If your Dell TrueMobile WLAN Card appears to be functioning properly
but you cannot connect to the network, the problem may be that there is a mismatch
between the Network name (SSID) and Wireless network key (WEP)
settings in your Wireless Network Properties and the name and WEP key of the
network you are trying to connect to. As explained in Completing
the setup, the network name and WEP key are case sensitive. Verify that
the spelling and case of these parameters are correct and that the settings
are exactly the same on all computers on the network.
If you have verified that the spelling and case of these parameters are correct
and that the settings are exactly the same on all computers on the network and
you are still unable to connect to the network, see Performance
and connectivity problems.
Performance and connectivity
problems
Problem or symptom
Possible solution
The computers seem to be communicating,
but they do not appear in the My Computer window or in the My
Network Places window.
Windows 2000 environment
Windows XP environment
Verify that File and Printer Sharing is enabled on all the computers
on your network.
From the desktop, click the Start button, point to Settings,
and click Control Panel.
In Control Panel, double-click the Network and Dial-up Connections
icon.
In the Network and Dial-up Connections window, double-click
the Local Area Connection icon.
In the Local Area Connection Status box, click Properties.
In the Local Area Connection Properties box, verify that the
File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks check box is
selected. If the check box is cleared, select it. If the check box is
not present, click Install. In the Select Network Component
Type box, select Service and click Add. In the Select
Network Service box, select File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft
Networks and click OK. Close the Local Area Connection
Properties box.
Close the Local Area Connection Status box.
Close the Network and Dial-up Connections window.
Verify that File and Printer Sharing is enabled on all the computers
on your network.
From the desktop, click the Start button and click Control
Panel (if you are looking at Category View, slick Switch to Classic
View).
In Control Panel, double-click the Network Connections icon.
In the LAN or High-Speed Internet area, right-click Wireless
Network Connection and click Properties.
In the Wireless Network Connection Properties box, if the General
tab is not on top, click the General tab.
In the This connection uses the following items list, verify
that the File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks check
box is selected. If the check box is cleared, select it. If this item
is not present, click Install. In the Select Network Component
Type box, select Service and click Add. In the Select
Network Service box, select File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft
Networks and click OK. Close the Wireless Network Connection
Properties box.
Close the Network Connections window.
Data transfer is sometimes very slow.
Microwave ovens and some cordless phones operate at the same
radio frequency as the Dell TrueMobile WLAN Cards. When the microwave
oven or cordless phone is in use, it interferes with the wireless network.
Therefore, keep computers having the Dell TrueMobile WLAN Cards at
least 20 feet away from your microwave oven and any cordless telephone that
operates at a frequency of 2.4 GHz.
Data transfer is always very slow.
Some homes and most offices are steel-framed structures.
The steel in such buildings may interfere with your network's radio signals,
thus causing a slowdown in the data transmission rate. Try moving your computers
to different locations in the building to see if performance improves.
In Microsoft® Windows® 2000, I get the following error message:
Medium cable disconnected. Also, there is a red X on my network icon
in the system tray.
This indicates that the radio is not enabled. To enable the
radio, right-click the utility icon
and click Enable Radio.
Network performance is really slow when the system is docked
to a docking station that has an active Ethernet port. NOTE—For Windows
2000 only.
This condition occurs if you dock your system into a docking
station that has an active Ethernet port while your Dell TrueMobile WLAN
Card is still active and connected to an access point. This happens
because Windows 2000 must now handle two active network connections. You
need to either disconnect the Ethernet cable from your docking station,
or disable the radio on your Dell TrueMobile WLAN Card. To
disable the radio, right-click the utility icon
and click Disable Radio. NOTE—The radio is not automatically
enabled when you computer next starts. To enable the radio, right-click
the utility icon and click
Enable Radio.
Getting help
Technical support is available online from Dell at http://support.dell.com
and click Enable Radio.