MiFi 2200 not connecting wirelessly with VISTA

Verizon has been ZERO help with this. I've spent hours and hours on the phone to no avail.

Here is the issue:

I can connect to the internet using VZAccess Manager (VZAM) as long as the MiFi is plugged into my laptop using the USB cord.

As soon as I unplug the MiFi, the network is deteced by both Vista and VZAM, but when I try to connect to it using VZAM I get a message stating that VZAM "Failed to conect to the Wi-Fi Network 'Verizon MiFi2200 51E3 Secure.' To make another connection attempt, press the retry button. If you would like to change the access credentials, press the modify credentials button." If I click the modify, it prompts me for my password, but then I just get the same failed message as before. The password I am using is the correct one (it's the password provided to me on the back of the MiFi, as well as validated through verizon's support).

If I try and connect using VISTA, it prompts me for the password, and then as soon as I enter it I get an error message saying "Windows can't connect to the network". If I click on diagnose the problem, I get "Wireless Association failed due to unknown reason".

I'm assuming that there is some type of setting in Vista that is preventing me from connecting to the MiFi, but what it is I do not know. This is the second device Verizon has given me, as the first was doing the same thing when I got it on Wed., and the support technician over the phone deemed it was a defective device and sent me a new one on Friday.

Also, as a sidenote, when I try to connect using my Wii, I get an error code as well.

Accepted answers

RudyTX

That is correct solution Athena.

The cause is not Vista or XP, the cause is the wireless adapter / driver version being used. Some adapters may not support WPA security, but in the case of the Atheros AR5007eg adapter, it was the driver version.

I was able to connect wirelessly via my Apple itouch and my XP laptop but not using my Vista laptop that also has an Atheros AR5007eg wireless adapter. I also spent 1 hour with Verizon support and they suggested me to return the device as defective. I am glad that I decided to investigate a little more before returning it.

Instead of searching manually the net for a newer driver version, what I did is:

- Go to Start - Right Click on Computer -> Manage -> Device Manager -> Network Adapters -> Select the wireless adapter of your computer -> driver -> Let Vista serarch online for updated driver automatically. In my case it found and automatically installed a 4/2009 driver version.

- Tried to connect tot he Mifi again (via Vista or the Verizon connection manager), and this time that asked for the password (WPA-PSK security password on the back of the MiFi) , it did not fail.

Now, I can connect to the MiFi wirelessly from my Vista Laptop. SOLVED!

All comments

dave1812

I initallly had the opposite problem with Vista--MiFi didn't work when plugged in but worked when it was used as a WiFi unit. Someone here told me to check Remote Services, and sure enough they were turned off. Go to Services.msc and make sure everything is turned on that looks remotely (pun) like it MIGHT be related to wireless or networking and see if that gets it working for you.

dannywifi

Thanks for the idea, I looked - and everything seems to be in order in that department.

dannywifi

**Update**

My wife was on the phone with Verizon for about an hour this afternoon, apparently they now have a department that deals with the MIFI. He told her that when the initial release went out for these MIFI's, some of the devices were defective and the password that was printed on the back of the device was not the password that was actually programmed into the device. He said that we must be "really unlucky" because we got two defective ones. He said he has seen this issue, and the fix is a new device.

I'm holding out hope, but not a ton since we've already been told the "defective device" bit before and it didn't help us. But, this guy apparently did seem really knowledgeable, so who knows....

dave1812

Sounds farfetched, but maybe that will fix it...

Wish I could remember if a reset (push a paper clip into the hole in the back) reset the password to the one imprinted on the device. nevertheless, why couldn't they just walk you thru using it with the cable, hit the modem with 192.168.1.1 and set the wireless password there, to anything you like??

After several fruitless calls to tech support, I realized I knew more than all the techs combined and figured out my issues on my own with a little research and head scratching. The MiFi support SUCKS big time. Someone on the forum resolved an issue for me with Vista.

