Wireless Adapter and Dialup

David · External Since: Feb 03, 2005 Posts: 91

Recently purchased a Linksys wpc54g to finally get my notebook on wireless.
I was looking to keep dial-up as a back-up, but ever since the installation
have been having problems with the dialup. The wireless card appears to be
working fine. I have tried uninstalling the wireless card still with no luck
on the dial-up. Are there additional settings I need to configure to allow
both to work for access or can the two not co-exist?

Thanks for your help!

Steve Winograd MVP · External Since: Feb 23, 2004 Posts: 264

In article ,
"David" wrote:
>Recently purchased a Linksys wpc54g to finally get my notebook on wireless.
>I was looking to keep dial-up as a back-up, but ever since the installation
>have been having problems with the dialup. The wireless card appears to be
>working fine. I have tried uninstalling the wireless card still with no luck
>on the dial-up. Are there additional settings I need to configure to allow
>both to work for access or can the two not co-exist?
>
>Thanks for your help!

Wireless and dial-up should co-exist just fine, with no need to
configure anything.

What type of problems are you having? If you'll give a full
description, I'm sure that someone can help.
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional - Windows Networking
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

Steve Winograd's Networking FAQ
http://www.bcmaven.com/networking/faq.htm

N. Miller · External Since: May 04, 2005 Posts: 386

On Sun, 7 Aug 2005 01:29:02 -0700, David wrote:

> Recently purchased a Linksys wpc54g to finally get my notebook on wireless.
> I was looking to keep dial-up as a back-up, but ever since the installation
> have been having problems with the dialup. The wireless card appears to be
> working fine. I have tried uninstalling the wireless card still with no luck
> on the dial-up. Are there additional settings I need to configure to allow
> both to work for access or can the two not co-exist?
>
> Thanks for your help!

The only problem with having both configured is that only one network can
be active at a given time without using some obscure software for load
balancing, and the like.

If you establish the WLAN Internet connection first, when you dial a
connection with your dial-up modem, Windows will modify the routing table
to reflect the dial-up modem as the Internet gateway. If you dial the
connection first, then make the WLAN Internet connection, Windows will
modify the routing table to show the wireless router as the Internet
gateway. Note the "Default Gateway" in each of the examples I have posted.

I do not have the technical expertise to explain how to be able to use both
connections simultaneously. If that is not your problem then you should
describe what your problem is.

ADSL + Dial-up:
| ===========================================================================
| Interface List
| 0x1 ........................... MS TCP Loopback interface
| 0x2 ...44 45 53 54 00 00 ...... PPP Adapter.
| 0x3 ...00 50 77 01 a0 81 ...... usb-usb network bridge adapter
| 0x4 ...00 10 b5 77 e6 46 ...... HP EN1207D-TX 10/100 Family Adapter
| ===========================================================================
| ===========================================================================
| Active Routes:
| Network Destination Netmask Gateway Interface Metric
| 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 4.246.232.135 4.246.232.135 1
| 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 192.168.102.1 192.168.102.100 2
| 4.0.0.0 255.0.0.0 4.246.232.135 4.246.232.135 1
| 4.246.232.135 255.255.255.255 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 1
| 4.255.255.255 255.255.255.255 4.246.232.135 4.246.232.135 1
| 127.0.0.0 255.0.0.0 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 1
| 172.29.0.0 255.255.0.0 172.29.61.1 172.29.61.1 2
| 172.29.61.1 255.255.255.255 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 1
| 172.29.255.255 255.255.255.255 172.29.61.1 172.29.61.1 1
| 192.168.3.0 255.255.255.0 192.168.102.2 192.168.102.100 2
| 192.168.102.0 255.255.255.0 192.168.102.100 192.168.102.100 2
| 192.168.102.100 255.255.255.255 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 1
| 192.168.102.255 255.255.255.255 192.168.102.100 192.168.102.100 1
| 224.0.0.0 224.0.0.0 4.246.232.135 4.246.232.135 1
| 224.0.0.0 224.0.0.0 172.29.61.1 172.29.61.1 1
| 224.0.0.0 224.0.0.0 192.168.102.100 192.168.102.100 1
| 255.255.255.255 255.255.255.255 4.246.232.135 4.246.232.135 1
| Default Gateway: 4.246.232.135
| ===========================================================================
| Persistent Routes:
| Network Address Netmask Gateway Address Metric
| 192.168.3.0 255.255.255.0 192.168.102.2 1

