wireless network issues

[Monolitus]

Just bought a new 802.11g USB card (edimax 7317ug) and installed it on my main computer which is used as a router also (win XP sp2)

i'm trying to connect my centrino laptop (IBM X31) and have limited success only on SSID "default" and "MyWirelessNet" - those nets have very weak signal and the link is often broken.

tried to configure WLAN network on the "big"computer using the ZD tool which edimax gives. I can create new ad hoc networks which optimal gain, and the laptop recognizes the network and connect to it ...... however - the "big" computer gets an invalid IP address "169.254.126.111" and the laptop gets also a similar address (netmask is 255.255.0.0) - no conectivity (no internet using ICS and no ping). whenever i use "default" or "MyWirelessNet" big comuter address is 192.168.2.1 and the laptop has 192.168.2.100 - everything is OK (except for the low signal - and lack of security of course).

i also tried to configre the USB card as an AP but again - no IP connectivity.......

I'm breaking my head for 2 nights in a row - but still nothing - plz help.

Mono.

 

[nweaver]

you have two issues here.

1. ICS must be functional, with the lan card (or possibly modem) as the outside interface, and the Wlan card as ithe internal interface. Iinternal will be nat and router for the rest of the network. ICS will give you a 192.168.0.1 address for the inside interface, and give IP's to boxes on the interface. This is not happening (evidenced by the 169 address)
2. Wireless configuration. Never done ad hoc ICS, but the other networks (default and my wirlessnet) are other people's networks that you are using. Fix the ICS, then when you connect ad hoc, your desktop will give your laptop an IP address in the 192.168 range and you will be connecting through the other.