Why Can I Not Create a Home Network

DampCat

DampCat

DampCat

Soldato
Joined
26 Feb 2007
Posts
14,177
Location
Leafy Cheshire
Hi.

Right. This is really beginning to make me angry. Seriously i can see no reason why it wont work and it doesn't matter how much money i sink into it, there's just nothing. It's been going on for 6 months now.

Some of you may recognise these pictures. This is my before and after recieving advice from you guys a month or so ago.

Before (IE: Now)
CurrentNetwork.jpg


As you can see. In No Mans Land we have a PC (The Fuhrer aka My Mum owns this). The Fuhrer's PC Connects to Da Interwebz via a Webstar DXP100 Cable Modem (that's an evil PDF link. clickers beware). This is represented by the Red box. The Modem is connected to The Fuhrer's PC via [sandpanda] USB [/sadpanda]. In turn there is then an ethernet cable that runs from Her Evilnesses PC to the Really-Freaking-Old-Hub. I dont even know what it's called because the paint rubbed off in 1972. I'm not even kidding. It's made of Tin. It's pictured here in Azure Blue.

As you can see, the HUB then runs through into my lair and consequently into this very personal computer, henceforth known as the Bliss-Machine. You will also note the two very lonely, friendless additions to my lair... The Director of Finance's PC (my GF) and the Eggbox.

Indeed you will already know that this is really, very innefficient. Her Foulness's PC must be on at all times to enable me to greet the outside, and The Director of Finance and Eggbox can't even make new friends at all.

So, I asked in here and was presented the following:

network2.jpg


Yay!!

So i bought myself a new Green-Outlined-White-Box (henceforth simply "Router") and an even newer Poo-Brown-Box (from now on "Switch") as advised in the proffesionally drawn picture above, and i came home to welcome the internetatron with open arms.

HAH. As if. Nothing ever freaking works for me.

So. I pull out the 1969 Hubarama. I plug in the router near the Fuhrer's PC. I Ethernet it to my cable modem. I plug in the switch in My Lair, i run the cable to the router. Everything is rebooted. I load it up. Nothing. Well of course! i havent configured anything yet!

Everything looks as it should in the pic above. But it just wont work. I've connected to the Router and played with the settings but when you test it, it will not open the Netgear page like it says in its empty promises of virtue and outside world glory. I can't connect to the modem at all whilst its set up like this, only the old way allows me to see it's settings. I've tried -everything-.

Does anyone have like a comprehensive step by step guide on "how-to-not-be-retarded"? Because for the life of me, nothing works.

The Modem DOES allow ethernet i've checked, but the Router shows up as the i-net light being orange. So i guess it's cant see the modem. I used the cable that came in the router box. I assume it allows me to connect to a modem with that? Are there any other alternatives? Basically i only want one cable running into My Lair.

HLEP!
 
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Ermm

The router (what kind?) should have a WAN interface. Plug the Modem into to that.

The router should also have one or more LAN ports. Plug the Switch into one of them. Some switches have an UPLINK port, if yours does use that, otherwise use port 1.

Plus your PC and the GF pc and XB into the switch, some switches you'll need to miss out port 2, if you have uplink on port 1.

Configure each PC to 'receive IP address automatically' in TCP/IP setting in Netwrok Properties.

If the router has DHCP enable, each machine should get a IP from the router, 192.168 or 10.0.0 usually.

Also the router will need to get it's IP address from the Modem, via DHCP, unless your ISP gave you a static IP.

Check each machine gets an IP and it should work.

<edit>
Ahh just seen the links, yeah just plug it all in it should work.

either reboot each machine or do ipconfig /release ipconfig /renew in a CMD on each machien to get the new IP. Can you ping each machine? What are the machine IP addresses?
 
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Probably just a lack of configuration of the router.

Have you made sure that the PC that you are trying to connect to the router is in the same internet address range?

If the default address of the router is something like 192.168.0.1 then set the PC to be 192.168.0.2 and try again.
 
Ok guys i did everything you mentioned above. I downloaded the manuals for every bit of kit i have and followed them step by step. I let them do it with wizards and i did it manually

All i can decide is that the cable modem does not allow DHCP to connect to the router via Ethernet. It says it does, but it just does not.

I swear to the cute little 6lb 8oz baby jesus, the first guy to come round and fix it can have my girlfriend. and my mum.
 
Right, what router do you have? Also, when you plug the cable modem into the router, you are power cycling the modem right?
 
The router is in the link above. Netgear RP614 Cable/DSL Router.

Yes, i am powercycling everything. Everything off. Modem on. Router on. PC on. each time waiting for lights to calm down.