ADSL connection only:
| ===========================================================================
| Interface List
| 0x1 ........................... MS TCP Loopback interface
| 0x2 ...44 45 53 54 00 00 ...... PPP Adapter.
| 0x3 ...00 50 77 01 a0 81 ...... usb-usb network bridge adapter
| 0x4 ...00 10 b5 77 e6 46 ...... HP EN1207D-TX 10/100 Family Adapter
| ===========================================================================
| ===========================================================================
| Active Routes:
| Network Destination Netmask Gateway Interface Metric
| 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 192.168.102.1 192.168.102.100 1
| 127.0.0.0 255.0.0.0 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 1
| 172.29.0.0 255.255.0.0 172.29.61.1 172.29.61.1 1
| 172.29.61.1 255.255.255.255 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 1
| 172.29.255.255 255.255.255.255 172.29.61.1 172.29.61.1 1
| 192.168.3.0 255.255.255.0 192.168.102.2 192.168.102.100 1
| 192.168.102.0 255.255.255.0 192.168.102.100 192.168.102.100 1
| 192.168.102.100 255.255.255.255 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 1
| 192.168.102.255 255.255.255.255 192.168.102.100 192.168.102.100 1
| 224.0.0.0 224.0.0.0 172.29.61.1 172.29.61.1 1
| 224.0.0.0 224.0.0.0 192.168.102.100 192.168.102.100 1
| 255.255.255.255 255.255.255.255 192.168.102.100 2 1
| Default Gateway: 192.168.102.1
| ===========================================================================
| Persistent Routes:
| Network Address Netmask Gateway Address Metric
| 192.168.3.0 255.255.255.0 192.168.102.2 1
--
Norman
~Win dain a lotica, En vai tu ri, Si lo ta
~Fin dein a loluca, En dragu a sei lain
~Vi fa-ru les shutai am, En riga-lint

