New modem/router from TalkTalk is unresponsive

[frc]

Hi. Obviously TalkTalk's online help goes no further than "Is it plugged in?" so maybe someone here can suggest what might be the problem, even if you're not familiar with the specific product.

Huawei HG523a modem/router.

I received it before my "go live" date and powered it up to see if I could connect to it - which should be independant of any internet/phone connection, right? My computer was picking up several neighbouring wireless networks but there was no sign of this one. Plugging the router into the computer was ineffective and I couldn't connect to it that way, either. It was basically invisible and I couldn't get to the settings page (192.168.1.1) or have the computer recognise the connection. The router's LAN light did come on when both ends of the wired connection were in place.

The product has the usual lights, including "power", "ADSL", "Internet", "WLAN" and "WPS".

"Power" comes on and remains steady.

"ADSL" flashes with a regular but sometimes-changing rhythm, and is meant to be solid on. Removing the cable from the router makes no difference to this, it just keeps flashing.

"WLAN" comes on and remains steady (it's meant to flash when anything is being transmitted)


I don't have a phone to test the line, but anyway shouldn't I still be able to see the router from my computer even if there was no telephone line at all?

Wading through TalkTalk technical support is really my last resort, I'd rather go and buy a new router than try to explain things to what is essentially just a pre-recorded message in terrible English.

I have now "gone live" (yesterday afternoon, according to the website) and nothing has changed.

I don't have a phone or another modem to test, unless I purchase one. Which I may do.

thanks for any suggestions

 

[bertles86]

1. Read the instructions that came with your Huawei router
2. Make sure you have an ADSL filter in place
3. Start off with a wired connection to configure your router, make sure you are in the same subnet otherwise you will not connect
4. Ping the default IP of the router

 

[frc]

1. Read the instructions that came with your Huawei router

2. Make sure you have an ADSL filter in place

Yes

3. Start off with a wired connection to configure your router

Plugging the router into the computer was ineffective and I couldn't connect to it that way, either.

, make sure you are in the same subnet otherwise you will not connect

I don't know what that means

4. Ping the default IP of the router

I didn't try that.


Thanks for the reply, anyway. I resolved this by taking the face-plate off my phone socket and plugging the router (with a filter) directly into the socket thereby revealed. After a few minutes it seemed to find a connection, but was still not appearing as a wireless network. I put in the details manually somewhere (windows 7 network/internet pages are a mess, imo) and "forced" it to connect that way, and it worked.

 

[bertles86]

Ok - well at least you are up and running.

It sounds like (and don't take this the wrong way) you have a couple of issues:

1. Your local environment has issues, if you need to use the test socket, then something's up that isn't the router

2. Your networking knowledge is minimal, ask for local advice of a colleague/friend that can come to your place and square you away.