Skip - Working on the boat wrote:
Hi, Ian, and group(s),

Ian Malcolm wrote:

Skip Gundlach wrote:


I configure the bridge to a blank SSID, which makes it look for the
strongest signal. That's ok, but in this case, that caused it to
redirect to their signin page. Otherwise, were that not the case, I
could then go into the configuration page and specify which of the
available ones, even those not shown, perhaps from a hidden SSID, or
one I know to be available at less strength than the first (and limited
to) 8 shown, such as I did before the pay site hijacked the signal.



If your browser home page requires *any* DNS access to get to it, you
will get redirected to the signin page on most commercial wireless ISPs.
Similarly, if the router has got the DNS server address from the ISP
via DHCP, and your bridge has a 'friendly' name for its configuration
page rather than a dotted IP address, you will end up at the signin page
again :-(

Set your home page to blank then try accessing the bridge by its ip
address rather than by name. The url should be of the form
http://nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn/ fill in the correct numbers for your setup.


Would that it did - My reaction comes from merely typing in the URL
(the way I usually reach the bridge to configure it) in nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn
format, whereupon the pay site(s? - I've not been in an area with more
than one at the moment, though the readout shows many presumed pay
sites as well, some of which have more strength, but not as good a
communications level)) redirects to their signin page.



If no DNS lookup is being done, there should be absolutely NO
oppertunity for a redirect. Its possible that the router you have put
in between your LAN and the bridge is causing this behaviour. You
*might* need to set up a static route.

Another possibility is you have one of the many varieties of 'search
assistant' or internet 'booster' malware on your PC that is trying to
reach its homepage and is therefore triggering the wireless ISP login
redirect. A full scan with a number of different spyware and virus
scanners is probably a good idea at this point.

Do you ever get this redirection when trying to access the Router config
page?

If you are goint to take this to a new thread I suggest dropping r.b.b
and *possibly* r.b.c due to the extremely technical content and tenuous
connection with boating.

You may also want to ask about this issue on the LOCAL newsgroups (they
are NOT part of USENET) at GRC. N.B. web access is currently read only
so to ask a question there, you will need to configure a newsreader.
You probably want the group grc.techtalk. Start by reading
http://www.grc.com/discussions.htm . . .

--
Ian Malcolm. London, ENGLAND. (NEWSGROUP REPLY PREFERRED)
ianm[at]the[dash]malcolms[dot]freeserve[dot]co[dot]uk
[at]=@, [dash]=- & [dot]=. *Warning* HTML & 32K emails -- NUL:
'Stingo' Albacore #1554 - 15' Early 60's, Uffa Fox designed,
All varnished hot moulded wooden racing dinghy.

On Tue, 26 Dec 2006 18:17:24 +0000, Ian Malcolm
wrote:

If you are goint to take this to a new thread I suggest dropping r.b.b
and *possibly* r.b.c due to the extremely technical content and tenuous
connection with boating.

I disagree with that advice.

There are *many* of us doing serious cruising and looking for ways to
enhance our internet WiFi connectivity. Skip is well into the
advanced course with what he is trying to do, and I for one follow his
networking adventures with great interest.

I think your recommendation to try and connect without the Vonage
router is a good suggestion towards isolating the problem.

Hi, Ian, and group(s),

Would that it did - My reaction comes from merely typing in the URL
(the way I usually reach the bridge to configure it) in nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn
format, whereupon the pay site(s? - I've not been in an area with more
than one at the moment, though the readout shows many presumed pay
sites as well, some of which have more strength, but not as good a
communications level)) redirects to their signin page.



If no DNS lookup is being done, there should be absolutely NO
oppertunity for a redirect. Its possible that the router you have put
in between your LAN and the bridge is causing this behaviour. You
*might* need to set up a static route.

The Bridge has a static IP (which I set to be outside the usual use
range so as to avoid IP conflicts) - and the Vonage unit IP can't be
changed - but, like the Bridge, the DLink can be set to whatever I
want, also static. I have used it in DHCP, though, so it will get me
on the air - and that on-the-air signal is what Vonage uses to find the
MAC address to connect me to the phone grid...


Another possibility is you have one of the many varieties of 'search
assistant' or internet 'booster' malware on your PC that is trying to
reach its homepage and is therefore triggering the wireless ISP login
redirect. A full scan with a number of different spyware and virus
scanners is probably a good idea at this point.

That's possible, but highly unlikely, as I have more than one current,
up to date, tool which checks weekly, and also notifies me of any
attempt to intrude (very few) or insert malware (even fewer). Full
virus and malware scans are done weekly. Oversight (active scanning)
is on full time.


Do you ever get this redirection when trying to access the Router config
page?

No. My router is easily accessible through my AP, which is set to the
198.162.(whatever the router uses).xxx class

Further, we are now at the point where only a direct connection (NIC)
will allow any communication with the top of the mast or beyond.

We briefly had connectivity to the Vonage router by going to a DLink
DI-614 (ancient tech, left over from my landside home) router WAN port
with the bridge, and putting the Vonage unit on one of the LAN ports.
I connected to the DLink over wifi and was able to interrogate it and
the Vonage unit.

For whatever reasons, those abilities (vonage and bridge - I can still
look at and configure the DLink) have gone away. Worse, and supportive
of the thought that either the Senao is simply junk, or perhaps, also,
just unsuited to the purpose, direct (over either configured NIC for
setting up the bridge, or DHCP NIC for access to the internet)
connection is currently the only way I can communicate.

That's not acceptable to me, but it does, at least, after lots of
fiddling, as the Senao unit is becoming slow to respond in the main
Beacon page (there are more than one; I can connect to lesser strength
ones and get a login page more readily than the close, very high [100%
link, 89% signal] one which got me started down this road) I've been
using, allow me to be on the air, as it's how I'm posting this...

Thus, as mentioned elsewhere, I'm ready to replace it; finding a
lightly amplified client bridge's - with my specification about how one
connects - challenges have been described in other responses.

About to take all the yard folks out for a sail today in reward for all
the assistance they've rendered in the past; 85, mostly sunny, 2-3
chop, 10-15S should make for a glorious trip to nowhere (we're coming
back!) :{))

L8R

Skip

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