WiFi Router Problem?

[Jonathan S.]

Maybe this just isn't my month for advanced technology?
[ame="http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=192105"]My digital camera develops a critical flaw[/ame] (though the camera was very old, and the replacement is very nice), my computer displays a [ame="http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=192478"]weird startup repair error[/ame] (though all the diagnostic tests are ok and the problem hasn't reoccurred ... although that could be good or bad?), my GPS wouldn't power up b/c one of the contacts had oxidized despite no apparent battery damage (although some light cleaning alternating between vinegar, rubbing alcohol, and water got it working again, plus an electrical engineer friend pointed me to a more professional cleaning & preventative substance), and my WiFi router won't work.
(Note that the router failed about a week before the computer startup repair problem, and the computer has been running fine directly connected to the DSL modem, so I'm sure that the internet connect is fine, and fairly sure that the startup repair problem is unrelated to the router, which was disconnected at the time.)

So I finally got around to trying to see what's wrong with the router: Buffalo AirStation WHR-HP-G54. When it first failed, I pressed the reset button.

Since then, multiple attempts to access 192.168.11.1 result in failure. This is on both a Dell D630 running Windows 7 and a Dell C400 running XP.

Then I reverted to the original router: WGR614 v6, which had been sitting around for almost four years after a friend replaced it with the Buffalo for supposedly greater range. So I plugged in the Netgear and . . . success! Immediately! Hey, that was easy!

But out of curiosity (you can guess where this is going...) I tried logging into the router yet couldn’t get the username & password combination. So I just pressed the reset button. (Yeah, I know, the best is the enemy of the good.)

I went through the configuration process (on both computers) but can’t access the configuration screen, either automatically like the user manual says it should, or http://www.routerlogin.net as alternatively suggested, or 192.168.1.1 as printed on the router.

(If the problem was just with the Buffalo router my friend set up, I'd chalk it up to something strange with that model. And if the problem was just with the combination of Windows 7 + the old Netgear router, I wouldn't be all that surprised. But the old Dell C400 originally configured the old Netgear router, so I'm especially baffled why it won't work now?)

Thanks in advance for any suggestions (other than not randomly pressing reset buttons).

And why can’t everything be so easy like Dynafit bindings and obscure optional modes on Barryvox Pulse beacons?

[RShea]

Are you trying to get to the 2 routers via the hard wired ethernet connection or trying wireless only?

If wireless go to the cable and plug in.

On the Buffalo router- are you sure the 192.168.11.1 is the router default ip address (after the reset it goes to the factory default of course)? There is a switch on that model that can move and put the unit into access point mode:

http://www.danets.com/download/WHR-HP-G54-Manual.pdf is the manual that discusses this. When in access point mode the address is 192.168.11.100 not the .1.

Also the AOSS built into the Buffalo routers can be tried to do the wireless connection automatically. Once you check everything out with the settings via the wired connection and verify the wireless security etc. is set up the way you want it.

As for the Netgear again wired connection?

With either of the 2 routers (pick one)- plug in wired and do cmd prompt (start, run then type the cmd in) to get a text box. Then in the black box prompt type in ipconfig /all and see what it reports for IP address and gateway. The IP address should be 192.168.x.x depending on the 2 different routers (192.168.11.x with Buffalo or 192.168.1.x for Netgear)- the x should be a higher number than the gateway 10 or 100 are popular depending on the DHCP settings.

Once you have the Gateway type that address in on your browser and see if you get the login for user and password....

Report back if something does not report correctly or does not make sense, as the fact that it is 2 computers and 2 routers some combination should work.

[Jonathan S.]

I've been trying wired for all four combinations (i.e., two computers x two routers), since the manual for one of the routers strongly recommended that.

No matter what I tried, I couldn't access the Netgear screen.

But when I tried 192.168.1.1 for the Buffalo, that finally worked (even though the user manual clearly stated 192.168.11.1, although then again the ipconfig/all
listed only 192.168.11.1).

Well, sort of: at the DD-WRT page, I kept entering root for the username with nothing as the password, but it wouldn't work. I've hit the reset button numerous times -- does that also reset the password?

[RShea]

If your Buffalo got reconfigured and flashed for the DD-WRT (I do not know if it came that way from the factory) then the manual for it and all the factory settings on the bottom etc. are gone with the old Buffalo firmware.

DD-WRT is basically a open source and so the 192.168.1.1 does not surprise me as it is pretty common private address for routers. Default password should be admin, but googling the issue shows a good number of discussions of having the default not work after a reset. Make sure you do not have caps locks turned on, and do not try the stuff provided in the Buffalo manual if it has DD-WRT installed on it.
Read through this info on DD-WRT:
http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Index:FAQ

[Jonathan S.]

Ah, okay, thanks, that mystery is now solved!

But once I have access to the router login, uh, then what? I changed the username & password, but otherwise I have no idea what to do. Internet access still works only when wired to the modem; when wired to the router, or over WiFi, no internet. And this is even after "Settings are successful.
Unit is rebooting now. Please wait a moment..."

Screen shots below.

[RShea]

First off you have 2 issues. The first one is probably the main part of your problem. The second one makes it harder for you to do any troubleshooting.

I am assuming you are on a home DSL account from Verizon. Not sure if you use PPPoE (needs user name and password) or have a dynamic IP account that they also use- depends on what part of the country with them. Some business accounts use static IP also by the way- but rarely their cheaper home accounts.

Your Westell modem is also set up as a router- so you are going from 1 private address that could be 192.168.1.1 and conflicting. You should be able to switch the Westell modem into bridged mode, so it is only a modem and not doing NAT routing also.

Otherwise if you do not know how to do this, then troubleshooting is harder and you would most likely have to change your default address on the Buffalo router.

Same issue comes up with the Netgear router after you reset that one 2 devices with the 192.168.1.1 address- your DSL modem/router and your router (both of them).

It is stuff like this that people pay me to do (20 minutes- if you know what to do) and get going for them to be able to surf...

Your other issue is there are no DNS servers listed in your router. It is looking for static addresses and you have 0's in the entries. But that is far down the list.

If you want to do this yourself then Google your Westell modem model number and get the manual - or call Verizon tech support if you have the time and hope you get one of their better script readers. Tell them you need the modem to "bridged mode" and turn off their Nat router.

Then read through the DD-WRT documentation on how to set that up for a dynamic IP and wireless enabled with security
Same

[Jonathan S.]

Fortunately Verizon had an easy solution: although they don't provide official support to Buffalo routers, on the router screen, he just had me change 192.168.1.1 to 192.168.2.1 - works!
(Of course, now that this is fixed, my computer's hard drive is probably about to catastrophically die or something...)

[RShea]

While it works- you are still going through basically 2 routers- the modem and the Buffalo. So if something else does not work, you are never sure which of the 2 devices is the problem.

Probably do not open ports (unless you are a gamer) and some more advanced stuff so the Verizon solution is the only way their script readers can solve the problem. But it is not the correct way of doing the bridged mode (most Westell's will do this, but not 100% of them.)

As for the drive- if it passes the diagnostics then there are many other possible solutions including attempting to do a full reload and reinstall Windows.