Wireless Access Point Hardware Problems

[Shiseiji]

Hi all, new to the site and I looked around but didn't see any previous posts related to my issue. I often know just enough to be dangerous, but I figure I can learn enough to get a job done.

I'm trying to set back up two access points to my Verizon Actiontec. One in the living room and one in the master bedroom with routers so I can use the LAN connections for Blu-ray etc. The Verrzon Actiontec is connected to a NETGEAR Powerline 500 Mbps device with the drop in the living room. The master bedroom is connected to Powerline 200. Had a Belkin wireless router in the living room and a NETGEAR N600 WNDR3400v2 in the bedroom (LED and all) used as access points on static IPs 192.168.1.3 & 192.168.1.5 The Actiontec range set to 192.168.1.1 to 192.168.1.254. Also set were non-conflicting channels, identical SSID and passwords. Everything worked fine for long enough that I've lost track of how long ago I set it all up.

Then the Belkin died, and it's bricked, I can't log on after a reset, followed by the Verizon Actiontec. Now I have a new Actiontec M1424WR Revision F and am trying to reset up my access points. So far I've had zero luck setting up either the WNDR3400v or the N750 WNDR4000 I purchased to replace the Belkin. I've been using a netbook with the wireless turned off and connected to one of the router LAN ports for all the set-up work.

When I change the router IP to static and turn DCHP off on either router I can't log back on. I discovered the default UPnP is [On] so I disabled that. Still couldn't log back on to either router from the new or the default IP.

Used the NetGear Tec Support site. After first telling me I couldn't change the IP (possible per both manuals!) tech support then said rather then disable DCHP (as called for in every "How to" I've found and in their manual(s)) to: "Make sure that apart from changing the LAN IP, you also change the DHCP range of the router from 192.168.1.2 to 192.168.1.3." After that I could log back onto the router, but about 10 minutes after connecting the Netgear to the powerline drop/Actiontec it dropped off. So really nothing has worked. After the issue on WNDR4000 was bumped up and still not resolved tech support suggested I return the WNDR4000 which I'm inclined to do except that would still leave me with the formerly working WNDR3400v2.

So I'm looking for suggestions on what I might be doing wrong. Or is it not me??? Flash the things with DD-WRT? Just get two Powerline 500 WiFi Access Points and a switch for the living room? Try yet another brand of Bridge/Access Point?

As always,

TIA

 

[thiggins]

Sorry, but I had a hard time following your description.

You need to change each router that you are converting to an access point to have a static IP in the main router's range, but outside its DHCP server range.

If your main router is at 192.168.1.1 and its DHCP range is 192.168.1.100 to 192.168.1.200, then the APs can be set statically to for example, 192.168.1.10 and 192.168.1.11.

You then connect them to the main router using one of their LAN ports, not WAN.

There articles have more details.
How To Convert a Wireless Router into an Access Point
How To Add an Access Point to a Wireless Router

 

[Shiseiji]

Oh my, sorry. I edited that post several times trying to be clear

But thanks much for answering!

If your main router is at 192.168.1.1 and its DHCP range is 192.168.1.100 to 192.168.1.200, then the APs can be set statically to for example, 192.168.1.10 and 192.168.1.11.

In the first reference (read over and over in the past three weeks) the bubble in the second illustration states: "Router IP (meaning the new AP) must be set to an IP above or below the LAN routers DCHP server range." Hence my use of 192.168.1.2 and 192.168.2.3 as the AP static IPs and created in the LAN router prior to connection of the APs.

Aren't the examples you gave in the IP DCHP range?

Ron

 

[thiggins]

No. 192.168.1.10 and 192.168.1.11 are not between 192.168.1.100 and 192.168.1.200.

Get the APs working connected via Ethernet in the same room as the router. Then move one at a time to powerline connection.

