Tag: wireless

Wireless Connection Lost

One of the drawbacks of Surface RT is that you can’t install applications that aren’t in the Windows App Store. I primarily use my Surface at home and work, though, where I always have access to other PCs. So, when I need access to one of those non-Windows-Store apps, I just remote into a different workstation.

Using this technique, I ran into a rather frustrating issue while using Remote Desktop to connect to my laptop from my Surface at work. I usually keep the wireless adapter on my laptop enabled, which I don’t think is unusual or wrong. I also keep my laptop docked at work, meaning I have two active network connections. The problem I was running into was that my wireless connection would be lost upon connecting to my laptop using the laptop’s name (i.e., the host name resolved to the wireless adapter’s IP). This would typically result in a frozen Welcome screen, and I would be unable to reconnect.

It wasn’t a connectivity, firewall, or DNS issue, because Remote Desktop would resolve and connect right away. But then I’d be stuck, unable to reconnect except through the wired adapter’s IP address, which can’t be used since it’s dynamic. I thought I fixed this previously by connecting through the wired adapter’s IP to re-enable the wireless connection, but that appears to be only a temporary solution.

So, to recap the issue:

  • If I connected using the wired adapter’s IP address, I would have no problem.
  • If I connected using the wired adapter’s IP address, I would also see the wireless connection go away.
  • While connected through the wired adapter, I could reconnect the wireless connection, disconnect from the wired connection, reconnect through the wireless adapter, and everything would work.

Today, I think I found a good long-term solution. The secret for me was to save the credentials for the wireless connection. To do this, click the wireless connection from the Network and Sharing Center. When the properties window appears, click Advanced Settings on the Security tab. Then click Save Credentials in the advanced settings window.

WirelessProperties_SaveCredentials

Once I did that and saved my credentials, I no longer had issues connecting to Remote Desktop through the wireless adapter. Hooray!

Adam’s Favorite Things: Logitech K750 Wireless Solar Powered Keyboard

If you’re in the market for a new keyboard, I highly recommend checking out Logitech’s K750 Wireless Solar Powered Keyboard. I bought this keyboard a few months ago, and I absolutely love it!

Logitech K750
(Available at Amazon.com.)

I’d had wireless keyboards in the past and didn’t care for them because I needed to change the batteries so frequently. I definitely wasn’t looking for a wireless keyboard while I was shopping around, but I was intrigued by the idea of solar power when I stumbled upon this. There was some skepticism about how well it would work or what quantity of light would be necessary to keep it going, but I haven’t had a single issue with it. In fact, even on the day I got it, I used it in my dimly lit living room for the entire day without having to charge it.

It’s a very sexy piece of hardware, with its very low profile–similar in thickness to a smartphone–and a shiny black finish. The keys feel more like a laptop keyboard than a “normal” keyboard, so that may turn some people off. There is a light-source button you can press to have the keyboard indicate to you whether it’s getting enough light or not. It’s also important to note that it doesn’t need sunlight to charge; it will charge from any standard lamp. The range on it seems decent, too, though I have not done any sort of testing with that.

Need a keyboard? Check it out!

Wireless TV Receivers from AT&T U-verse!

I’m so excited that AT&T U-verse has come out with wireless TV receivers. I have not had cable in my upstairs bedroom for the 6 years that I’ve lived in my current home due to the fact that the wiring was not in-place. I’d been told by multiple companies that I couldn’t get cable installed up there without tearing through the walls or running a cable up the side of the building, and I haven’t been ambitious enough to do such things. I’d dream to myself–why can’t they just come up with a wireless receiver? I can stream wirelessly from my computer, so why not do the same with TV?

Well, my prayers have been answered, and I am so happy! I ordered my wireless receiver from AT&T the day after I found out that they offered it. They charged me a one-time fee of $49.99 plus $7 per month, which is the same as a second non-wireless, non-DVR HD receiver. It arrived in the mail two days later, installed in minutes, and has worked flawlessly since.

There are two pieces to the setup. A small access point that plugs directly into the U-verse home portal (or whatever they call it–the router), and the wireless receiver. When you turn them on, you pair them much like a bluetooth device. And that’s all there was to installation & setup.

Hats off to AT&T for this. I love it 🙂