RARRRRR... people who don't understand basic networking....

Scougar

Scougar

Scougar

Soldato
Joined
30 Jan 2007
Posts
15,505
Location
PA, USA (Orig UK)
Short VENT...


... OK, so...

Person A mentions that the wi-fi keeps dropping out with the modem/router, and they suspect it's the modem/router and are thinking of getting it changed.

I configure the modem into bridge mode (it has a dedicated function for this), and put in a Netgear R4500 as the router to provide all wifi signals.

Next day setup is working fine.

At some point during the day the wi-fi isn't working, cue me getting all the blame for my setup, from Person A and B.

I say I will return to that place and hopefully resolve said internet connection. Persons A and B refuse.

Later I find out Person A has now got a new primary modem/router, and has apparently been working all day to get it working, and failed to get ANY internet at all. (well kinda....)

I turn up in the late afternoon, and plug the CAT 5 cable into my own router from the new Primary modem/router, bing... instant internet. I am also scanning for other networks and see some one's I've not seen before. (odd.... but I think it's something to do with the new router).

Person B is blaming me, and now Person C is blaming me saying I did it. After an arguement, I finally realize the primary router is a new one, and try the default password (I had assumed it had been reset up to this point, and wasn't new). Bing... I'm into the primary router. I realize at this point that Person A hasn't even even changed the default password and has CLEARLY not even hooked up to the settings page on the router, yet expected it to just work.

So.. the reason for not getting internet all say AFTER person A got a new router, is because the wifi names are now different, the passwords are different and Person A didn't know what to do to get it working. Persons B and C are still blaming me. Since the new modem/router, the wifi was there all along, they just didn't know what to look for.... so blamed me instead.

Now... I'm completely prepared to admit that it was potentially my setup or a dodgy bridged router that caused the initial network drop out, maybe even I screwed something up. But blaming me for it, denying help, then proceeding to get new equipment without asking for my help, then blaming me when they didn't know WTF they were doing is just magic.

Another fun week.

Now just waiting for Person A to arrive and probably blame me again, even though they didn't know WTH they were doing.

Bizarrely, they won't even let me unplug my equipment that is potentially using up channels.... so I currently have my own private network lol.
 
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What is your relationship to these people?

Do they share a communal letterbox, or do you have it in you to squeeze out 3 poos in a session?
 
This doesn't reinforce my general option of the North American population in any way; oh wait... yes is does!

Expecting people to understand even basic networking is unreasonable. If they did then they'd have never called you in in the first place.

Most people have no need to understand how networking works, they just want to. I've always found that clearly explaining what I've done (and why) is sufficient; if they bugger about with it after the fact that's their problem...
 
One of our offices was moaning they couldn't always connect. Their IP range should be 192.168.105.x but they were getting 192.168.1.x

So it turns out someone decided they didn't have enough ports and plugged a ROUTER in to use the switch portion without disabling the DHCP. Of course until we discovered this we were getting whinged at that their network was ****.

Related to that, another office the manager sent a snotty email saying staff morale was poor because of how badly the network was, it's been doing it for weeks lah-de-dah. First we'd heard of it.

Our MPLS is managed for us so we don't have a lot of access, but we asked the provider to see what was up.

Turns out they'd managed to get the wifi password (normally only used for company tablets for data transfers) and were merrily watching netflix, sky go, and all sorts of other stuff. Yeah morale must have been awful.

The blacklist has been expanded to include non-domain devices now and wifi password changed.
 
Lol. Family.

This all became irrelevant when person A was involved in an RTA last night (hit from behind at traffic lights at high speed) and I spent till 2am in ER with them.
 
Unfortunately, it would be bad form to kick off too much, the last thing you want is a reputation - even if an attitude is justified.

Most people treat networking like they do with a TV or phone - they just want it to work, and expect it to. They want to just press "on" or "connect" and it works - they don't have time for details - just as you don't have time for learning all the details about their jobs.

What you could do is argue that because they interfered with your setup, any "installation warranty" or "after-care" is null - but you're prepared, as a gesture of good-will, to fix the problems they've created.

Also, if it is your equipment, you are allowed to retrieve it, IIRC.

Always worth being nice, even if it requires a bitten, bleeding tongue.

Morons exist, unfortunately. :(
 
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