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Linksys WGA11B Wireless Game Adapter Troubleshooting
OK, so you've gone through our Linksys WGA11B setup guide and you still can't get up and running?
Here are some tips that can help you overcome some common stumbling blocks.
Issue:
I can't get into my router to find my security settings. I don't know what my username/password is.
Possible solution:
OK, there is no getting around this. If your network is encrypted, you need these settings in order to properly configure the WGA11B.
A Google search is your best friend in your effort to find this information. Locate the brand and model of your router (look on the device - turn it over) Search Google with your brand and model and the word "manual" or "user guide". Most manufacturers have support sites that provide the manuals in PDF format. The user's guide/manual will provide the default user name and password for your device.
Alternatively you can search Google for your device's brand and model name and "password"
Possible solution:
Alternative method for finding some of the critical settings:
If you have a laptop that connects to your wireless network, you can determine the SSID/network name within Windows. On the bottom right hand corner within Windows you'll find the task tray. There are a few icons there. Look for the one that represents your wireless connection and mouse over it. A pop-up will tell you what the name of the network. Write this down. Remember, it's case sensitive.
Now if you right click on that icon it will give you the option to view the available wireless networks. Do so by left clicking on that option. You will be able to see your network and it will tell you if it's encrypted or not. (If it's not, go back to our Linksys WGA11B setup guide.) If it is, what encryption method is being used? WEP, WPA, WPA2? We can only work with WEP, so if it's WPA or WPA2, we're back to square one.
Now if your network is WEP encrypted, at some point in time you entered a key into Windows in order to connect to that network. (Trust us, you had to do it.) If you have the key, we can determine if you're using 64-bit WEP or 128-bit WEP.
64-bit WEP uses a 10 character key length, and 128-bit WEP uses a 26 character key length.
Now there are some additional settings that we won't be able to get at, but you may now have enough info to configure your gaming adapter - go back to Linksys WGA11B setup guide.
(If your answer is that your network is encrypted but you don't know what the key is, we're just scratching our heads along with you....)
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Issue:No matter what I try I can't get the setup software to find the gaming adapter.
Possible solution:
Do you have the gaming adapter connected to your game console for setup? That's not where it belongs. Connect it to an open port on your router or to the back of a desktop PC using the ethernet cable that came with the device. Go back to the Linksys WGA11B setup guide. and start over. (If you only have a laptop, keep reading a bit on this page)
Possible solution:
Is the wired connectivity light lit? (The indicator light that is to the far left of the display) No? Flip the crossover switch on the side of the device and see if the light comes on. If so, that was your problem. If not, something is wrong. This indicator light tells you if the device is talking to the device it's connected to. This can be a PC, a router, or any other ethernet-ready device. If you don't get a lit light when it's connected to the current device, try switching to a new device. (From PC to router port for example.) As a last resort, try using a different ethernet cable.
If you cannot get a lit wired connectivity light no matter what you try, you may have a bad unit. If you bought this device from us, call or email us for additional help.
Possible solution:
Did the unit you purchased come in a brand new retail package? Are you getting a message that says "Connect Failed" when you try to setup the adapter? Linksys shipped the wrong version of the setup software with some of the last units they shipped before this item was discontinued. Thankfully the correct software is readily available for download from the Linksys support site and will solve this problem. Follow the instructions in this document.
NOTE: If you purchased a refurbished unit from us that came wrapped in an anti-static bubble bag, the software that came with the device is correct and this is not the solution for you.
Possible solution:
Are you trying configure the unit by connecting it to a laptop? This can be problematic. One serious flaw in this setup is that most laptops have integrated wireless or a wireless card. The primary network connection will then be the wireless connection and the setup software will search (unsuccessfully) for the WGA11B using this connection, not the cable connection. The solution is to use a desktop PC instead.
No desktop PC? Try this: Turn off the wireless connection on your laptop. If you don't know how to do this, see your laptop's manual. Turning it off will force the software to search using the ethernet jack on the laptop. As long as the wired connectivity light on the WGA11B is lit, your problem should now be solved.
Issue:
My wireless network is set to restrict devices by their MAC address and I've entered the MAC address for the device in the table in my router but it still doesn't seem to be working correctly.
Possible solution:
Well, the first thing we'll say about this is that locking down your network by MAC address isn't really an effective security measure and will probably cause you more headaches than it's worth. Any network hacking tool will be able to grab the MAC addresses for all of your working wireless devices from the data packets that it can freely grab out of the air. Once it has the addresses, it will just clone one of yours to allow access to your network. It's a flimsy method of security that simply makes things inconvenient for you.
But if you choose to keep using it...
Remember that the final device you want to use is your gaming console. Remember to add the MAC address of your console to your router's table as well.
Many users who try MAC address filtering also turn off SSID broadcast. SSID broadcast must be enabled in order to use the WGA11B. There is no way around this.
Issue:
When I try to check the settings in my router using the browser-based setup that you had me use I can't see all of the menus. It says "Done, but with Errors on Page" at the bottom of my browser. What gives?
Possible solution:
If you are running a personal firewall program like ZoneAlarm it may be preventing you from seeing the menus, which are created using Javascript. This can also be caused by browser security settings that are set aggressively high.
Step 1 is to temporarily disable any personal firewall software, and then close and reopen the browser-based setup for your router. If that doesn't solve the problem, check the level of security you're using on your browser. In Internet Explorer go to the Tools menu, then Internet Options, then the Security tab. Try turning down the security level and repeating the process. If you're a paranoid, you can always turn this back up when you're done.
Lastly, make sure you have the most current version of java installed. You can get the latest version at www.java.com
Issue:
My gaming adapter appears to be properly configured, but my connection is spotty. I lose connectivity periodically. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
Possible solution:
The first thing to suspect is that you may not be connected to your own network. Sound odd? Well, if your adapter is set to "IN" it will connect to ANY available open wireless network. If that happens to be a neighboring network, but not your own, this can cause trouble for you.
Are you sure you're connected to your own network? If you're not 100% sure, we'd recommend going back through the Linksys WGA11B setup guide again, this time assume that your network is encrypted and that you do not know what the settings are. If it turns out that your network is encrypted, time to setup your device correctly. If it's not encrypted, come back here.
Possible solution:
If the device is properly configured and connecting to your own network, but the connection is spotty, please follow out tips here:
OK, now that you have your console up and running on your wireless network, it's time to outfit yourself with some more toys!
Having an issue that's not covered here? Call or email us and describe the problem.
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