Connecting a Linksys WUSB11 Wireless-B USB Network Adapter to my network...not working

[whchesh]

Hi,  I am trying to connect my TiVo Series 2 dual tuner to my wireless network with the same network adapter (Linksys WUSB11 Wireless-B USB Network Adapter) that I've always used (with prior internet providers), and it does not seem to be working with my new Verizon DSL.  It finds the network, but can't connect.  I read somewhere that it has something to do with the Wireless B technology and I maybe need to switch to 2.4ghz on the modem, but I really don't know what that means.  Help!  (FYI..I have two newer tivos that have wireless N and G adapters and they both work fine with the new DSL.) Thanks!

[smith6612]

The problem may very well be with Wireless B, which is rather old. 2.4Ghz is used by Wireless B, G, AND Wireless N. Wireless A and N are used on the 5Ghz band.

The reason you may not be able to get the TiVo connected is due to a number of reasons. First, as Wireless B uses a different, older form of communication, the router when the device connects must perform a fallback. This fallback includes using the older standard which comes with a speed reduction of at least 66.6% on the Wireless, and also a removal of some other features Wireless G comes with. In order for the wireless router to support B devices, the router must have Wireless B enabled for Wireless (there is a setting for this in the Advanced Wireless Settings). In addition, the router will most likely have to use a WEP key for security (WEP is very insecure these days), as some very old B devices do not support WPA encryption, and WPA2 was not introduced until Wireless G. If you use something newer the device may either be unable to support the encryption, or it may be having a very hard time with doing so. Now if your router is a Wireless N router, your only real options are WPA2 or No security if you wish to maintain Wireless N speeds and functionality (which will be removed when older devices connect anyways).

In addition, the router's firmware must also be able to handle the mix of devices. It should by design, however in some cases it has been seen where the gateways refuse to let older devices on if there is a usage of newer G or N devices on the network. This could be a bug or something by design. Don't forget the chance that there could be some incompatibilities with the hardware or software on either device too that can cause problems.

Your best bet as a starting point will be to see if you can remove your Wireless password from the network as a troubleshooting step temporarily, connect all of your devices up to the network and then from there see if you can get the TiVO to connect. If it does connect, then we've ruled out a problem related to the encryption being used. Let us know if this works and make sure you re-secure your network afterwards. All router settings if you have a Verizon router can be changed at http://192.168.1.1/ and the login will be as follows if you have not changed it:

admin/password

admin/password1

admin/admin

admin/admin1

admin/verizon

admin/verizon1

The option you want to look for to make sure wireless B devices can at least be allowed on is called B/G Mixed Mode on most of the gateways. If you can tell us what gateway you have specifically that may help us out further.

My advice however would be to hardwire the TiVo for best performance if it is old enough to not have a supported Wireless G adapter. There are plenty of solutions out there that can help you get data from point A to B without Wireless that also do not involve the running of cables through the walls. Powerline and MoCa are a good example of this.