Yet Another WiFi Question/Problem

I'm using an NEC 780 with an Orinoco gold wifi card - Agere WLAGS461 driver. I am able to connect to my secure wireless network at the workplace using a static IP address, but not DHCP. That is ok with me.

My problem is this: Due to health problems of a family member, I have to spend a lot of time at a hospital which has a public, unsecured wireless network. When I connect with my Dell laptop, it is very simple... I turn the wireless on, it recognizes the network very quickly and get signal and a DHCP address lease. The only thing I have to do to get a go to the internet is to open my IE browser and enter a valid email address into their (Cisco) authentication page. I am then able to surf at will.

When I try to connect using my 780, I am able to see the network and pick up a DHCP address, but when I open either of my browsers, IE or WorldTalk, I am unable to load the authentication page and consequently, am unable to browse the internet.

Following is the specific information:


(Cisco login page) https://1.1.1.1/login.html


Info from my WiFi adapter properties:

Network: BHGuest
Connection: Good
BS: [mac address]
Channel: 11
Encryption: No


Error messages returned by my browsers:

Worldtalk: Network error occured
IE: Unable to establish secure connection

IP info from vxUtil:

Current IP

Handheld_PC
192.168.249.22

Adapters

WLAGS46b1 - Agere Wireless Network Driver (H2)

IP Address : 0.0.0.0
Subnet Mask :
Default Gateway :
Primary DNS :
Secondary DNS :
Primary WINS :
Secondary WINS :
DHCP Server :

WLAGS461 - Agere Wireless Network Driver (H1)

IP Address : 192.168.249.22
Subnet Mask : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway : 192.168.249.10
Primary DNS : 151.164.11.201
Secondary DNS : 151.164.1.8
Primary WINS :
Secondary WINS :
DHCP Server : 1.1.1.1
Lease Obtained : Mon Apr 02 16:45:58 2007 (GMT)
Lease Expires : Tue Apr 03 16:45:58 2007 (GMT)

NE20001 - NE2000 Compatible Ethernet Driver

IP Address : 0.0.0.0
Subnet Mask :
Default Gateway :
Primary DNS :
Secondary DNS :
Primary WINS :
Secondary WINS :
DHCP Server :

ppp -

IP Address : 0.0.0.0
Subnet Mask : 0.0.0.0
Default Gateway :
Primary DNS :
Secondary DNS :
Primary WINS :
Secondary WINS :
DHCP Server :

Any idea how I can get around this issue and get connected?

Thanks,

John Rowland
HPC Newbie

well, you can try the netfront hack for mips ce 2.11 on my site. (http://izemize.fw.hu/hpc.php)
it will not run too fast on a ce 2.11 device like the 780 but maybe it'll allow you to authenticate and then you can continue surfing with PIE or worldtalk, whichever you prefer..

I often have the same problem with my Jornada 720 at hotels. Typically there is a number you can call for support. They will ask you for your IP address or MAC number. If you can get hold of someone, and give them this they will bypass the auth. screen and allow your browser to work immediately. It's worth a try. Good luck.