Router gone bad?

[barlowc]

On Saturday afternoon, while doing some yard work, I accidentally cut the cable coming from the cable company.

Needless to say, I lost my internet service. A technician came out on Sunday morning and ran a new cable and everything was back up and running without me having to do anything. Last evening, I had to unplug the cable modem and router (for an unrelated reason), and upon plugging everything back in, I could no longer get to the internet.

In troubleshooting the problem, I have discovered that if I connect a computer directly to the cable modem, I can get to the internet. But when I plug my D-Link DI-604 router in between the two, I can not. Strange thing is, when the router is plugged in, all the computers on my network can see each other and the router properly issues them all dynamic IP addresses. But none of them can get to the internet.

In the router's web-based administrative interface, it doesn't show an external IP address. And when I click the button to renew the dynamic address, the request times out.

Could the router simply be dead or dying? Even though it's just the WAN aspect(s) that is not working and LAN stuff seems fine?

 

[Rand]

did you try turning the modem off and on while the router is plugged in?

you cant switch a mac address while the modem is on or it wont work.

 

[RF Overlord]

Try this:

Turn off the computer, and unplug the cable modem and the router.

Plug in the cable modem and wait for it to come back on line.

Once the CM is online, plug in the router and wait for it to come back on line.

Now power up the computer.

 

[Jeffy_D]

In the Web interface, see if theres an option to clone your PC's Mac address. I always had to do that with mediacom cable even tho tech support said it was unnecesarry.

If that doesnt help, try swapping ethernet cables and see if thats the issue. Make sure your modem is plugged into the "internet" port, its a common mistake. Last resort is to puch the tiny factory reset button on the cable modem.

 

[Carbon]

Power-cycle the modem.

If that does not do it, do the cloning that Jeffy_D suggested. Maybe do it anyway. That should let you switch the router in and out without power-cycling.

 

[NateDN10]

When you unplugged the modem & router, did you just unplug the power, or the ethernet cables as well? If so, my bet is that you accidentally plugged the cable from the modem into one of the router's LAN ports instead of the WAN port.

If that's not it, the MAC address cloning Jeffy_D suggested is promising. If that still doesn't work, try disabling the router's WAN-side DHCP request and manually configuring its IP address, gateway address, etc. Copy the values you get when you plug a PC into the modem directly.

 

[barlowc]

Thanks for all the replies! I've pretty much tried everything but the MAC address cloning. That's never been necessary in the past, but maybe I'll try it anyway.

All I did was disconnect the power for the modem and the router. Upon plugging things back in (modem first, then router) the internet was "missing".

This evening, after work, I'm going to get out my Airport Express and see if I can get that going to at least re-establish wireless connectivity.

 

[Carbon]

In your computer browser (IE, Firefox, Safari, etc) address box when you enter 192.168.0.1, that gives a web page. Therefore the computer is getting to the router.I understand you were getting that far previously while you still had a problem.

Similarly in your computer browser address box enter 192.168.100.1 If that works, the computer is getting to the modem. That 192.168.100.1 is common for a cable modem, but maybe not for all. I suspect you will not get that web page while you still have problems.

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted By: Carbon
In your computer browser (IE, Firefox, Safari, etc) address box when you enter 192.168.0.1, that gives a web page. Therefore the computer is getting to the router.I understand you were getting that far previously while you still had a problem.

Similarly in your computer browser address box enter 192.168.100.1 If that works, the computer is getting to the modem. That 192.168.100.1 is common for a cable modem, but maybe not for all. I suspect you will not get that web page while you still have problems.


I doubt that would work since the router couldn't get an external address. I'd bet it is the Mac address cloning or a dead external port on the router.

 

[barlowc]

OP Update: So when I got around to fiddling with it earlier this evening, the router wouldn't even power-on when plugged in. So apparently it was on it's way to dying.

I had a Linksys WRT54GS that I was just using as a wireless access point, so I restored it to factory settings, connected it to the cable modem, and plugged it in. Also immediately without having to do much futzing, computers in the house regained internet access.

I have some tweaking to do, but it appears that this was just a case of a failing/failed router. May it rest in peace!

 

[Vikas]

Doesn't everybody keep a spare router in their closet, just in case? You really should!

 

[Rand]

I have 4 routers in the house and a disabled one on the cable modem... lol

I changed my network to only need 2 now

I have to have legacy .54g wpa encryption for a ps3, cell phones, and wireless laser printer.

and wpa2 .54N for laptops and network streaming.

also just moved the 2 laptops to 5ghz band.

if one of these 2 die.. I can always turn the cable modem wireless back on.. its decent.


I also have a spare simple gigabit switch just in case.

the 2 main desktop computers and my 2tb iomega nas depend on it.