broadband wireless routing problem - "we have a technical"

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dHarry

Well-known member
I'm failing to connect a laptop to DSL broadband via wireless router at home - the setup is:

DSL modem ---ethernet---> desktop pc [broadband connection works fine]
DSL modem ---ethernet---> linksys wireless router [seems to be working: wlan & internet lights are on]
linksys wireless router ---fresh air---> laptop [connection works fine]

The problem: 192.168.1.1 connects up from laptop to router & I enter in same PPPoE user/password etc. settings as my pc - but when I try to connect to the web, I get a "PPPoE cannot obtain IP adress. Cannot connect to internet." message.

Any ideas about what I might be doing wrong? TIA ;)
 
E

Edward

+
Is it a brand new router out of the box?

If not, you might have security settings turned on such as only connecting to computers on a list already stored.

First thing to try is to reset the router from the control panel you get from 192....

My wireless router does what yours is doing about once every two months, a quick reset and waiting 5 minutes usually cures it...
 
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dHarry

Well-known member
cheers for that - it's brand new, but I was stupidly fiddling about with its settings from the desktop pc before I realised I should be doing this from the laptop I was actually trying to connect :eek: I tried a reset with the physical "reset" button on the back of it though - should this have reset it? And you have to wait a full 5 mins?
 
E

Edward

+
I'm sorry I can't think of other things other than obvious stuff that will just patronise you (like look at the online help.....)

I just thought you might have the exact same problem as mine.


Hope you get it working.
 
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dHarry

Well-known member
I thought it might be something obviously stupid that I was doing (still might be) - cheers anyway :)
 
polymorphic

polymorphic

Spatt Mendlove
maybe DHCP isn't setup to correctly assign an IP address to the laptop ?

Should be doing this by default i'd imagine but if you've been tweaking things...

If your on windows take a look at what the 'ipconfig' command outputs (start -> run -> type 'cmd', hit enter -> type 'ipconfig' in the msdos window, hit enter). You should see that the laptop has been assigned an IP address by the router..

If your on linux / osx then 'ifconfig' should do the same from their respective shells.

Hopefully this at least give you the right terminology to investigate further.. :)
 
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dHarry

Well-known member
Thanks polymorphic, I'll try that. Although I did a factory reset on the wireless router post-tweaking, which you'd imagine would do the right thing by default, and given that it's communicating successfully with the laptop.

I'm thinking it's a DSL modem setting - despite all relevent lights being on, when I tell the router to "connect to internet", nothing flashes on the modem to imply communication.
 
B

bassnation

the abyss
dHarry said:
I'm failing to connect a laptop to DSL broadband via wireless router at home - the setup is:

DSL modem ---ethernet---> desktop pc [broadband connection works fine]
DSL modem ---ethernet---> linksys wireless router [seems to be working: wlan & internet lights are on]
linksys wireless router ---fresh air---> laptop [connection works fine]

The problem: 192.168.1.1 connects up from laptop to router & I enter in same PPPoE user/password etc. settings as my pc - but when I try to connect to the web, I get a "PPPoE cannot obtain IP adress. Cannot connect to internet." message.

Any ideas about what I might be doing wrong? TIA ;)
Click to expand...

ok, this might be a totally daft suggestion, but most dsl modems also do ip routing too - its not possible that both the wireless router and modem might be attempting to do dhcp and routing is it? i've got one box here that does both and its a relatively simple set up. just a thought, sorry if its not helpful.
 
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dHarry

Well-known member
bassnation said:
ok, this might be a totally daft suggestion, but most dsl modems also do ip routing too - its not possible that both the wireless router and modem might be attempting to do dhcp and routing is it? i've got one box here that does both and its a relatively simple set up. just a thought, sorry if its not helpful.
Click to expand...
This seems all too possible (not at home right now to check); if so what's the solution - switch off DHCP/IP routing on one or other of them? The Linksys Wireless router has a setup CD which talks to the router and I presumed would have set all that stuff correctly, but maybe not...

*researches on web*

Further research implies that maybe I should switch the DSL modem to bridge mode and then connect both the PC (via ethernet) and laptop (wireless) from the wireless router...?

Or maybe it's time to call dreaded tech support ("your call is important to us, so please hold while the next available operator...").

thanks for the help!
 
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dHarry

Well-known member
all working, thanks all!

I switched the DSL modem to bridge mode and then connected both the PC (via ethernet) and laptop (via wireless) from the wireless router :)
 
Leo

Leo

Well-known member
i've realized at times -- most recently, this morning -- that i'm just technology challenged enough to be entirely at the mercy of my wireless (airport). i never know what to do when it goes down, i always forget if i should reboot everything and if so, the order for turning things on/off, i never recall my wireless passwords and have to search through scraps of paper in my desk draws, and WTF is a DNS number and since when do i need to remember it? so on those days when the rowdy cats run by and knock the airport out of the socket, i'm helplessly cut off from the outside world and feel very feeble.

and then, as happened today, airport manages to self-diagnos and repair the connection, and i'm back online, none the wiser.
 
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