Message Edited by dave1812 on 07-13-2009 09:50 PM

Message Edited by dave1812 on 07-13-2009 09:51 PM

drpp62

Not sure if this will help or not, but I too believe it is a Vista issue. I have two other CPUS (1 sony laptop and 1 samsung tablet pc), both of which are running XP. They both work with the Mifi (both the tethered and wifi). On my other laptop (Vista), only the tethered works. And I agree, the service from Verizon is terrible. The guy was nice enough, but after two hours, still no resolution.

dannywifi

Well, I certainly hope that someone from Verizon is taking all of these calls that they are receiving with this issue seriously. I know that I've done quite a lot of surfining around online, and it isn't just a handful of people that are having this problem.

The last I've heard from Verizon is that they can't/won't escalate the issue, as the device is working properly. Once I successfully connected the Wii to the MiFi, they decided that it was an issue with my computer/vista, and therefore not their problem.

Pretty crappy if you ask me.

granbyroll5

I know this sounds trite, but I updated my wireless adapter Lynksys for my desktop to the drivers compatible with Vista and It finally worked. I dont have to put in the password anymore since the first time it accepted it and kept it in its memory. The was for my laptop and now my desktop. shoowwwee. I hope this helps. It has been very frustrating for me to. 2 days on the phone with Verizons ech support, picking the brain of the geeksquad at best buy and contacting Microsoft, Lynksys, etc...

dave1812

Not sure if I mentioned this before or not, but Verizon's MiFi support is pathetic, so it doesn't surprise me that you found your solution elsewhere. Glad you got it working!

kingmak

How do you even set up the WiFi to work with the MiFi? Every time I go to 192.168.1.1 I get a "not found" site. Any help?

dave1812

The device (PC, Touch, or other browser-equipped device) must already be connected to the mifi, for you to see the router page in a browser.

Athena

OK I might have a fix for some of you.

Long version

I was having the Same problems. MiFi would connect to my XP laptop but not my Vista. I would get as far as entering the secure code and clicking connect then the "windows cannot connect" message would pop up. I've done everything the Verizon techs asked me to do and nothing helped. I even went to a local wifi cafe to rule out my wifi not working at all but I was able to connect fine there So then, as a last ditch effort, I wiped my Vista machine clean and reloaded all the drivers and it Still didn't help.

Since I had already talked to 7 different Verizon techs and 2.5 hrs of phone time in 4 days, not counting the time spent in the Verizon store and on my own time, I decided to go to a different VZ store today during lunch and they just gave me a new WiFi to try. I knew it wasn't the MiFi since it would detect my XP and office laptop, but I was willing to try anything. Well... Still the Same thing didn't connect, Same error codes, blah blah blah...... Same story.

Then by chance a guy I work with, a network engineer (OK, computer nerd), inquired about my MIFi so I told him about it and the long battle with my new friend "MIFi". Next thing I know, he grabs his laptop( which connected fine) and then looked at my settings and drivers on my laptop. He download the latest version of my wifi adapter driver (Atheros AR5007eg is mine), uploads a newer version and THEN is able to connect to the MIFi wireless. In less than 15 mins he had it fixed.

Short Version

If you haven't udated your wifi adapter software, try it. My Vista laptop had a Atheros AR5007eg, factory installed. I'm assuming it was a 2007 version since we purchased it in 7/2007. The version I downloaded was 7.6.1.204 from 1/2009. There are plenty of free downloads you can find out there. Best is to go to your laptop manufactures website and search for driver updates or do a search with your wifi adapter model and Vista in your search. Just make sure the site you are downloading it from is a site you trust. There are plenty of free shareware sites out there.

To find your wifi adapter on you laptop: go to Start>Control Panel > Hardware & Sound > Device Manager. Once in Device Manager find Network adapters and click on the + sign. From there find the driver with wireless network adapter in the name. Double click on it. From there you will see tabs at the top. Click on the driver tab and it will give you what version you laptop has.

Hope this helps someone. I know it's frustrating...

RudyTX

That is correct solution Athena.

