Weird half-connected mode on Windows XP
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I set up the captive portal like so:
OPT interface 192.168.3.1. DHCP running on interface handing out IPs from 100 to 150. Firewall rule plugged into allow all traffic from OPT interface etc. No encryption.
I've got an XP laptop with an Intel 2200BG built-in adaptor. I connect to the wireless and it works. I get an IP handed out. I get the captive portal page. I log in, I then have web access. So far so good.
Except that Windows still says I'm not connected. The Wireless connection status window. That also means I don't get the network adaptor showing connected in the system tray like you'd expect.
So big deal right, it's working. Only after five minutes or so I just get disconnected. It's nothing to do with the timeouts on the captive portal because I removed those.
So, to check things out, I went back to a simple Wi-Fi set up. I turned off the captive portal. Turned off the DHCP on that interface. Edited the OPT interface to bridge it with LAN and enable WPA encryption.
Connect back with the laptop, sure enough enter WPA password. Connect… get DHCP IP, everything works great. Windows shows I'm connected in the system tray. I keep using the laptop for half an hour and it's fine, no disconnections.
So it's somehow down to doing things the other way with the captive portal. Obviously that's a bit of a showstopper really. Anyone got any ideas?
Much obliged.
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What kind of nic are you using as OPT-Interface for this? Rather sounds like a wlan issue to me than captive portal one.
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Wistrom CM9. Atheros based thing. Works perfectly using it without the captive portal. Although I wouldn't rule out the other configuration change, eg subnet.
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Interesting, I'm using that wlan nic as well on my wraps and alix boards without issues. in case this is a wrap please make sure you are running on the latest bios. There has been a fix for wireless cards (Version 1.11 BIOS upgrade (fixed reset timing to support Atheros single chip radios)): http://pcengines.ch/wrap.htm (middle of the page).
Do you see anything in the systemlogs when this is happening?
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It's an ALIX 2c2. Needed to update bios to latest version just to get pfsense to work at all.
I didn't see any errors anywhere. I'm upgrading my laptop to something with a later generation of Intel wi-fi card in it so I'll give the whole thing another try then.
It's weird how Windows is connected but doesn't display it's connected. I've never seen that before. I just thought it wanted for a DHCP lease. Almost as if it's the manner of DHCP lease, it works but Windows wireless doesn't think it is.
What else might Windows wait for?
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I have such a windows machine too.
It says there where errors connecting to the WLAN and that it does not work, but it does.
On the same machine i had another windows, on which it never showed this problem.
I just ignore it since it works. -
Where'd you see the error?
Unfortunately I can't just use it because I get disconnected periodically. Minus captive portal it works fine.
