Router question

jallcorn · Joined: Mar 07, 2005 Posts: 12

Linksys BEFW11S4 ver 4 wireless router, cable net connection, w/ internet going thru router system cannot access internet but connect pc directly to cable internet comes thru fine.

Is there a way to reset the thing? I have tried the reset button, unplugging/replugging power, each of the 4 ports (I don't use it wireless, only as wired) but nothing works.

Tried to update firmware but couldn't find the .bin file to update.

router is about 4 years old.

Is it fixable or is it time to go get another one?

James

drwho07 · Joined: Nov 29, 2007 Posts: 1546 Location: Central FL, USA

Good Morning!

That's an oldie!
If it's that old, it must have worked at one time. What's been changed?

I just upgraded my one year old Linksys WT54G to a Intellinet N Wireless router. The salesman at the Computer Warehouse where I bought the new router, made a comment about routers only living for a couple of years. I've been buying computer parts from him for over ten years, so I have to believe he knows what he's talking about.

Routers have come way down in price and my first thought would be to just replace that old router with a new one.

My second thought would be, check the cables going into the router.....make sure the one from the cable modem is going to the INPUT port and the one going to the PC is on an output port.

I just took a service call recently where the two cables were reversed.
The internet connection doesn't work very well like that. Wink

Stuff happens, even to the nicest people. Wink

I'm assuming that when you bypass the router, you're plugging the cable from the PC directly into the cable modem. ?? Right?
Have you tried, using a different cable from the router to the modem?

The reason I ask..... on my own system, the cable from the PC to the router was made up by a good friend and Computer Guru. It began giving me problems.
I swapped it out for a Store-Bought cable....end of problems.
Since then I wanted to use that piece of cable and I had to replace both ends with new ones.
Yes, I bought me a crimping tool and bag of connectors.
(Do-It-Yourself cables are MUCH cheaper than Store-Bought. )

If you're in the neighborhood, stop by and I'll sell you a nice Linksys WT54G Wireless router, real cheap. (I have three of them, two still new, in the box) I've just upgraded the firmware in each one.
This is what I'm talking about:

Good Luck,
The Doctor Cool

zlim · Joined: Mar 11, 2005 Posts: 2636

I do this: power down the cable modem, then power down the router. Wait at least a minute. Power up the cable modem and when all the lights are green, then power up the router.

Access the router from the computer (I assume it is 192.168.1.1) and look through the router settings to see if everything looks okay.

Do you have more than one computer? Do all the computers have the problem or only one?

BudDurland · Joined: Dec 05, 2002 Posts: 475

+1 for zlim's suggestion. Some cable modes "learn" the MAC address of the device that's connected at power-up (or the first device to be connected), and then won't talk to anything else until power is cycled again.

Also, make sure your PC is configured to automatically get an IP address; rebooting it after powering the cable modem & router back on is probably a good idea.

pcrattail · Joined: Jun 11, 2004 Posts: 406

OK.. we need to figure out how far you can get.

1. With the Router Plugged in does.
a. The normal lights, light up on the Cable modem.
b. The normal lights, light up on the Router.
... If no to any of these, let us know. ....

.... IF you have a second computer, set up a directory on both to share.
....... IF each can see each other, then the connections to the PCs are good.
... Can the Router be configured VIA a "built-in" web page ? If so, on one of the computers, bring up the routers config page. See if the Router has a setting to "clone" the MAC Address.

........ If any of those things don't work, let us know. ..............

goretsky

Hello,

As ZLim and BudDurland noted, it sounds like your cable company has associated the MAC address (a type of physical address for a network interface) of your computer's network interface card with your cable connection, meaning that only a device with this MAC address will work with your cable Internet connection.

Try contacting your ISP and asking them to reprovision your cable connection, including updating the MAC address stored on their side for your home PC's connection.

If they have somehow "regressed" their configuration and loaded an old one with the MAC address for the network interface on your computer, this should resolve the issue.

Regards,

Aryeh Goretsky