AT&T Installer Or Equip Messes Up-What Can My ister Do?

[PS85]

My sister in another state is a complete novice on the computer. She had an old Dell laptop, (Vista), which she got around the internet on relatively easy. It finally gave out. I bought her an HP laptop, (Windows 8), about 3 years ago.

The problem is AT&T or their equipment. When they first became available in her development, they sent somebody to put something in her house, I think it's a wireless router, and I hadn't bought my sister her new HP laptop yet so she got an Apple tablet. The AT&T setup worked for the tablet, although she can do only limited stuff on it due to lack of computer knowledge.

The HP laptop simply will not get on the internet with the AT&T setup.My sister has called up and tried, in her nontechnical way, to use AT&T help to get on with the Windows 8 HP but it was a no go. The AT&T technician on the phone "informed" her that as long as the setup worked on one wireless device in the house, (the tablet), AT&T has fulfilled their end of the bargain and it must be the HP laptop.

A friend next door sent her cousin to look at it, and he said the computer will not hook up with the router. She took the computer back to Best Buy, where I bought it and had it delivered to her, and Best Buy said the wireless worked. She took it to an AT&T store, it worked in the store. She took it to her local library, it worked on the wireless system there. She brought it to my house, and it worked on my wireless setup. This has been going on for 3 years.

I think it's obvious that AT&T stuck my sister with a router that will not work with my sister's HP, and it's their equipment that is at fault. By now, they probably have a different router for their customers. I am thinking of telling them they are obligated to not only give her a new router and send someone to set it up for free, but being as their equipment fault prevented her from using her Windows machine with which she can do more with than her Apple tablet she ought to have some sort of discounts or free time coming from AT&T to make it up.

Am I wrong in assuming this? If I'm not, what would be the best way to go about telling them my sister's position-she's visiting for one more day. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[VirtualLarry]

LOL at expecting AT&T to provide remuneration or discounts, for a PEBKAC problem.

If the laptop works everywhere else, but home, but the tablet does work, then probably there's some sort of incompatibility with the laptop.

Either a configuration setting amiss on the router or laptop, or you need to "update your (wireless) drivers" on the laptop. (That can often do wonders for compatibility issues.)

How have you attempted to fix the issue?

I mean, you could ask for another router, but that would be the extent of AT&T's obligations.

 

[VirtualLarry]

This has been going on for 3 years.

And you're too cheap to spend $20-30 on a newer USB Wifi dongle? Or update the drivers? Stop whining about AT&T and use your noggin and do something about the problem.

Edit: I currently recommend the "AUKEY AC1750 USB3.0" dongles on ebay for $15 from various vendors. I've got one in this box. They work fine, don't seem to overheat, and are cheap for their decent performance.

 

[VirtualLarry]

If you don't want to use an outboard USB Wifi dongle (the most straightforward and easy solution), then find out the hardware mfg of your laptop's internal Wifi card.

You can do that by going to Device Manager, and under Network Devices, find the Wifi device, right-click, Properties, click Details, look at the "Device Description". If that doesn't help, click on the drop-down and select "Hardware IDs". You can then use the codes that they give you, and do a web search for those DEV / VEN strings, and you should find some drivers, or at least the mfg.

Once you know who made it, and what DEV/VEN it is, you can go looking for driver downloads for it, for updates.

Also, things to check on the router and your laptop, is whether or not the SSID is broadcast, and what type of encryption it uses. ("WPA2-PSK (AES)" is best for security. "WPA/WPA2-PSK(TKIP)" is more compatible, I have to use this on my router to work with my printer, that doesn't support WPA2-PSK(AES) mode, I think.)

Make sure, too, that there isn't a "Wifi disable" physical switch on the router.

 

[kevnich2]

She needs to try hooking up the laptop directly to whatever device ATT installed with a network cable and see how things go. Telling ATT they're obligated to provide anything is laughable at best. ATT can see if they're device is on and operating normally, that's the extent of what they're obligated to provide. You or your sister not having the knowledge to connect a laptop to the service is your issue.

ATT may provide a premium support service that your sister can pay extra for that may provide support for individual devices but most companies stopped providing that type of service a while ago. Have her connect a network cable from the laptop to the att device or plan on paying a network tech to come out to her place and look at things. Expect to pay between $75 and $150/hour depending on the tech for in home service.

