Router problems

[96bluevert]

hi, not possitive if this is the correct area for this thread, but I'm having troubles with my router and need help. So I bought a Linksys Wireless G router a few months ago and its given me no problems so far except having to power-cycle it every few weeks or so. I finally decided to make it a secured network earlier today and it did work, I was able to connect to the router. However, it wasn't able to connect to the internet for some reason. The modem is connected to the router as it should be with a good signal to it. I got the "connection has limited to no connectivity" bubble at the bottom of the screen and it wouldn't go on the internet at all. So if anyone can offer help that would be great..thnks.

 

[LookinAround]

Some things to look for when setting up your router

1. MAC addresses
   • This doesn't apply to this case you stated but is good to know. Every piece of hardware that can connect to a local or wide area network has a unique identifier assigned it called its MAC address (you can usually find the device MAC address on a tag fixed to the bottom or back of the device).
   • When you change the device connected to your cable or DSL modem, your ISP sees the change in MAC address. Some ISP’s won’t provide a connection (i.e. won’t give the new device the IP address) when it sees the a MAC address change on the device connected to their modem. I’ve seen this true repeatedly for Comcast even tho their support people have claimed they don’t look at MAC address beyond their own modem. So when you switch routers or first add a router you may not understand why you’re not connecting.
   • Solutions: 1) Call your ISP and tell them you changed the device and they will either ask for the new MAC address or more likely just reset their device to look for/allow the new MAC address 2) Usually, this will also work. Unplug the power and ethernet cable from the cable/DSL modem and/or the attached device. Wait about 5 minutes then reconnect. Usually they’ll then accept a new MAC address.
2. When troubleshooting wireless connection problems start simple
   • Turn off wireless encryption (use of security keys) and any other type of authentication and/or any other access restriction
   • See that you can connect. And login to the router to see the Router status for the WAN connection and Attached devices.
   • Then, you can start turning access restrictions back on one at a time to see if you’re still connected. (i.e. is your router’s config in sync with your computer’s network adapter’s config)
3. When wireless appears connected (your computer may even say connected) but you clearly aren’t
   • You probably have a wireless connection that is failing at the encryption/matching password/key level between your router and your computer.
4. Things you can do to improve wireless security / access restrictions
   • Change the SSID from factory default and turn off SSID broadcasting
   • Add encryption / password protection to your wireless connection
   • Restrict access to specific MAC addresses

 

[N3051M]

adding to the above..

troubleshoot from the start. can the modem connect to the net? is the router talking to the modem correctly and you get the good connection in the status page?

start with the cables, then go wireless..

 

[96bluevert]

adding to the above..

troubleshoot from the start. can the modem connect to the net? is the router talking to the modem correctly and you get the good connection in the status page?

start with the cables, then go wireless..

Modem works fine, I'm able to get on the internet w/out the router. Under the connection status it will say "connected", the router seems to be getting the signal, but the computer only recieves it at 1mb/s. Keep in mind I'm also using a Linksys wireless USB adaptor. I kind of doubt its the wireless adaptor though, since I'm using it right now with an older Linksys router that I have that tends to only work for about 2-3days, then craps out(even if I try power-cycling it).

 

[DelJo63]

>>I got the "connection has limited to no connectivity"

this means the wireless did not find DHCP on the router.
the classic configuration instructions for wireless devices has a sequence of steps:

1. wire a connection from the system to the router
2. use your browser to configure the router and wireless options
3. set a new password for the admin login of the router
4. save the config and restart the router
5. disconnect the wired connection
6. use the Wireless Network Wizard to find and access the router

 

[96bluevert]

Yeah, that's what I ended up doing. Plugged the modem directly into the computer so I could go online and get the Linksys customer service number and that's the process they told me to do. Thanks for the help everyone.