cannot log in to (or even find with certainty) linksys EA9500 after turning off DHCP server

[merl]

I got a free new router from my ISP - a Huawei echolife box, so I moved my previously problem-free main router linksys EA9500 to be a secondary router (replacing a much older one), and turned off its DHCP server as per normal. It seems to work OK both wired and wifi, but the white bars on the display are flashing so I thought I would log in and see what I can see. Alas, I can't seem to log in. The interface on the Huawei is horrible so it is hard to track down there. I think I have assigned the router a fixed IP address in case that helped. I tried logging on to everything I can see from the output of `arp -a`. traceroute only shows the IP of the main router.

Is the web server is turned off when you turn off the DCHP server? I've never had this problem before...

 

[RMinNJ]

Disconnect the linksys router from everything and plug into it.. give your PC its own static IP using the IP range your recall from linksys.
Then see if the PC can connect to the Linksys's known admin IP?

 

[paulbates]

It depends on the linksys and how it's set up, but dhcp requests to the Huawei may not survive the trip through the linksys if you used its WAN port to plug into the Huawei.

I'm not 100% clear on that from your write up how things are connected (LAN vs WAN port connection) and where you are on the network attempting to access the linksys (eg back through the WAN port from the Huawei may not work either). Is the intent to use the linksys as only an access point now?

@RMinNJ suggestion is the best place to start to get to the web config, but also more info on how you've plugged it together.

 

[merl]

Thanks for the replies. Yes I guess the linksys is just an AP (with its own SSID)

Linksys is connected by LAN port to the main router. I have attempted to access (i) via linksys wifi, (ii) via cable to linksys, (iii) via main router wifi.

Once the house is quiet I'll try disconnecting it from the main router, rebooting it, and connecting via LAN....

 

[CaptainSTX]

1. Look at the bottom of your Linksys router as on many routers the MAC address is printed on the router's label.
2. Log into your Huawei router and find that MAC address of the Linksys in the connected clients list and the IP assigned to it.
3. Then using that IP connect to your Linksys.
4. To avoid having to do this again on the Linksys check the box that says to get LAN IP automatically and then on your Huawei assign your Linksys a static IP that you can remember.

 

[merl]

Ah Captain, if only it were that simple...

Here is the weirdness from the Huawei side: the router does not show up in the list of connected devices. It is working, and all its clients both wired and wifi are listed, but it does not itself have an entry. I tried statically assigning it an address, but that did not help - I still could not connect to it or even ping it.

The linksys is not visible on the output of arp -a either (I am connected to it now) unless I statically assign it an address, but then it gets listed as "incomplete".

 

[paulbates]

To me it makes sense that it's not showing up as a connected device, that all clients connect.. and there's no arp entry.... it's connected as a switch, and it's behaving as one. Connected devices are getting addresses from the Huawei. I don't think routers like the linksys would make dhcp (static or dynamic) requests for their local LAN address, that's with it's web interface.

The linksys may be confused now and need a factory reset

 

[merl]

Thanks for the reply Paul. I will probably get around to resetting it. Yes, maybe it is not unusual that there is no arp entry. But does it not seem odd that the router is not visible, given that they usually are (for the three or four others that I have had in this configuration) and can be administered via their web interface even when acting as an AP?

 

[paulbates]

Yes, I agree, that's why I thought factory reset... ... I know it's one of those cliche answers, but you've tried everything else

 

[CaptainSTX]

It isn't unusual for devices with self assigned static IPs not to show up when they have a self assigned IP. I just tested on my system and two devices showed up but three didn't.

One thing you can do is ping them from the router then run the ARP -a and you will see them listed. If you try pinging a non existent IP it will show as incomplete in the ARP listing. After pinging all five of my devices showed up in ARP -a.

Of course this isn't a quick find if you don't have a clue which section of the 254 possible IPs the Linksys router might be in.

 

[merl]

OK I think I have solved the mystery. tl;dr You must configure the linksys as "bridge mode".

I did a hard reset and reconfigured it to the way it was before, but it would not connect to the internet at all this time - the main router would not give it an IP either by static IP or DHCP. Then I noticed that there is a bridge mode which, it seems, *must* be used for an AP setup.

When I set up in bridge mode it connects as expected, and there are no flashing lights on the top of the display, and I can log in to it via its visible IP address.

Somehow when I first configured it as an AP without specifying bridge mode it was already connected before I turned off the DHCP server, so it somehow managed to stay connected but in an inconsistent state.

Now it is set up in bridge mode I can see it and log into it as usual. Ironically, all the interesting stuff (DHCP, QoS control in particular) is automatically removed from the web interface so there is no real *need* to log in any more, but at least the mystery is solved for me.

Thanks again for all the help