Home networking router/splitter

[Jimmy Stang]

^ Gotcha. I thought that maybe he just joined the whole thing together like an electrical wire. (Insert angry fist pump at Shaw).

Other than swapping the cord (which you'll try tonight) and power-cycling everything again, I'm not sure what to suggest next.

[fundmark19]

I am hoping I bought the extended warranty on it like I usually do with memory express so if worst case I can just go swap it out for a new one
***Another question since it is the ip address that doesn't seem to be passed on would that be the switch not doing it properly or router?****

[Jimmy Stang]

If the device can't communicate to the router, it won't get an IP. So it could be a bummed cable or switch in between that prevents it from communicating with the router. Since a direct connection to the router works, it would appear that the router is acting as it should.

Switches (most switches, anyway) don't really do any thinking for themselves. They just send traffic to where the router and devices tell it to. You can get smart switches that allow you to change some settings to prioritize settings, log info, etc. but the one that you have isn't one of these. Yours (I have the same one here at work) is just a regular one.

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by fundmark19

Yes all lights indicate that it is accepting signal through the switch. The marrete is on each individual strand of the ethernet not just one for the whole thing. It is not part of this equation anyways it is one of the cables going from switch to a bedroom.(also still works when plugged into router I was shocked)

I will try a different cord when I get home

I would literally gut an installer that cut my networking cable and tried to put it together with marettes. The only time you should ever try to splice cables together you should be using a punch block or at the very least terminate both ends and put in a coupler. The safe bet is always to replace the entire cable.

Get them to replace the cable, even if it still works, because that is complete bull.

[fundmark19]

But remember "shaw didn't and wouldn't touch my cables" I even got passed on to a manager it is a real pain in the butt. Luckily it was just near the end of the cable that was spliced so its no big deal to just cut it and re crimp an end in the future. Now I know to not let these installers come when I am not home because the fiance has no idea what is right or wrong. What I don't get is why they even cut it to begin with? The one that they did it to goes to one of the spare rooms where the phone would obviously not be installed. If I get bored later I will post a picture to show

[fundmark19]

Ok so something weird happened when I went home I tried splitter didn't work I then put a new ethernet cord in and it started to work. I then unplugged the new cord and put the old one back in and now the old one is working just fine. So problem is solved. Thanks for everyones help in the matter!

[BloodFetish]

Originally Posted by fundmark19

Ok so something weird happened when I went home I tried splitter didn't work I then put a new ethernet cord in and it started to work. I then unplugged the new cord and put the old one back in and now the old one is working just fine. So problem is solved. Thanks for everyones help in the matter!

Bad connection on the port you're using to uplink to the router? If you wiggle the cable does the link light turn off and on?

Glad it's working!

[IgiTang]

I didnt want to start a new thread but im hoping someone can give me some advice on how to tweak my router and net connections on 3 machines.

I have my Laptop, my roomates Macbook on wireless and then I have my ps3 hardwired to a Dir-615 router.

My roomates connection gets 57%+ of the wireless connection while my laptop is closest and gets less priority.

The part that really boggles my mind is the fact that when im playing on my ps3 that is actually connected via ethernet cable, the ps3 gets disconnected from the net. WTF? How is the wireless signal so much stronger that it actually disconnects a device that is connected? Is there a setting or something I can do to set a list of priorities for the connections on the router?

Please help.

[sclitheroe]

Originally Posted by IgiTang

I didnt want to start a new thread but im hoping someone can give me some advice on how to tweak my router and net connections on 3 machines.

I have my Laptop, my roomates Macbook on wireless and then I have my ps3 hardwired to a Dir-615 router.

My roomates connection gets 57%+ of the wireless connection while my laptop is closest and gets less priority.

The part that really boggles my mind is the fact that when im playing on my ps3 that is actually connected via ethernet cable, the ps3 gets disconnected from the net. WTF? How is the wireless signal so much stronger that it actually disconnects a device that is connected? Is there a setting or something I can do to set a list of priorities for the connections on the router?

Please help.

- the signal strength has nothing to do with priority or percentage of traffic. I assume this is what you’re talking about, since you discuss how close you are to the router as the basis for this number

- its unlikely that the PS3 would drop off the internet due to heavy wifi usage, or at least, it shouldn’t on a properly functioning router.

The DIR-615 is a fairly low end router, and googling for DIR-615 dropped connection yields like a quarter million results in google. I wouldn’t be suprised if the router is flaky and is rebooting under heavy load, I’ve seen many routers demonstrate this behavior.

I would pick up a cheap router from just about anywhere, set it up and use it in place of the DIR-615, and see if that helps.

[Mccree]

Not sure if this is the right place to post this but I need the help of the CP brain trust

I have purchased the WDTV live a few weeks ago. I am trying to hook this bad boy up to my wireless network. I purchased this USB thingy which is on the list as a USB drive that will work.

I also have the dir-655 router.

When I plug in USB thingy to the WDTV USB port it does detect the network I want to use, I enter in the password and it accepts it.

