Can't get AP to connect to Internet

[MSUStevo]

Hello Everyone,

I recently purchased a Netgear WNDR3800 to achieve better connectivity with my housemate's Mac's, which it seems to do very well (gone from barely 1 bar to a solid 5 bars on both machines) and planned to use my old Belkin F5D8235-4 V2 as an AP to provide a WEP connection for my housemate's Nintendo DS (BTW - the Belkin always worked great with my HP laptop, but it doesn't seem to like Mac's and iPhones, even after recently updating the firmware)

The instructions on the SNB website made setting up an AP look easy, but I've gotten stuck at the last step. I've changed the Netgear IP pool to end at 192.168.1.249, put the Belkin into its AP mode, set its IP to 192.168.1.250 and connected it to the Netgear LAN port via one of its LAN ports. I can access the admin screens for both routers no problem, but can't get an Internet connection via the Belkin AP

Stumped in Lansing, MSUStevo

 

[thiggins]

what are the Belkin AP wireless settings and are they different from the NETGEAR's. You should be using a different channel and SSID.

 

[MSUStevo]

The Netgear and Belkin are both set to Auto channel select mode. Using the WiFi Analyzer tool I see the Netgear has picked channel 1 and the Belkin channel 11. As it happens, my neighbors networks are bunched up on the channels in between

I've created unique SSID's so my housemate can easily identify the network intended for his Nintendo. I actually have 5 SSID's, 4 for the Netgear (2.4 and 5GHz Private and Guest) and the one for the Belkin

All 4 Netgear networks are using WPA2-PSK (AES), while I have the Belkin set for WEP 128-bit so it will work with the Nintendo DS, which evidently doesn't support WPA

I have the Netgear setup for 'up to 130 Mbps' for both 2.4 and 5GHz and the Belkin set for 20MHz

Any other settings you'd like me to pass on?

 

[thiggins]

put the Belkin into its AP mode

Just noticed this. If you are using a router's specific AP mode, then follow the instructions for using it. That usually means leaving it connected via the WAN port.

 

[MSUStevo]

So far I've tried both ways

1) Using the AP mode and connecting to the WAN port as the Belkin manual suggests ... With this configuration the router home page shows the Internet as 'connected', however the blue light on the front keeps blinking and attempts to connect from my Android phone and PC fail at the acquiring an IP address phase. Connecting via a LAN port shows the Internet as 'not connected' in big red letters

2) Setting it up manually by turning the DHCP server off ... Memory a bit hazy now from last night, but I think I got the same results as above

The thing that puzzles me ... why can I access the Belkin router admin screens a OK when I'm connected to the Netgear, but can't resolve IP addresses when I try to connect via the Belkin?

BTW - The Netgear connected devices screen shows the Belkin as a wired device on address 192.168.1.250

 

[overdrive31]

Should try just disabling DHCP yourself and plug the Belkin in via one of it's LAN ports instead of using it's own AP mode setting. You would think at least one of those routers has auto crossover to support switch to switch connection. Belkin's manual describes it's AP mode as disabling both DHCP and NAT, maybe both need to be manually disabled, most routers only need DHCP turned off to function as an access point.

Another thing is, when a router is setup to be an access point, it loses all the bells and whistle features like guest SSID and wifi client isolation and such. They might look like they're working, but they will never pass IP transmissions.

 

[MSUStevo]

Ya, I forgot to turn off the NAT when setting up the AP manually. Some Google hits suggested the crossover cable issue. Didn't seem to make any difference

Probably won't have a chance to mess around with it anymore until mid-week. When I do, I'm going to reboot everything and give it another go. I'll start with the Belkin in AP mode connected to the WAN port, and if that doesn't work, try DIY mode connected to the LAN port. I'll keep closer track this time of what happens and doesn't happen

A bit OT ...

I spent a good bit of time over the weekend reading articles and reviews on the SNB site. From a technically competent, but wireless newbie perspective, I thought they hit just the right balance of technical info vs. keeping it understandable. I'm really glad I came across SNB during my Google searches! Thanks to everyone whose read my post thus far and pitched in with suggestions