The router's I-Net light is always flashing Amber and will not communicate with the Modem via Ethernet. I am using a patch cable, not a crossover.

When i try to adjust the Modem settings, the web interface it offers wont fully work due to being not connected to the internet (duh). Basically i tink it IS connected to the internet (the cable liht is solid green, and im using it no in the old setup to type this) but now that there is a router between the Modem and the PC, it's getting hormonal about it.
 
Can you actually get onto the routers configuration page from your machine? If you do Start > Run > CMD > IPCONFIG /ALL, is your network cad getting a DHCP assigned ip address?

The key to getting this to work is to take everything off the network, and add one device at a time.

I personally would start with unplugging the modem and switch (and all machines) and plugging your machine into the router. Can you access the routers config page (whats it's IP address btw?), and do you get an IP? Next, plug the switch into the network and your machine into the switch - can you still get to the config page and still have a valid IP address? Next, stick the modem into the router and repeat - config page and IP address? Beware that if the router and modem are on the same ip range they may well have the same IP address (e.g 192.168.2.1) - this wont work and you'll need to manually configure one to something different.

I've also had to turn DHCP off on a modem before as it tried to assign addresses over the top of those the router was doing - caused all sorts of confusion.
 
lokkers said:
Can you actually get onto the routers configuration page from your machine? If you do Start > Run > CMD > IPCONFIG /ALL, is your network cad getting a DHCP assigned ip address?

The key to getting this to work is to take everything off the network, and add one device at a time.

I personally would start with unplugging the modem and switch (and all machines) and plugging your machine into the router. Can you access the routers config page (whats it's IP address btw?), and do you get an IP? Next, plug the switch into the network and your machine into the switch - can you still get to the config page and still have a valid IP address? Next, stick the modem into the router and repeat - config page and IP address? Beware that if the router and modem are on the same ip range they may well have the same IP address (e.g 192.168.2.1) - this wont work and you'll need to manually configure one to something different.

I've also had to turn DHCP off on a modem before as it tried to assign addresses over the top of those the router was doing - caused all sorts of confusion.
Click to expand...

Ok, last night i unplugged everything as you've suggested and plugged only the 3 main components in (the fuhrers PC, modem and router). I've always managed to access the Router's config page and it does show me an IP and MAC address. However, i seem unable to access the Modem's Config Page when i connect it with an Ethernet cable (its currently connect with USB). I know that the IP's are different, i remember that to access the modem's config page is 192.168.100.1 in the web browser, but it assigns itself a different IP (77.108.x.x) or something similar inside of that config page. Neither of these match the router's IP but i cant remember off the top of my head what the IP is (im at work).

When i get to the Routers config page it is always unable to connect to the modem (well, the internet) and even running the wizard it says "plug in your modem".

Do you think it might be worth getting a new Cable Modem? What little experience i have here is telling me that the modem does not like to be used by ethernet... but i cannot change the settings whilst it's connected by USB as the ethernet cable must be unplugged.

I guess the only way of doing that is to phone Virgin (jesus... took me 20 minutes for Mr India to give me my username last night as my Blueyonder one no longer works) and get the to aggree to send me one?
 
hmmmm, so you cannot access the modem when it is plugged into an ethernet port? e.g. if you plug the modem into your mum's machine via ethernet, you cannot get to the config page, but if you use USB you can? Are you using a crossover cable to plug the machine and the modem into one another?
 
I use a cable modem, and the 77.xx ip is the IP given to you from Virgin (Or whoever). Ignore this, its of no consequence. The modem IP of 192.168.100.1 is ok too, uncheck the DHCP server part. You cannot have both the USB and ethernet plugged in at once, i assume you already know this. There should also be a reset button on the router itself, this should reset it to its factory defaults. Try it.
 
lokkers said:
hmmmm, so you cannot access the modem when it is plugged into an ethernet port? e.g. if you plug the modem into your mum's machine via ethernet, you cannot get to the config page, but if you use USB you can? Are you using a crossover cable to plug the machine and the modem into one another?
Click to expand...

yeah deffo a patch cable.

Thanks phillydee, i'll give it a bash later.
 
Actually philly just to check.. the 77.xxx.xx.xx IP assigned by Virgin isn't a static IP is it? I mean i'd have thought i'd be on a dynamic IP.. right? just tyring to cover all bases here.
 
Virgin IP addresses are dynamically assigned, but I have had the same one for about 11 months now.

What we need is for the OP to:


post the ouput of ipconfig /all for each PC.

Then verify that he can PING each IP from each other machine.


It is still unlcear if the problem is the internet, the network, the PC configuration, router config etc. The above would help.
 
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