Resolved Dell WLAN cannot connect with static IP

I have a local car dealer that purchased 5 Dell Latitude D630 Core 2 RAM 2 GB - 802.11g - Win 7 Pro 32-bit OS.


Two laptops have the "Intel(r) Pro /Wireless 3945abg network card and 3 have the Dell Wireless 1390 WLAN Mini-Card



He has 2 networks in the dealership

• One for customers to use which is secure - it is set to DHCP - WPA2-Personal
• One for the dealership - it is set to Hidden and uses Static IP addresses - WPA2 Personal
  

All 5 machines can connect to the customers network using the network key. I also had them in my office and they all connected to my network which is WPA2 as well



The 2 with the Intel cards can connect to his dealership network employing the static IP without problem.


The 3 machines with the Dell Mini-Card cannot connect to the dealer network using the static IP.


All machines are set as follows

• Connect automatically when this network is in range
• Connect to a more preferred network if available
• Connect even if the network is not broadcasting its name (SSID)

Are there any network gurus out there that can give me an idea on what to pursue next here?


Thanks

 

Try n set the dealership network from hidden to broadcast - If they then connect,
guess you found a difference in cards n drivers.

 

thanks, never thought of such a simple idea
will give it a try when they reopen

 

They were former XP factory refurb machines with a with a Win7 upgrade. They are using the Windows wireless utility

 

After several weeks of them trying I was about to suggest I replace the Dell cards with Intel cards when I received this message from the dealership's manager on Friday morning:

Thanks for everyone's input