question for the network gurus

[Soundguy]

Well, I'm all set now, have my phone blue toothed to my big jambox turned low with a soothing play list, and browsing the web on my surface. Hand digital thermometer, gingerale, horse pills, some stuff with codien in it.. tired but can't sleep... I assume my next dose of codien might change that...... t- 6 hours and counting...

Fever at highest point was 101.7. So, not lethal, but not fun either.

Time for a pretzle snack!

 

[MossRoad]

...my big jambox turned low...
....soothing play list...
....gingerale, horse pills, some stuff with codien in it.....
....Time for a pretzle snack!....

Sounds like college.... :laughing:

 

[Soundguy]

LMAO! Hack wheeze...

 

[MossRoad]

Hope you feel better soon.

 

[kco]

I just got back from the site where I see similar problems with a range extender or access point. The site has several wireless access points and they again gave inconsistent but mainly non-functioning connections.

I looked at my Android tablet wireless settings (while set for DHCP) and saw it had given me 192.168.0.90 with gateway and DNS server as 192.168.0.4. I went to the Android Advanced wireless setting as mentioned and changed the setting to Static, putting in my address as 192.168.0.90 and the gateway and DNS server as 192.168.0.1. It worked flawlessly the several times I used the tablet with the changed settings.

A few others had a similar problem and we solved it the same way. I did not investigate further, but it seems the multiple access points may be using their own IP addresses for the main router and DHCP server addresses when they give out DHCP addresses to clients.

One strange thing with one person's Windows laptop(only one being used, the rest were Android phones) was that it would show it connected successfully to the wireless network but it had not received an IP address from the DHCP server. We worked around it by guessing that 192.168.0.123 would be a free address and entering(after changing from DHCP to Static for the IP settings) 192.168.0.1 for the gateway and DHCP server. It then worked fine.

 

[MossRoad]

Yeah, multiple DHCP servers in a house could cause some problems when roaming around hitting them back and forth. But it goes back to 8 or 9 other devices working and one not working. One would think the extender would do just that; extend, and not provide DHCP that is different from the main network. Only one way to check.... look at the IP info on the device that isn't working.

 

[/pine]

Yeah, multiple DHCP servers in a house could cause some problems when roaming around hitting them back and forth. But it goes back to 8 or 9 other devices working and one not working. One would think the extender would do just that; extend, and not provide DHCP that is different from the main network. Only one way to check.... look at the IP info on the device that isn't working.

Yup...a lot of users don't realize that their modems are actually modem/routers (with a DHCP server)...and then they connect a wireless router and you have two DHCP servers running...

 

[kco]

Yes, a good place to start is to turn off the DHCP server on the range extender(if possible).

I like to assign fixed IP's for all my devices in my home network. I reserve the first 100 addresses for our devices (am just using 12 of them) and let the DHCP server on the main router assign 101 or above to visitors. I have an earlier 2nd wireless router that serves as an access point. It is connected to the main network with a cable via one of its ethernet ports, so it does no actual routing. I disabled the DHCP server on it so the main router handles all DHCP.

 

[MossRoad]

I've always been a fan of fixed IP addresses until the advent of WIFI and the liberal use of it in the business setting for portable devices. When everything was cabled to the wall, no one was going to move it around very often, and it was easy to maintain a list of what was where. Now.... forget about it.

 

[Soundguy]

I'm upright again and will tackle the problem Monday I think.

If I can set this tablet as a static IP and make it work, I'll live with that.

 

[Soundguy]

Update.

Out of ideas. My bet is a 50$ tablet just ain't gonna work on my home WiFi.

No biggie I guess.

 

[/pine]

Update.

Out of ideas. My bet is a 50$ tablet just ain't gonna work on my home WiFi.

No biggie I guess.

Just an off the wall suggestion...you might try adding a second (via patch cable) cheapo/used wireless router and set it up as an access point ? you can find the hardware on e-bay for less than $20...

 

[Soundguy]

.... if I can figure that out.

 

[aczlan]

Soundguy, do you have cable TV from one end of the house to the other? If so, you could use one of these: Amazon.com: Actiontec Ethernet over Coax Adapter Kit for Homes without MoCA Routers: Computers & Accessories (using your existing repeater) or Amazon.com: Actiontec Dual-Band Wireless Network Extender and Ethernet Over Coax Adapter Kit (WCB3000NK01): Electronics (replacing your repeater) to run a wired network from one end to the other.
Alternatively, turn off the wifi on the modem and install one of these pointing toward the other end of the house: Amazon.com: Ubiquiti NanoStation loco M2 2.4GHz Indoor/Outdoor airMax 8dBi CPE: Computers & Accessories

Aaron Z

 

[Soundguy]

we have dish, so there are dish recievers in a couple different rooms, so guessing that won't work.

 

[Soundguy]

Update. Stopped by the house on the way to a job, put the tablet in the house to charge, turned it on later to check charge, it connected to my WiFi. In fact I'm in the garage now, typing on the tablet.

Just out of the blue it works now... wtf!.?

 

[MossRoad]

I'd buy some lottery tickets today if I were you! :laughing:

 

[k0ua]

.... if I can figure that out.

it is pretty easy actually. Plug an ethernet cable from you PC to another switch port on your cheap router. (NOT the WAN port, just one of its switch ports) Set its IP address in the same subnet as your network, but on a non conflicting IP address. I usually set these type of appliances at the top end of a /24 subnet, as for instance like 192.168.0.250 Not at the exact top, but near the top. and I usually have my network router for instance on the first usable address like 192.168.0.1 But anyway I digress.... put the router you intend to be an access point on your network on a non conflicting address. Now turn off the DHCP server in this router so it does not try to hand out any IP address's to anything that connects with it. Unhook your pc and then Hook up that ethernet cable to a switch port on your regular network (spare router Ethernet port or other switch port). Remember to leave the other end of the ethernet cable in a switch port on your junk router/now access point.

You should be good to go by placing this old router/access point where you need it, and its hardwired back to you wired network. It won't hand out addresses by itself, but it will hand out IP addresses from your main router with the main router as the default gateway. Its all good. You now have an access point for small dollars (if any), and about 3 minutes work with your pc in setting it up.

 

[Soundguy]

i do have an old router laying around if needed, but now my problem seems solved. weird.

i wonder if the tablet has gotten an os update since then and it fixed something. I'm not at all familiar with android..