Instead of searching manually the net for a newer driver version, what I did is:

- Tried to connect tot he Mifi again (via Vista or the Verizon connection manager), and this time that asked for the password (WPA-PSK security password on the back of the MiFi) , it did not fail.

Now, I can connect to the MiFi wirelessly from my Vista Laptop. SOLVED!

Athena

I totally forgot about Vista automatically searching for updates. I use my XP laptop more and you don't get the auto search for updates via internet.

I just hope this helps others. I did call Verizon today to tell them that I had fixed my problem since I was suppose to get a call back from one of their techs yesterday and never did.

dannywifi

I had actually tried going to Toshiba's website about 5 times and updated the driver software from their site to no avail. But RudyTX 's suggestion that I let Vista search for the update was spot on.

Finally, I can connect wirelessly to the MIFI.

Thanks Rudy & Athena.

jdstowe

Hi.

I am experiencing the same problem. My MiFi unit was virtually "plug & play" connecting to one XP laptop, one Vista Laptop and my iPhone. However, won't connect to my 32-bit Vista desktop with Linksys Wireless-G PCI Adaptor. The sysyem "sees" the MiFi but will not connect and provides no useable error message. The same system has no problem connecting to the WAP from my old home network.

I tried updating the drivers but learned that my drivers are all up to date.

Any other suggestions?

Thanks.

unknown

One option might be to upgrade the wireless adapter in your desktop to a newer model. These things are pretty inexpensive.

jdstowe

I've thought of that and I might try it. However, the linksys website tells me that my card is the latest wireless G card they sell. I am thinking of trying an "N" card....I know the router is a "G", but I thought this might be my best option to insure I get the most up-to-date drivers.

unknown

You could also try a USB adapter.

billdaniels

I agree, the fix is to download the current driver. In my case, I spent two sessions of about 1 hour each with Verizon technical support, they did not understand the issue or even seem to have very good documentation on the MiFi. 2200.

I returned one unit because tech support agreed with me it was probably defective, turns out we were both probably wrong.

What I learned was (1) make sure the wireless driver is updated when adding new equipment, (2) google the problem if tech support can't help, (3) don't expect Verizon tech support's knowledge base to be current.

Zehan

The reason Verizon cannot/will not advise you to update the network adapter drivers is that it is a liability issue for them. I am an in-store tech, and I have fixed a few MiFi units with this problem. Verizon tech support is not trained to help customers with anything but the equipment Verizon sells and the software directly associated with it. If they were to advise you to download the new drivers to repair this issue and for some reason your laptop/computer crashed, Verizon would be responsible. Hence, they will not advise you to do so. I have even emailed tech support the steps to resolve this, and they told me that they would not, and that I should not, perform these steps for a customer due to the liability issue.

Athena

I can understand Verizon not wanting to advise the customer to update/modify anything on their computers, but seriously there has to be a better way for Verizon Support to help out. I was on the phone with 5 different tech's and went to the store twice. Not to mention the many hours I spent trying to figure it out on my own. Everyone from Verizon gave me a different answer or had me trying different things on my laptop. By the end of this fiasco, I felt like I knew more about the MiFi than support did. I guess if they want to continue to tick customers off then they should keep doing what they are doing. If I found out that support knew how to fix this issue and didn't tell me because they were afraid of being held liable, I would be one irate customer. I'm sure they could record the call and read some disclaimer when it came to troubleshooting situations like this. Good customer service is hard to find in today's world.

Zehan

It's rarely an issue of knowing how to fix a problem and not saying anything to the customer. For the most part, tech support doesn't recommend this fix because they don't know about it. As I said, they're not trained to know this fix so they wouldn't know about it in the first place, and those that do know about it can get into trouble if they pass it along to the customer. Personally, I will help customers with this fix, but I can't speak for other techs. By the way, in my experience I've found much more reliable solutions to equipment problems by looking online as opposed to contacting tech support. This applies to many different services, not just Verizon.