A client of mine has just given me a wireless router to check (US
Robotics 5462). He no longer is able to connect wireless with a USB key
(also US Robotics, 5422) to the router.
So first things first, I tried hooking up my own machine via LAN cable to
the router, in order to get access to the configuration of the router.
Here, I noticed that the router just passed through the IP that was given
to the router to the first LAN connection! My ISP assigns me an IP in the
range 84.x.x.x on my own router, and the wireless router got the same IP.
When I checked the IP on my machine, connected to this router, it was the
same as the IP given to me by my ISP! This should not happen, should it?
Naturally, this meant I was not able to connect to the configuration
screens of the router (192.168.2.1), so I disconnected the ISP cable and
connected to the router with my machine set on a fixed IP of 192.168.2.2
.. No success.
I've tried resetting the router, to no avail.
There is no way to connect to the router, no way to get a decent
(internal) IP from the router, and when it's turned on I cannot see a
wireless router nearby with a US Robotics ID.
Does anybody have any idea as to what is going on here? I'm starting to
think the router might be damaged, but then again: why would it pass
through the ISP's IP?
>A client of mine has just given me a wireless router to check (US
>Robotics 5462). He no longer is able to connect wireless with a USB key
>(also US Robotics, 5422) to the router.
>
>So first things first, I tried hooking up my own machine via LAN cable to
>the router, in order to get access to the configuration of the router.
>
>Here, I noticed that the router just passed through the IP that was given
>to the router to the first LAN connection! My ISP assigns me an IP in the
>range 84.x.x.x on my own router, and the wireless router got the same IP.
>
>When I checked the IP on my machine, connected to this router, it was the
>same as the IP given to me by my ISP! This should not happen, should it?
>
>Naturally, this meant I was not able to connect to the configuration
>screens of the router (192.168.2.1), so I disconnected the ISP cable and
>connected to the router with my machine set on a fixed IP of 192.168.2.2
>. No success.
>
>I've tried resetting the router, to no avail.
>
>There is no way to connect to the router, no way to get a decent
>(internal) IP from the router, and when it's turned on I cannot see a
>wireless router nearby with a US Robotics ID.
>
>Does anybody have any idea as to what is going on here? I'm starting to
>think the router might be damaged, but then again: why would it pass
>through the ISP's IP?
Assuming nobody has messed with the internal settings, the most likely
cause is that the CAT5 cable coming from the DSL or cable modem is
plugged into one of the LAN ports instead of the internet/WAN port. In
effect, the router is acting as an ethernet switch and the IP address
is coming directly from the ISP. Check the cabling.
Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@comix.santa-cruz.ca.us> wrote in
news:1464s29ks03303ibnqja6las23psudvpm2@4ax.com:
<snip>
> Assuming nobody has messed with the internal settings, the most likely
> cause is that the CAT5 cable coming from the DSL or cable modem is
> plugged into one of the LAN ports instead of the internet/WAN port. In
> effect, the router is acting as an ethernet switch and the IP address
> is coming directly from the ISP. Check the cabling.
Thanks for the suggestion. However, when I looked at the router at the
client's home, I could verify that the ISP cable was in the correct (WAN)
port. The only cable coming from one of the LAN ports went to his PC.
Then when I disconnected it and took it home, I connected it myself and
verified the cables again.
>Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@comix.santa-cruz.ca.us> wrote in
>news:1464s29ks03303ibnqja6las23psudvpm2@4ax.com :
>
><snip>
>> Assuming nobody has messed with the internal settings, the most likely
>> cause is that the CAT5 cable coming from the DSL or cable modem is
>> plugged into one of the LAN ports instead of the internet/WAN port. In
>> effect, the router is acting as an ethernet switch and the IP address
>> is coming directly from the ISP. Check the cabling.
>
>Thanks for the suggestion. However, when I looked at the router at the
>client's home, I could verify that the ISP cable was in the correct (WAN)
>port. The only cable coming from one of the LAN ports went to his PC.
>
>Then when I disconnected it and took it home, I connected it myself and
>verified the cables again.
Well, since it doesn't route and wireless connections are currently
impossible, it's possible that the firmware settings have become
trashed. I'm not familiar with SMC routers, but on Linksys, I just
punch the reset button and start over with all the settings. Lacking
any better suggestions, it seems like the next step.
Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@comix.santa-cruz.ca.us> wrote in
news:f9a4s2581p2a8f0pcitr6ca1dnk0dloblg@4ax.com:
<snip>
> Well, since it doesn't route and wireless connections are currently
> impossible, it's possible that the firmware settings have become
> trashed. I'm not familiar with SMC routers, but on Linksys, I just
> punch the reset button and start over with all the settings. Lacking
> any better suggestions, it seems like the next step.
Alas, as I stated in the original message, I've already tried resetting the
machine. I've even tried resetting it different ways (resetting according
to the manual, reset procedure as found on other US Robotics) just to be
sure. Nothing helped.
So what's the next step? The machine is no longer under warranty, so
getting it replaced is not possible. Apart from buying another one, I'm at
a loss here...
On Thu, 01 Feb 2007 18:17:10 GMT, in alt.internet.wireless , Ikke
<ikke@hier.be> wrote:
>Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@comix.santa-cruz.ca.us> wrote in
>news:f9a4s2581p2a8f0pcitr6ca1dnk0dloblg@4ax.com :
>
>Alas, as I stated in the original message, I've already tried resetting the
>machine.
Its screwed, in that case.
>So what's the next step?
Throw it away. A replacement will cost under $50, and you will spend
more of your own time than that fooling with it.
--
Mark McIntyre
"Ikke" <ikke@hier.be> wrote in message
news:Xns98CA9395DA7B0ikkehierbe@195.130.132.70...
> Hi everybody,
>
> A client of mine has just given me a wireless router to check (US
> Robotics 5462). He no longer is able to connect wireless with a USB key
> (also US Robotics, 5422) to the router.
>
> So first things first, I tried hooking up my own machine via LAN cable to
> the router, in order to get access to the configuration of the router.
>
> Here, I noticed that the router just passed through the IP that was given
> to the router to the first LAN connection! My ISP assigns me an IP in the
> range 84.x.x.x on my own router, and the wireless router got the same IP.
>
> When I checked the IP on my machine, connected to this router, it was the
> same as the IP given to me by my ISP! This should not happen, should it?
>
> Naturally, this meant I was not able to connect to the configuration
> screens of the router (192.168.2.1), so I disconnected the ISP cable and
> connected to the router with my machine set on a fixed IP of 192.168.2.2
> . No success.
>
> I've tried resetting the router, to no avail.
>
> There is no way to connect to the router, no way to get a decent
> (internal) IP from the router, and when it's turned on I cannot see a
> wireless router nearby with a US Robotics ID.
>
> Does anybody have any idea as to what is going on here? I'm starting to
> think the router might be damaged, but then again: why would it pass
> through the ISP's IP?
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Ikke
One of my wireless routers is a DLink DI-764 (802.11a/b) that I've had since
2002.
After four years of 24/7 burning, its now starting to occassionaly go
squirrely.
The radios sometimes just go off and, similiar to your USR, it also
sometimes decides that it would be happier living life as just a switch.
I'd say the USR router is gone. Choking on it's firmware or the hardware
just went bad. Either way, its deserving of a proper burial.
You did all you could.
Last desperate ditch, look at the online config below to see if it has some
sort of weird funky mode to be put into this hard state:
Ikke wrote:
> Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@comix.santa-cruz.ca.us> wrote in
> news:f9a4s2581p2a8f0pcitr6ca1dnk0dloblg@4ax.com:
>
> <snip>
>
>>Well, since it doesn't route and wireless connections are currently
>>impossible, it's possible that the firmware settings have become
>>trashed. I'm not familiar with SMC routers, but on Linksys, I just
>>punch the reset button and start over with all the settings. Lacking
>>any better suggestions, it seems like the next step.
>
>
> Alas, as I stated in the original message, I've already tried resetting the
> machine. I've even tried resetting it different ways (resetting according
> to the manual, reset procedure as found on other US Robotics) just to be
> sure. Nothing helped.
>
> So what's the next step? The machine is no longer under warranty, so
> getting it replaced is not possible. Apart from buying another one, I'm at
> a loss here...
>
> Thanks,
>
> Ikke
If you flash the router with the firmware, which might fix the problem,
and the router continues to act up, then the router is through. They
don't last forever.
Wireless router is no longer a router? 
Linear Mode
