windows home server and wireless

[Guest jthor]

I've installed an eval copy of Windows Home Server, primarily for backing up the various PCs and laptops around the house (all running XP home, SP2). While my wireless router does okay, the WHS doesn't seem to find the signal strong enough to reliably back everything up, with the server in the basement and the router on third floor (result is partially completed backups). I've recently added a wireless access point (TrendNet TEW-637AP) on 1st floor which appears to provide a good signal on all floors not maxed already by the router. Both the router and AP are encrypted with WPA-PSK (TKIP), different passcodes, with the AP getting its IP address from the router (DHCP) vs. my assigning a static IP. Unfortunately, WHS will not connect to the AP. It does connect ("very low signal") to the 3rd floor router and a different PC right next to the WHS server easily connects to the AP.

Anyone have a) any ideas why WHS won't connect (essentially the same wireless cards - D-Links - in each of the basement PCs) and B) what I might try to enable the WHS box to grab and hold the AP's signal? It does show up on the list when I look for wireless signals in range (with all 5 bars lit, too, vs. the connectable router which shows 1 - 2 bars of signal strength), but after a few dozen seconds of "acquiring IP address", it reports no connection.

Thanks for any suggestions,

JT

[Tripredacus]

Windows Home Server is actually based on Server 2003, not 2008.

On your other computers, When you go to view the available wireless networks, does it only show the router? How does your other computers react to the access point? Can they connect to it wirelessly and have full network access? Have you confirmed that both the router and AP are running on different channels? Have you also made sure the AP is not near any interfering devices?

Edited November 20, 2008 by Tripredacus

[Guest jthor]

Sorry if I mis-posted, but I couldn't find a WHS forum and wasn't sure if posting in the XP forum was appropriate. Thanks for the questions. In response, other computers with wireless capability all show both the router and AP (plus neighbors' routers) and are able to connect wirelessly and have full network access. At this point in time, both the router and AP are running on different channels, though I can't swear that was true earlier (didn't think to look). As for interfering devices, my evidence for their absence is that both another desktop right next to it and a laptop I dragged down and put next to it both seem to behave as expected.

Any additional thoughts?

Thanks again,

JT