 

[PS85]

I was in no position to do anything as until ten days ago. We haven't visited each other in over 3 years, we are over 1,000 miles from each other. She just visited and brought her computer. As far a a PEBKAK problem, her next door neighbor had a computer knowledgeable friend come over and take a look, and the guy said there was a problem with the modem hooking up to this computer, so it might not be her lack of knowledge that is the problem. I don't know if she had to pay to have the AT&T installer come over for the first install or not, but he pronounced it ready to hook up. I feel if AT&T's modem can't hook up with a normal, new computer from a major manufacturer that has no trouble hooking up to everyone else's modem, including the one in my house, the public library's, retail stores', etc, it's up to AT&T to make good on it at no extra expense to my sister.

As far as remunerations go, I had a different issue with a different DSL company and they gave a special intro lower rate and two free months. I don't know that AT&T will do such, but I'll tell my sister it's worth a try. There is competition in this field, it might happen. At any rate, I'll tell my sister to give AT&T a buzz and see if she can get a different model modem sent to her. As far as I'm concerned if she has difficulty putting it in, AT&T should send someone out for free, being as the last install they did delivered a modem that does not work with what should be her main computer. A computer that has no trouble immediately hooking up with any other router.

AS regards the dongle, it's a good piece of advice and if my sister can't get a new modem that works with her computer for free out of AT&T, she will decide if she wants to go dongle or simply get a new carrier.

 

[VirtualLarry]

or simply get a new carrier.

That really seems like a killing a fly with a sledgehammer approach to the current problem.

How old is this laptop in question? You said Windows 8? Have you updated to 8.1 yet? How about Windows 10?

Did it ever occur to ask the laptop's mfg, when it was new, to help you get connected to AT&T's router? Why is this all AT&T's fault, and not HP's (or Dell, or whomever)?

I will say this, when I got my Mom connected to Verizon, she had a laptop, and when they upgraded her router or router's firmware, I forget, it stopped connecting to the VZ router.

Her laptop ran Vista SP1, and around that time, Microsoft changed the DHCPDISCOVER packet contents that it sent out when it went to look for an IP address, and some routers had firmware updates to support "Vista-compatible" PCs, and some didn't.

My Windows 7-based laptop had no issues with her VZ router.

In the end, I purchased and installed a cheap generic N150 Wifi dongle, and it worked fine for her.

Yes, it was slightly unsightly, but... it worked. Which is the important thing.

 

[PS85]

She needs to try hooking up the laptop directly to whatever device ATT installed with a network cable and see how things go.

I asked her how if she had tried that, and she said she couldn't remember. As her call to the AT&T tech happened about 3 years ago, I think I remember her saying the ethernet connection did work, but I'm not sure. I suppose a standalone router connected to AT&T's modem might be an option, if she wants to spend the money for it.

 

[PS85]

That really seems like a killing a fly with a sledgehammer approach to the current problem.

How old is this laptop in question? You said Windows 8? Have you updated to 8.1 yet? How about Windows 10?

Bought it for her as a present 3 years ago at Best Buy when she got her AT&T connection and didn't want to admit her old Dell 15 inch Vista laptop had given up the ghost. They had it shipped directly to her house. She never got it connected to the internet, (except possibly by Ethernet cable during a phone call to AT&T helpline, if I recall correctly), during all this time. She did better with dialup during her old Dell's heyday than with the tablet online-she could do more things. I believe the HP came with Windows 8.1, if I correctly remember. She never upgraded to Windows 10.

I really do think she should call and request a different model modem/router than the one she got-AT&T probably has changed it anyway by now,

 

[VirtualLarry]

Bought it for her as a present 3 years ago at Best Buy when she got her AT&T connection... She never got it connected to the internet, ... during all this time.

I really do think she should call and request a different model modem/router than the one she got-AT&T probably has changed it anyway by now,

Sure, the technology has probably changed since then, and I would certainly suggest asking AT&T nicely to supply a newer Gateway device.

But regarding the laptop, why not have Geek Squad come over and configure your router and laptop to work with each other? I think that they get around $200 to set something like that up.

I mean, I'm not trying to suggest that you have to be "made of money", only that there WERE and ARE options for you and your sister. Persisting with the current situation and not fixing it, is basically the definition of insanity - "Doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results".

Edit: I mean, it's not impossible that that particular AT&T router model was incompatible with that particular laptop. But such things are generally rare, or rarely serious. For example, consider setting the router to 802.11g mode, or trying out a secondary AP (Access Point) config with a store-bought router, plugged (wired ethernet) into the AT&T router. There's really so many solutions here, none of which would have required suffering without internet (on the laptop in question) for 3 years.