Steve Winograd MVP · External Since: Feb 23, 2004 Posts: 264

In article , "N. Miller"
wrote:
>On Sun, 7 Aug 2005 01:29:02 -0700, David wrote:
>
>> Recently purchased a Linksys wpc54g to finally get my notebook on wireless.
>> I was looking to keep dial-up as a back-up, but ever since the installation
>> have been having problems with the dialup. The wireless card appears to be
>> working fine. I have tried uninstalling the wireless card still with no luck
>> on the dial-up. Are there additional settings I need to configure to allow
>> both to work for access or can the two not co-exist?
>>
>> Thanks for your help!
>
>The only problem with having both configured is that only one network can
>be active at a given time without using some obscure software for load
>balancing, and the like.
>
>If you establish the WLAN Internet connection first, when you dial a
>connection with your dial-up modem, Windows will modify the routing table
>to reflect the dial-up modem as the Internet gateway. If you dial the
>connection first, then make the WLAN Internet connection, Windows will
>modify the routing table to show the wireless router as the Internet
>gateway. Note the "Default Gateway" in each of the examples I have posted.
>
>I do not have the technical expertise to explain how to be able to use both
>connections simultaneously. If that is not your problem then you should
>describe what your problem is.
>
>ADSL + Dial-up:
>| ===========================================================================
>| Interface List
>| 0x1 ........................... MS TCP Loopback interface
>| 0x2 ...44 45 53 54 00 00 ...... PPP Adapter.
>| 0x3 ...00 50 77 01 a0 81 ...... usb-usb network bridge adapter
>| 0x4 ...00 10 b5 77 e6 46 ...... HP EN1207D-TX 10/100 Family Adapter
>| ===========================================================================
>| ===========================================================================
>| Active Routes:
>| Network Destination Netmask Gateway Interface Metric
>| 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 4.246.232.135 4.246.232.135 1
>| 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 192.168.102.1 192.168.102.100 2
>| 4.0.0.0 255.0.0.0 4.246.232.135 4.246.232.135 1
>| 4.246.232.135 255.255.255.255 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 1
>| 4.255.255.255 255.255.255.255 4.246.232.135 4.246.232.135 1
>| 127.0.0.0 255.0.0.0 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 1
>| 172.29.0.0 255.255.0.0 172.29.61.1 172.29.61.1 2
>| 172.29.61.1 255.255.255.255 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 1
>| 172.29.255.255 255.255.255.255 172.29.61.1 172.29.61.1 1
>| 192.168.3.0 255.255.255.0 192.168.102.2 192.168.102.100 2
>| 192.168.102.0 255.255.255.0 192.168.102.100 192.168.102.100 2
>| 192.168.102.100 255.255.255.255 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 1
>| 192.168.102.255 255.255.255.255 192.168.102.100 192.168.102.100 1
>| 224.0.0.0 224.0.0.0 4.246.232.135 4.246.232.135 1
>| 224.0.0.0 224.0.0.0 172.29.61.1 172.29.61.1 1
>| 224.0.0.0 224.0.0.0 192.168.102.100 192.168.102.100 1
>| 255.255.255.255 255.255.255.255 4.246.232.135 4.246.232.135 1
>| Default Gateway: 4.246.232.135
>| ===========================================================================
>| Persistent Routes:
>| Network Address Netmask Gateway Address Metric
>| 192.168.3.0 255.255.255.0 192.168.102.2 1
>
>ADSL connection only:
>| ===========================================================================
>| Interface List
>| 0x1 ........................... MS TCP Loopback interface
>| 0x2 ...44 45 53 54 00 00 ...... PPP Adapter.
>| 0x3 ...00 50 77 01 a0 81 ...... usb-usb network bridge adapter
>| 0x4 ...00 10 b5 77 e6 46 ...... HP EN1207D-TX 10/100 Family Adapter
>| ===========================================================================
>| ===========================================================================
>| Active Routes:
>| Network Destination Netmask Gateway Interface Metric
>| 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 192.168.102.1 192.168.102.100 1
>| 127.0.0.0 255.0.0.0 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 1
>| 172.29.0.0 255.255.0.0 172.29.61.1 172.29.61.1 1
>| 172.29.61.1 255.255.255.255 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 1
>| 172.29.255.255 255.255.255.255 172.29.61.1 172.29.61.1 1
>| 192.168.3.0 255.255.255.0 192.168.102.2 192.168.102.100 1
>| 192.168.102.0 255.255.255.0 192.168.102.100 192.168.102.100 1
>| 192.168.102.100 255.255.255.255 127.0.0.1 127.0.0.1 1
>| 192.168.102.255 255.255.255.255 192.168.102.100 192.168.102.100 1
>| 224.0.0.0 224.0.0.0 172.29.61.1 172.29.61.1 1
>| 224.0.0.0 224.0.0.0 192.168.102.100 192.168.102.100 1
>| 255.255.255.255 255.255.255.255 192.168.102.100 2 1
>| Default Gateway: 192.168.102.1
>| ===========================================================================
>| Persistent Routes:
>| Network Address Netmask Gateway Address Metric
>| 192.168.3.0 255.255.255.0 192.168.102.2 1

Background information: When two or more network connections can
access the Internet, Windows chooses one of them as the default
gateway, based on the "metric" values associated with the connections.

I'm going to use the general term WAN (Wide Area Network) instead of
the more restrictive term WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network).

