Wireless Network Troubleshooting: Pinpointing the Problem

If you can’t connect to the Internet, one of the first steps (after you’ve made sure everything is turned on) is to find out whether the problem is with your access point/router or with your broadband connection. Here is one way you can check to find out if your wireless connection is working:

1. Open a command prompt window by choosing Start→Run, typing cmd, and pressing Enter.

   
   



2. At the command prompt, type ipconfig and press Enter.

   
   

   You should get a display similar to this:

   
   

Ethernet adapter Wireless Network Connection:
        Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . : hsd1.ca.comcast.net)).
        IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.101
        Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
        Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1

If the display resembles this but with different numbers, you’re connected to the wireless network, and the problem most likely lies with your broadband modem.

But if the IP Address, Subnet Mask, and Default Gateway indicate 0.0.0.0 instead of valid IP addresses, you have a problem with your wireless network.

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Source:http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/wireless-network-troubleshooting-pinpointing-the-p.html