC back to my house and download them here.