You've got it exactly right, Norman, for the case shown in the route
tables above, where you establish a WAN Internet connection first, and
then dial a connection with your dial-up modem. Windows assigns a
metric of 1 to the dial-up connection, and it adds 1 to the metric of
the WAN connection. In the case that you show, that changed the
metric of the ADSL connection from 1 to 2.

As a result, a dial-up connection always overrides a WAN connection
for Internet access. When you disconnect the dial-up connection,
Windows subtracts one from the metric of the WAN connection, restoring
it to its previous value.

However, that's not how it works when you dial a connection with your
dial-up modem first, and then make the WAN Internet connection.
Windows doesn't modify the route table or change the metric of the
dial-up connection when you make a WAN connection.

If the WAN connection has a metric value greater than 1, Windows will
still use the dial-up connection for Internet access. If the WAN
connection has a metric of 1, Windows will use one or the other, and I
don't know how it decides. That's the only case where it's possible
for a WAN connection to override a dial-up connection as the Internet
gateway.

To make sure that dial-up is used even when a WAN connection is
available, use the "route change" command to set the metric of the WAN
connection to a value greater than 1. For example, based on the route
table above, this command would set the WAN metric to a value of 2:

route change 0.0.0.0 mask 0.0.0.0 192.168.102.1 metric 2
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional - Windows Networking
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

Steve Winograd's Networking FAQ
http://www.bcmaven.com/networking/faq.htm

N. Miller · External Since: May 04, 2005 Posts: 386

On Sun, 07 Aug 2005 14:30:50 -0600, Steve Winograd [MVP] wrote:

> However, that's not how it works when you dial a connection with your
> dial-up modem first, and then make the WAN Internet connection.
> Windows doesn't modify the route table or change the metric of the
> dial-up connection when you make a WAN connection.
>
> If the WAN connection has a metric value greater than 1, Windows will
> still use the dial-up connection for Internet access. If the WAN
> connection has a metric of 1, Windows will use one or the other, and I
> don't know how it decides. That's the only case where it's possible
> for a WAN connection to override a dial-up connection as the Internet
> gateway.

I guess I got lucky, or something like that. I don't recall that I ever
checked the routing table when I tested the link, I just made the dial-up
connection first, then the DSL connection, and the traffic flew over the
DSL connection.

--
Norman
~Win dain a lotica, En vai tu ri, Si lo ta
~Fin dein a loluca, En dragu a sei lain
~Vi fa-ru les shutai am, En riga-lint

David · External Since: Feb 03, 2005 Posts: 91

Thanks guys for the information. To be more specific, and thinking about
this some more, both the modem and wireless to be working fine. The problem
comes when using the modem for internet access. When using the modem IE
consistently gets DNS errrors. I've tried a few things with the registry,
but not any luck. I was wondering if this is a problem with windows
recognizing the appropriate internet gateway or is this an IE issue? Maybe I
missed something in the set-up of the WLAN?

Thanks again for your help!

"N. Miller" wrote:

> On Sun, 07 Aug 2005 14:30:50 -0600, Steve Winograd [MVP] wrote:
>
> > However, that's not how it works when you dial a connection with your
> > dial-up modem first, and then make the WAN Internet connection.
> > Windows doesn't modify the route table or change the metric of the
> > dial-up connection when you make a WAN connection.
> >
> > If the WAN connection has a metric value greater than 1, Windows will
> > still use the dial-up connection for Internet access. If the WAN
> > connection has a metric of 1, Windows will use one or the other, and I
> > don't know how it decides. That's the only case where it's possible
> > for a WAN connection to override a dial-up connection as the Internet
> > gateway.
>
> I guess I got lucky, or something like that. I don't recall that I ever
> checked the routing table when I tested the link, I just made the dial-up
> connection first, then the DSL connection, and the traffic flew over the
> DSL connection.
>
> --
> Norman
> ~Win dain a lotica, En vai tu ri, Si lo ta
> ~Fin dein a loluca, En dragu a sei lain
> ~Vi fa-ru les shutai am, En riga-lint
>