 

[Fraoch]

I'm having a bit of trouble understanding your post myself, but with an IP DHCP range of, say, 192.168.1.1 to 192.168.1.100, set your first AP to, say, 192.168.1.101 and your second to, say, 192.168.1.102.

Then manually assign your netbook to any 192.168.1.x address, obviously with x not being 101 or 102, and configure. Switch your netbook back to getting its address by DHCP when done.

That way everything is in the same subnet but your main router will not try to assign the 192.168.1.101 and 192.168.1.102 addresses to anything because it's outside its DHCP range. No static IPs need to be defined in the main router either.

 

[Shiseiji]

No. 192.168.1.10 and 192.168.1.11 are not between 192.168.1.100 and 192.168.1.20 n.

OK, thanks for your patience,duh. Shouldn't have rushed trying to bang out answer

Understand not to set static IPs in the main router, not tracking the need/ sequence tor setting a static in the netbook. Before logging onto the AP router to set the static IP?

I do appreciate your time and patience.

 

[Fraoch]

Understand not to set static IPs in the main router, not tracking the need/ sequence tor setting a static in the netbook. Before logging onto the AP router to set the static IP?

Hmm, thinking about it, yeah, you actually don't have to do anything to get into the AP you want to turn into a router AT FIRST. The DHCP server in the router/AP will be on when you first try to configure it as an AP.

Once you turn off the DHCP server in the router/AP, any subsequent standalone access attempts (i.e. with the netbook not connected to anything else in the network) will need to be done with a manually-assigned IP in the same subnet as the static IP you set in the AP.

In fact, in some routers AS SOON as you set them to a static IP, they will reboot and come back up at their new address. If you've also turned off DHCP, you won't be able to access the page anymore because the netbook will be looking for an address by DHCP. So it might be a good idea to set the netbook's IP manually from the start.

With everything connected though, you will be getting an IP via DHCP from the main router, and this should be in the same subnet as the APs. You just need to remember what static IPs you set in the APs. I just do this by setting a bookmark in my web browser.

 

[Shiseiji]

If you've also turned off DHCP, you won't be able to access the page anymore because the netbook will be looking for an address by DHCP.

Eureka! I think you hit the real problem. None of the NetGear Techs caught the above. That's why I couldn't log back onto the router after I saved the static! I needed an IP on the Netbook in the range given the AP to access it via a LAN cable.

Because I had already set the ranges and static IPs in the primary router, "if" I'd simply jacked the access point into the LAN at that point I'd probably have never realized I couldn't access the AP directly via a LAN cable with DCHP turned off. It was all about sequence. I set and saved the IPs then couldn't log back on to change the SSID and PW. And it explains why I could get in with wireless the one time I tried with the factory set SSID and P/W. A detail I had forgotten in the 10s of times I'd gone around in circles.

I'm sure that's why I had my APs working before. I probably set and saved the SSID and P/W first then changed the IP and jacked it into the LAN. I was doing everything correct except trying to log back onto the AP via a port after assigning the static IP and turning DCHP off. Wow, thanks so much! I thought I had gone even more brain dead.

I pay all this forward with volunteer work at a bicycle coop and being the "go-to" person at work for MS Office questions. I'm a firm believer in "What goes around, comes around." and I thank you all again. I'll post again to confirm I got it right or let you know where I'm at. Probably won't be till tomorrow night.

Ron

 

[Fraoch]

Awesome, I hope this works for you then!

Perhaps one day you can answer some MS Office questions for me.

 

[Shiseiji]

Perhaps one day you can answer some MS Office questions for me.

Happy too!

R

 

[Shiseiji]

Happy Dance

Fraoch, thanks, all's good! Sequence and not realizing, duh, I would have to have to log onto the router from within the range of the IP I had set. Going to figure out how to do the "Thanks."

Thiggins, thanks for your patience. You were kind with my totally missing what you were saying. And it helped a lot in my creating the mental map.



Ron

 

[Fraoch]

Great, good to hear it's working!