I then try to configure the network connection (I use automatic as I am not a network guy) and I get an error message that there is no network connection or the signal is too low to acquire an IP address.

All my other devices (PSP, PS3, netbook, iMac, my buddies iphone ) connect no problem but I cannot get the WDTV to connect.

Any thoughts? Do I need to due anything with the router?

[Rathji]

^

I don't have a WDTV so I can be sure.

Try googling (or posting here) the exact error message, including any error codes it might list.

Other than that, check your network settings (Encryption type and Authentication) and try entering them manually. To find out your settings either log in to your router (probably 192.168.0.1 in your browser) and look for wireless security settings. if you can't find them then maybe install the firmware to use widgets - http://www.dlink.com/widgets which will give you the information.

[CKPThunder]

bump.

My router and access point have died or are about to die. I am looking for suggestions for a good replacement.

Our home is completely wired up and all the ethernet cables are terminated in the furnace room in the basement. I have an old D-link router (no wireless) and a switch in the cabinet that feeds the rooms that need connectivity. I have a separate wireless access point in the basement where my office computer is and this adequately covered the house but we have noticed lately that the coverage is getting weaker and weaker and finally the AP died.

Since I have only seen router/AP combo's now, I figure this is going to severely hamper our wireless coverage when I install a new router in our furnace room since it's housed in a metal cabinet under some ducts and in between the furnace and a concerete wall. I figure the coverage may be adequate for the basement but won't be good enough for the rest of the house.

So here's my question. If I purchase a 2nd router, can I turn off the routing feature and have it run strictly as an AP? Which router would you recommend? I am going to start from scratch and get two routers of the same brand just to eliminate an quirky compatibility issues I may or may not encounter.

In the end, I would like to have a strong and stable wireless coverage throughout the hosue since that is what my wife requires. I hardly use our wireless network but she uses it constantly for skype, streaming video's from various locations to just simple surfing.

I am not tied to any vendor and even in our home we are about a 50/50 split in terms of Apple and PC products. Something simple to setup and configure that I really won't have to play around with other than a few updates every few months. Is there something like that out there?

[Rathji]

Most recent home routers I have dealt with have access point mode.

[Jimmy Stang]

^ I have a non-wireless router in the basement that works really well. It is a Linksys RV-042 and although it is a bit pricier, I was comfortable with it as it was what we had at work and I wanted the VPN setup to be as painless as possible.

My house is also wired with ethernet throughout. For wireless, I have a couple of old access points that tie into the same network and work great. Some cheap wireless routers will let you run them in AP mode, but I'm not sure which ones. In many cases, as you have mentioned, a wireless AP is wasted in the furnace room.

One thing that you may want to consider, and take this as someone who definitely isn't an Apple fanboy (I own only PC computers), but the Airport Express is a great little wireless bridge/access point. For about $100, you can plug it into one of your ethernet ports somewhere in the house and get some decent wireless coverage. Add in the ability to stream music to it, and you've got a pretty good deal. It also has a USB port so you can plug a printer into it (but I haven't done this).

The clincher for the Airport Express is that it is compact, self contained, and works great for travelling. If your hotel has ethernet, it bridges that connection so you can have your own secure access point in your hotel room. Faster and more secure than hotel wifi, and you don't have to be tied to the ethernet cable.

The Airport Express is my wildcard bridge. When I'm travelling, it comes with me. When I'm not, I plug it into my network and then use it on my main stereo to stream music to. In the process, it also makes my wireless network more thorough by extending the coverage.

[CKPThunder]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Stang

^ I have a non-wireless router in the basement that works really well. It is a Linksys RV-042 and although it is a bit pricier, I was comfortable with it as it was what we had at work and I wanted the VPN setup to be as painless as possible.

My house is also wired with ethernet throughout. For wireless, I have a couple of old access points that tie into the same network and work great. Some cheap wireless routers will let you run them in AP mode, but I'm not sure which ones. In many cases, as you have mentioned, a wireless AP is wasted in the furnace room.

One thing that you may want to consider, and take this as someone who definitely isn't an Apple fanboy (I own only PC computers), but the Airport Express is a great little wireless bridge/access point. For about $100, you can plug it into one of your ethernet ports somewhere in the house and get some decent wireless coverage. Add in the ability to stream music to it, and you've got a pretty good deal. It also has a USB port so you can plug a printer into it (but I haven't done this).

The clincher for the Airport Express is that it is compact, self contained, and works great for travelling. If your hotel has ethernet, it bridges that connection so you can have your own secure access point in your hotel room. Faster and more secure than hotel wifi, and you don't have to be tied to the ethernet cable.

The Airport Express is my wildcard bridge. When I'm travelling, it comes with me. When I'm not, I plug it into my network and then use it on my main stereo to stream music to. In the process, it also makes my wireless network more thorough by extending the coverage.

Does Linksys/Cisco have a non-wireless router without the VPN but with gigabit ports?

How good is the coverage with the Airport Express? I looked at them and I couldn't decide if it would cover enough area to satisfy out requirements. The flexibility of it sounds great but I am curious to know how good the range is.