ADSL Modem AND Seperate Router problems(moved from hardware)

[laticsforlife]

OK, this could be hard to explain, so bear with me.

Until we got a new laptop this week with Vista on it, my desktop connected via an ADSL modem plugged by Ethernet to the LAN port of my 3Com OfficeConnect Router.

The reason for this is the ADSL part of the router was consistently unable to keep the SNR up over zero, so wouldn't allow connection to last more than 2 minutes at a time. So now I use the ISP's modem which gives SNR's of around 6.5-12.0 depending on time of day etc.

Anyhow, the basic idea is it worked.

Now I am OK (obvious doing this), but the laptop is sporadic to say the least.

What I'm trying to figure out is;

a) is it the routers fault (Model 3CRWDR100A-72),

b) is it the modems fault (Smartax MT882 (Huawei))

c) is it my fault?

d) is it Vistas fault?

Some things I've been trying are as follows;

The routers IP address is the usual 192.168.1.1, but that is the same as the 2 used by the modem, being 192.168.1.1 and 192.168.1.2 depending on Ethernet or USB, so I changed the address to 192.168.1.254 and changed the DCHP Pool to between 1 and 253. This means that when the modem is working I can at least still access the admin screens of the router.

The routers LAN screen shows the following;

IP address - 192.168.1.254
Subnet Mask - 255.255.255.0

DHCP Parameters

start 192.168.1.1, end " " " " " ".253

lease time half day

DHCP Client list

192.168.1.1 modems MAC= client type = LAN, fixed
192.168.1.2 = exactly the same
192.168.1.4 = this computers USB adaptor, shown as wireless.

The laptop isn't showing but was at 5 and was also showing as wireless, but it wouldn't connect using the tool in Vista.

Now in the modems screen it shows the DHCP pool from 3 to 65 and shows that 4 and 5 are leased to this PC and to the laptop. As I'm connected now, I know that at least the desktop aspect is correct.

Also PPPoA is set-up here and not on the router, and again something must be OK for me to access.

I can answer anything required, but would appreciate any help that can be given.

What I did think was that when the USB adaptor was repairing itself it sometimes uses 192.168.1.3, but the modem still showed it as 4, and has no edit screen.

I've been using the ISP diagnostic tool to reset things it says are wrong, but this only works on the desktop, and seems t make the connection come back to life.

It usually says that fixed IP addresses are being used when dynamic ones are required, and that a TCP stack was worng somehow, this could take 5 minutes of fixing and rebooting, and it still doesn't help the laptop.

Do I need a new router ( a better one?).

I told you it was a long one, sorry about that.

[johnwill]

Connecting two SOHO broadband routers together.

Configure the IP address of the secondary router to be in the same subnet as the primary router, but out of the range of the DHCP server in the primary router. For instance DHCP server addresses 192.168.0.2 through 192.168.0.100, I'd assign the secondary router 192.168.0.254 as it's IP address.

Disable the DHCP server in the secondary router.

Setup the wireless section just the way you would if it was the primary router.

Connect from the primary router's LAN port to one of the LAN ports on the secondary router. If there is no uplink port and neither of the routers have auto-sensing ports, use a cross-over cable. Leave the WAN port unconnected!

[laticsforlife]

Originally Posted by johnwill

Connecting two SOHO broadband routers together.

Configure the IP address of the secondary router to be in the same subnet as the primary router, but out of the range of the DHCP server in the primary router. For instance DHCP server addresses 192.168.0.2 through 192.168.0.100, I'd assign the secondary router 192.168.0.254 as it's IP address.

Disable the DHCP server in the secondary router.

Setup the wireless section just the way you would if it was the primary router.

Connect from the primary router's LAN port to one of the LAN ports on the secondary router. If there is no uplink port and neither of the routers have auto-sensing ports, use a cross-over cable. Leave the WAN port unconnected!

Sorry to sound a bit thick, but I need to clarify.

What is SOHO router?

I only have 1 router(built-in modem), plus an ISP ADSL modem, which isn't wireless.

Can you repeat your message using the terms modem and router, so I know which one I'm setting in a certain way, please.

[johnwill]

SOHO - Small Office Home Office, basically any of the inexpensive routers fall into this category.

The Smartax MT882 is a modem/router. My instructions are for connecting a secondary router, your 3COM Model 3CRWDR100A-72 in this case. You actually do have two routers.

[aassddff]

To get the Huawei SmartAX MT882 and the Linksys WRT54G to work together, you need to disable a DHCP server on one of the two (cause they are both routers, in this case we will disable the DHCP on the WRT54G).

First leave the MT882 turned off and disconnected from the network for now.

Connect to the WRT54G at http://192.168.1.1 with username and password set as "admin" unless you changed it beforehand.

On the first page disable the DHCP server and change the address of the WRT54G to 192.168.1.200 (We are going to keep the IP within the same subnet as the MT882 but outside the range of the MT882's DCHP range).

You will also need to switch the Advanced Dynamic routing on the WRT54G to the Router mode meaning that there is another router on the network.

Also in the advanced dynamic routing mode turn on the the Dynamic Routing (RIP) to LAN+Wireless because we will plug in the MT882 into the LAN port (Not the WAN/Internet port) of the WRT54G.

Disconnect from the WRT54G network. Plug in your MT882 directly into the computer via Ethernet or USB and log into the administration panel via http://192.168.1.1 if connected via Ethernet or http://192.168.1.2 if connected via USB. User name and password are both "admin".

In the MT882 administration in the advanced setting turn on/enable RIP (Dynamic routing) for eth-0 (its most likely already enabled for ppp-0, ie. your provider, but now it is enabled with the Ethernet too).

Now connect the MT882 Ethernet cable directly into one of the WRT54G's LAN ports and connect to the WRT54G with your computers via wireless or lan.

Now once the computers are connected they will ask for an IP address and the WRT54G will forward them to the MT882's DHCP server for an address and thus you will get multiple computers through wireless connected to the MT882 and the "Internet".

Good luck.

[johnwill]

aassddff, this post was a year old, and the same instructions were already presented. I'm sure if he still had a problem, he have come back in the year since.

[jalaacoda]

thanks a lot aassddff, i tried exactly what you said and it actually worked.
you've saved me from getting real fustrated