default gateway

NRD

Active member
We have two Voyager II laptops, his and hers. Both of which drop their wireless connections too often, we use BT HOME HUB4 and when this problem occurs I use the built in BT desktop help system which promptly tells me that the default gateway is the problem which it corrects and away we go again until next time. Please advise on just what is the default gateway and how may I overcome this problem permanently. I am beginning to get a little annoyed with this never ending tick.
 

Pagey

Bright Spark
Errr, which Wifi cards do you have installed?

If it's the Intel-N 135 then it's a current issue, think it's the drivers. I know it's a not a regal solution but a certain store is selling tiny USB dongles for £10 a pop. It would cover until the drivers are fixed properly, I've used one myself and it never gave me any issues.

Scratch that!

Looks like Intel have updated their drivers, hopefully it fixes those issues. I've not used these new drivers as I had to spend money on a new wifi module, so I've not had the chance to check them out.

Here they be!
 
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ubuysa

The BSOD Doctor
To answer your question on what the default gateway is....

In order to connect any computer to the Internet the computer must know three pieces of information; the computer's unique IP address, the subnet mask of the network the computer is connected to, and the IP address of the default gateway. (It also needs the IP address of at least one DNS server if you intend to use domain names (like www.microsoft.com) rather than pure IP addresses).

The computer's IP address is a unique 32-bit wide address (in IPv4, it's 128-bits wide in IPv6) that identifies this computer on the Internet. (eg. 192.168.1.12).

The subnet mask tells the computer how many of those 32 (or 128) bits should be interpreted as the network address and how many bits should be interpreted as the host address. A subnet mask is fixed for any given network, but the computer still needs to know what it is. (eg. 255.255.255.0).

The default gateway is the IP address of a router on this network that is also connected to the Internet, so it's the gateway from this network to the Internet. (In the very early days of the Internet the devices we now call routers were originally called gateways, that name has stuck in this particular case). (eg. 192.168.1.1).

There are two ways a computer can obtain this information; it can be hard-coded by you, in which case it can not be changed easily so it must be the same every time you connect. Or, it can be sent to the computer dynamically each time you connect, in this case the information could be different every time you connect. 99.99% of home computers obtain their IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway address dynamically via a protocol called DHCP dynamic host configuration protocol). The DHCP client is part of Windows, not the wifi card.

I agree completely with Pagey that the N135 (and other Intel wifi cards) seem to have problems, I'd certainly never buy another Intel wifi card. However, when the BT help system "corrects" the default gateway problem, what exactly does it do? What does it tell you to do? If the wifi card looses the connection and then reconnects Windows should use the DHCP protocol again to obtain new IP address, subnet mask and default gateway information and you should start working. If it's not getting the correct default gateway address that sounds more like a BT problem (with their DHCP servers) or with your BT Home Hub (which is your default gateway). I'd need to know a lot more about what happens when you loose connection and what the BT help system advises and/or corrects to help more.

I hope that helps you understand what the default gateway is though? :)
 
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NRD

Active member
Most grateful thanks to both of you for the prompt answers to my problem. I will now have a look see at Intel for new drivers at your suggestion, you were both right in the assumption of the Intel 135N card these cards were of cause installed at manufacture, both laptops are the same. With regards to the question of default gateway, I am now more with it in this instance although I still do not entirely understand. This eighty year old head just does not absorb things quite so quick these days. The question of what does the BT help system do when the problem occurs, simple answer to that is that I don't know. When the help system is called upon it runs various checks to find out what the problem is and then tells me that the problem was the default gateway and at the same time tells me that the problem has now been corrected, that's it until next time when the same thing happens again.

This is a PS to you Pagey. Using your link I have just been to Intel and found the driver downloaded it and installed so lets see where we go from here. I will post an update in a week perhaps, if its going to kick me again it will have done so by then.
See you later.......
 
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ubuysa

The BSOD Doctor
Your default gateway will be your BT Home Hub, that's the router to which you are connected and which also has Internet access. If the wifi driver doesn't solve the issue I'd contact BT and ask for your Home Hub device to be replaced.
 
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