Location for this network repair service call: Chicago – Lakeview, near Clark & Addison.

Sorin contacted A+ Service Computers from service request page of our website.

My laptop indicates a very good connection to my wireless router; however, I keep on getting error messages when I try to open Internet windows. I tried a number of things, but I can’t get it to work.

His laptop had an Atheros wireless network card, which didn’t have a very user friendly setup program. It supported WEP, but it was named “PSK” (from Pre-Shared Key). I set up the wireless network connection with a 128 bits WEP key, a standard supported by the network card and router, and the computer connected and got an IP address.

But the Internet connection still wasn’t working. The router was reachable, but anything else was not. I checked the cabling and everything was alright. Also, the laptop had Internet if connected directly into the SBC DSL modem.

The second problem lied in the Zyxel router settings. In the WAN setting (what a cryptic name for un-initiated users) the connection method was PPPoE. I selected DHCP and it worked!

The problem lied mainly in the cryptic settings and acronyms that the both Atheros card and Zyxel router used: for example, in the “WAN settings”, the user could select from: PPPoE, DHCP, PPPTP and L2TP. What does a normal user know about this networking standards?

Not to mention the funny English that the Zyxel router displayed. After I changed some settings, it said “Change setting successful!” ... from the All your base are belong to us fame ;)

Anyway, Sorin made a good choice by calling A+ Computer Services: he does not need to know what PPPoE and DHCP stand for, he’s got good Chicago computer specialists that know that for him, his Internet connection just works and he knows that he can count us for computer help. Isn’t this a happy ending?