This thread is a follow on from a similarly named thread which was hijacked into a discussion on multi router networks at post #17.

I have a couple of Vista systems that persistently lose wifi connection. I believe its a Vista/HH problem; our apple mac, ipodtouches, XP host and PS3 can all connect. I have one Vista machine which seems to be OK. My home hub is one of the black ones, with software version 4.7.5.1.83 (Type B). I use a variety of anti-virus products on the Vista machines, Norton, Kaspersky and AVG.

My usual remedy has been to reboot the hub, but recent behaviour is that my work vista machine can't hold the address for long enough to do any work, so I need a better answer.

The previous thread said, I have a problem with Vista & HH,  which was confirmed, and documented as occurring on a netgear router as well. A discussion occurred on the efficacy of turning off the wifi broadcast. The relevance of an observed failure of Vista to connect to a wifi printer was discussed together with the quality of Microsoft and BT's software engineering capability. Didn't BT outsource the BT HH appliance OS?

In post #9 Flanker reports that he has assigned a fixed IP address to his Vista machine, sadly, he is the netgear user. In post #10, Bramshott discusses the non-ubiquity of the problem. i.e. he has one of several Vista boxes that won't connect. Flanker confirms that he can get it to work with one machine and not another and documents his anti-virus solution. Bramshott suggests it might be to do with suspend/resume. Flanker gives up and installs W7, Bramshot suggest he might too as a previously reliable laptop begins to struggle.

At this point the thread is hijacked.

My research prior to writing this thread which I have documented at my bliki, includes finding Jarviser's advice to check the driver software versions and discussions around the Microsoft Page discussing Vista's DHCP. There is a Vista feature which requires that the router i.e. dhcp server supports the DHCP BROADCAST flag. The Microsoft Page shows how to check if the flag is set, it also documents the registry location that holds the flag. One of my failing systems has this flag set to 1, i.e. on ( I think, its not easy to identify the wifi nic entry in the registry, they're all ID's by stupid multi-byte serials, and don't seem to have the user/admin allocated name stored. (I should check the other Vista machines to discover their flag settings)).

Finding anyone at BT who will talk to you about their product is difficult, I have contacted http://twitter.com/btcare, who suggest firstly that I change the wifi channel. I am not hopeful that this is the answer; I am not on the default, (I don't think, need to check this.) and all the non-Vista technology works.

The previous thread implied that setting the laptops to have dynamic but fixed addresses might fix the problem. NB In my language, addresses can be static, i,e, set on the laptop, but I haven't made this work with the BT HH, i.e. I have failed to make this work on the BT HH. I have made this work with a netgear router. They can by dynamic but fixed, i.e. allocated by the dhcp server, which will always allocate the address to the same system. I use this for my desktops and the household server, or truly dynamic, which means a system may have any one of a bunch of addresses in the dhcp pool, which I use for all laptops & appliances i.e. 'touch and console. I mention this because confusion between static, a computer configuration and fixed, the router configuration is easy to find.

So the question,

Is there a Vista specific problem?
Shall I change the channel, and risk having my Wife's Vista laptop fail?
Has anyone configured their Vista laptops as dynamic address clients?
Shall I continue to explore the Microsoft documented Vista feature?
Has anyone has this problem and made it go away?

Please do not hijack this thread, if you want to talk about something else start a thread of your own.

Sorry for the length of the post, hope it makes sense

I was on 11, I have taken your & #btcare's advice and changed it. I have decided to use channel 3. I'll report my success or failure later, hopefully today.

Do you have a source for the Vista problem's with wifi that you mention?

Please could you tell me, what are the region limits?

All three Vista machines seem much happier as is the PS/3. I am gobsmacked  Its early days but we'll see.

@JM Please can you document the science by answering my questions, about where the vista feature is documented and about regional limits. I used previously channel 11, I had inherited it from my previous router, a linksys.  Without knowing why this works I feel like its the equivilant of turning the box on and off.

OK, so the Vista thing is anecdotal, that's fair enough...its why we use and have forums.

Which channels are regionally approved? Which one's arn't? What is the agreement and which body promulgates it?

I havn't a clue about any of this.

This thread now has a short URL, http://is.gd/5Jvxb

The test period is atypical i.e. the holiday period, but this means one extra laptop in the house and extra playstation use.  I have no idea about the usage by my neighbours and thus their wifi systems. Connectivity is better. Thanks to all 

Dave Levy wrote on Jan 21^st, 2010 at 2:15pm:


Commenting on this part only, the HH issues addresses under DHCP in numeric order starting from.64 up to .237 as devices boot up and connect (unless fixed using the 'always use this address' option).  The DHCP doesn't know about static addresses in that range, so it can try to assign the same address under DHCP to a second device.  It is best to use static adresses well up the range so it is unlikely that there are ever enough devices connected for the hub to ever reach that address under DHCP.

Are you au fait with the Vista's event log?

If so, I'd have a nose there at the exact (PC) time it dropped connection and see if there are some issues getting logged.  You *might* just find something to match - a software entry, network event etc.

So I have been on the road, and despite my various experiences I have ordered another BT Broadband line, and now have another Home Hub, which has just barfed my works Laptop, which is a Dell E4x00 running Vista.

Event Viewer:

Error: The IP address lease 192.168.0.120 for the network card with networkaddress xxxxxxxxxx has been denied by the DHCP server 192.168.1.254 (The DHCP Server sent a DHCPNACK message).

Is this a DHCP knackered code? 

So interestingly different sub net codes, earlier today I have been at work, some where else, and then back at work, I then returned to my flat where my home hub's dhcp server has mucked me up.

Any more ideas?

BTW, this is the same computer, but a different hub from my earlier contributions.

My Apple Mac and Google Phone connect just fine, I am about to try a windows reboot, I have already rebooted the hub.

NB: I came home, and opened the Laptop, it connected fine and worked for about half an hour before barfing. Windows reboot reconnected OK.

When working 'at work', I am connected with a wire using the LAN driver, while at home and elsewhere I am using wifi.

I have had a torrid evening and configured my Linksys at the location the last two posts referred to. I shall continue to report my progress and failure at my other home (don't ask  ) on this thread and continue to ask for your help.

I shall post my Linksys findings in another thread. Hope its not deleted or locked for irrelevance. 

At http://is.gd/9ZhMH, which takes you to a thread on these forums