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From: Ben Myers on 5 Jan 2010 01:13
As many may recall, I reported that Dell Windows 7 laptops were unable
to establish wifi connections with a US Robotics router. After some
time trying to determine the cause of the problem, I told my sometime
client that the router should be replaced, because it is old and no
longer supported by the manufacturer. I looked at the US Robotics web
site just now and saw that the router, model USR8054, is not supported
with Windows 7 by US Robotics, whatever that means. A couple of people
here said that I had taken the easy way out in recommending replacement.
In fact, they are right. With my laptop, I could have snooped the
packets for the wifi connect from my XP laptop and from a Win 7 laptop
and compared them. That would take more time than the client was
willing to pay for, so I did not do it. Too many bits to compare! At
this point, let's just believe that Microsoft changed something in the
wifi connect protocol between Vista and Windows 7.

Spoke to client today. A replacement Linksys wifi router works
perfectly with their Windows 7 computers now... Ben Myers
From: Christopher Muto on 5 Jan 2010 09:51
Ben Myers wrote:
> As many may recall, I reported that Dell Windows 7 laptops were unable
> to establish wifi connections with a US Robotics router. After some
> time trying to determine the cause of the problem, I told my sometime
> client that the router should be replaced, because it is old and no
> longer supported by the manufacturer. I looked at the US Robotics web
> site just now and saw that the router, model USR8054, is not supported
> with Windows 7 by US Robotics, whatever that means. A couple of people
> here said that I had taken the easy way out in recommending replacement.
> In fact, they are right. With my laptop, I could have snooped the
> packets for the wifi connect from my XP laptop and from a Win 7 laptop
> and compared them. That would take more time than the client was
> willing to pay for, so I did not do it. Too many bits to compare! At
> this point, let's just believe that Microsoft changed something in the
> wifi connect protocol between Vista and Windows 7.
>
> Spoke to client today. A replacement Linksys wifi router works
> perfectly with their Windows 7 computers now... Ben Myers

don't interpret the criticism of 'taking the easy way out' as a negative
thing. it is a smart thing. i can walk to the post office across the
street by walking directly over there, or i could turn around and circle
the globe to get there, which doesn't make a lot of sense. glad you
sorted out the problem.
From: Mike S. on 5 Jan 2010 10:54

In article <hhulag$33f$1(a)news.eternal-september.org>,
Ben Myers <ben_myers(a)charter.net> wrote:
>As many may recall, I reported that Dell Windows 7 laptops were unable
>to establish wifi connections with a US Robotics router. After some
>time trying to determine the cause of the problem, I told my sometime
>client that the router should be replaced, because it is old and no
>longer supported by the manufacturer. I looked at the US Robotics web
>site just now and saw that the router, model USR8054, is not supported
>with Windows 7 by US Robotics, whatever that means. A couple of people
>here said that I had taken the easy way out in recommending replacement.
> In fact, they are right. With my laptop, I could have snooped the
>packets for the wifi connect from my XP laptop and from a Win 7 laptop
>and compared them. That would take more time than the client was
>willing to pay for, so I did not do it. Too many bits to compare! At
>this point, let's just believe that Microsoft changed something in the
>wifi connect protocol between Vista and Windows 7.
>
>Spoke to client today. A replacement Linksys wifi router works
>perfectly with their Windows 7 computers now... Ben Myers

Weird. Got an ancient Linksys WRT54G running 3 year old DD-WRT firmware. I
just set up a Samsung netbook for my neice, running Windows 7 Starter, and
it had absolutely no problem accessing the router.


From: Ben Myers on 5 Jan 2010 13:35
Christopher Muto wrote:
> Ben Myers wrote:
>> As many may recall, I reported that Dell Windows 7 laptops were unable
>> to establish wifi connections with a US Robotics router. After some
>> time trying to determine the cause of the problem, I told my sometime
>> client that the router should be replaced, because it is old and no
>> longer supported by the manufacturer. I looked at the US Robotics web
>> site just now and saw that the router, model USR8054, is not supported
>> with Windows 7 by US Robotics, whatever that means. A couple of
>> people here said that I had taken the easy way out in recommending
>> replacement. In fact, they are right. With my laptop, I could have
>> snooped the packets for the wifi connect from my XP laptop and from a
>> Win 7 laptop and compared them. That would take more time than the
>> client was willing to pay for, so I did not do it. Too many bits to
>> compare! At this point, let's just believe that Microsoft changed
>> something in the wifi connect protocol between Vista and Windows 7.
>>
>> Spoke to client today. A replacement Linksys wifi router works
>> perfectly with their Windows 7 computers now... Ben Myers
>
> don't interpret the criticism of 'taking the easy way out' as a negative
> thing. it is a smart thing. i can walk to the post office across the
> street by walking directly over there, or i could turn around and circle
> the globe to get there, which doesn't make a lot of sense. glad you
> sorted out the problem.

It's always a question of time available to troubleshoot a problem, and,
when it's a paying customer, how much they are willing to pay. Had this
been the branch office of a well-heeled corporate client (e.g. Goldman
Sachs), I would have willingly spent as much time as necessary to
pinpoint the exact cause of the failure of a Dell Win 7 laptop to hitch
itself to the USR8054. And billed for the time! ... Ben Myers
From: Ben Myers on 5 Jan 2010 13:43
Mike S. wrote:
> In article <hhulag$33f$1(a)news.eternal-september.org>,
> Ben Myers <ben_myers(a)charter.net> wrote:
>> As many may recall, I reported that Dell Windows 7 laptops were unable
>> to establish wifi connections with a US Robotics router. After some
>> time trying to determine the cause of the problem, I told my sometime
>> client that the router should be replaced, because it is old and no
>> longer supported by the manufacturer. I looked at the US Robotics web
>> site just now and saw that the router, model USR8054, is not supported
>> with Windows 7 by US Robotics, whatever that means. A couple of people
>> here said that I had taken the easy way out in recommending replacement.
>> In fact, they are right. With my laptop, I could have snooped the
>> packets for the wifi connect from my XP laptop and from a Win 7 laptop
>> and compared them. That would take more time than the client was
>> willing to pay for, so I did not do it. Too many bits to compare! At
>> this point, let's just believe that Microsoft changed something in the
>> wifi connect protocol between Vista and Windows 7.
>>
>> Spoke to client today. A replacement Linksys wifi router works
>> perfectly with their Windows 7 computers now... Ben Myers
>
> Weird. Got an ancient Linksys WRT54G running 3 year old DD-WRT firmware. I
> just set up a Samsung netbook for my neice, running Windows 7 Starter, and
> it had absolutely no problem accessing the router.
>
>

Really not weird at all. Linksys, as part of Cisco, is a mainstream and
major vendor of communications gear. I am still running a WRT54G
myself, because the only benefit I see to a newer wifi router here is
the financial benefit to the retailer from which I would buy one.

US Robotics is very much a minor player, and they are pretty much US
Robotics in name only, having been spun off to a vulture capital firm by
3COM some time ago. Anyway, their long-time expertise in telco modems
up to 56K in speed does not translate well to the complexities of a
4-port router with wifi. USR clearly did something in the design of the
USR8054 firmware that turned out not to work with Win 7. Why else would
Win 7 not be in the list of supported and tested operating systems on
the USR web site? (Of course, Linux, BSD Unix and Mac OS X are not
shown in USR's list of operating systems.) And I foolishly thought that
all modern wifi connection protocols were the same across all operating
systems and routers! Actually, not. I tend to stick with tried and
proven hardware... Ben Myers
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