Fixing Your Linksys Router Problems Can Be a Nightmare
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I’ve been using a Linksys Wireless G router here at home for about a year and a half now. I’ve gone through a couple of computers, no sweat. I’ve moved a couple of times, no sweat. That router has been connected and re-connected many times, using different computers, and different cable modems. It always worked beautifully. The girls’ laptops connected wirelessly without trouble. All I ever had to do was to plug the cables into the right places, and it just WORKED.
Fast forward to this past week. We moved last weekend, just across the street actually. Comcast came and brought a brand new modem and installed my service. The guy leaves, I hook up the router… nothing happens. I didn’t have time to mess with it, so I kept putting it off. Tonight, I decided to fix it once and for all.
Not so easy to do. With everything properly connected, my computer showed a connection. I could ping the router without trouble. However, no web page would open, and no internet ’service’ would work. *sigh* Lovely. Ok, let’s do this!
I did a power down of everything, unplugged it all, reconnected one at a time. Nope, no joy. Did a complete reset of the router back to factory settings. Nope, still no joy. I then turned to Google, and the Linksys forums. First of all… what a MESS they are. You literally have to wade through page after page to even get to an answer, as they allow numerous people to all post in the same thread “My problem is SORT OF the same…”. I tried several small things that were suggested, none of which worked. Then…
I see a post about going back into the router’s internet page, and changing the setting to enable MAC address spoofing. Hm. During reset, I was told to NOT enable that. OK, whatever. Also, the next post said to change the router’s IP from the standard 192.168.1.1 to 192.168.2.1.
What the heck! Let’s have some fun, and try both!
I don’t know which worked, or if it was the combination. But low and behold… my network is running perfectly again. All computers and laptops can access the Internet. Hallelujah!
WHY was it so difficult to do? I am a way-above-average computer user. I know what I’m doing. And yet… it took me over three hours to figure out what the heck to do. It was a nightmare.
Tonight, in my mind: Linksys - FTL
9 Comments
the oracle
May 20th, 2008
at 12:04am
Most likely the Comcast system was looking for the MAC address of their modem, which if you have on the WAN side of the router should just work.
I never had to reset a router so many times as when I’ve used Linksys products. I have had great success with 2Wire, DLink, and even ActionTec, but I have alwayws had problems (nothing permanent, just annoying) with Linksys.
KY_Wildcat
May 20th, 2008
at 1:22pm
Ah forget it… let’s just blame it on Ballmer, and lets throw some more eggs at him. He looks like an ape anyways.
Jerry
May 20th, 2008
at 10:01pm
These issues with incompatibilities among modems/routers/motherboards are agonizing—and unforgiveable. Why should users have to search forums for geeked-out workarounds when the manufacturers should have done their jobs, matching the hardware, firmware and software properly. The standards writers should also have done their jobs in tightening the rules enough to prevent all this outright negligence and buck-passing. Tech support usually can’t fix these errors, and they know anyway that a lot of it is due to mismatiching hardware and firmware, but don’t bother trying to get a replacement device, they’ll waltz you around all night if you like, but they won’t replace it. When users have to get into technicalities like address spoofing, or IP address meddling, or port forwarding, then it’s time to call a halt because the system is hopelessly messed up. New and uniform standards are clearly necessary, and manufacturers should stop trying to palm off hardware that they know is out of date.
Michael
May 21st, 2008
at 1:45am
As ‘the oracle’ was saying but should have added is to go into the Linksys Router and look for the “Clone MAC Address” (or something with similar wording) and clone the MAC address of your desktop computer’s network card.
This goes for any brand router connected to a Comcast (or most cable modems) modem.
Since the cable companies only want you to have only one computer using their bandwidth (unless you pay for extra IP addresses) the modem refuses to work unless you trick it by cloning the MAC address of any computer’s network card.
Hope this solves your problem.
Aryeh Goretsky
May 21st, 2008
at 2:07am
Hello,
In my experience, The Oracle’s comment that the cable modem might be looking for the MAC address of the network interface on its Ethernet interface is the usual cause of such behavior. Sometimes, it is a provisioning issue on the cable provider’s side, too.
In the event of the former, calling the ISPs technical support and telling them that you have changed computers and wish to get your cable modem reprovisioned, including the updating the MAC address for your new computer’s network interface, is a good way to get the problem quickly resolved. There is probably no need to mention that the new computer is, in fact, a residential gateway or router, as some ISPs may just state that such devices are not supported on their network.
Although it is nowhere near universal, some cable modems have a simple status page that can be accessed via a web browser. Looking at this information can be useful if you are trying to determine on which side of the network a connection is not working. One popular IP address is 192.168.100.1, although you may need to find the cable modem’s manual to see if a different IP address is used.
Regards,
Aryeh Goretsky
Paul
May 21st, 2008
at 11:34am
Um…how did you connect to the rorums before you changed the router?
iphone
June 3rd, 2008
at 9:56pm
Bah, its not Linksys’s problem, its Comcrap’s
inkdesigns
February 14th, 2009
at 11:33pm
I just went through the same hell with the Linksys router I bought a little over a year ago. I went from now really knowing about ip addresses, MAC cloning, ip reseting, ping, and all that to practiaclly being a pro. Not really but anyway the point here is that i spent over over 2 hours each time for about 4 calls to tmobile and a few more to linksys. All of this for them to say “your router is deffective”. I had the Linksys modem and the Linksys router working just fine plugged to my two computers and my two printers all on network. Then we added the t-mobile @ home which had to have its own router too. we added that and everything was still working great. We moved to a new location and that’s when the nightmares began. My phone is not working, my printers are not working, nothing is working. If i plug the modem directly to the computer i get internet. but the second i add the Linkys router to the equation… i lose it all. Anyone know a good solution to having 2 computers, two printers and VoIP phone without all the headaches and problems? thanks!
geekman
March 4th, 2009
at 10:31am
Hi all there,
I have been facing the issue with Linksys Wireless Router,i need to re-boot it every day. Anybody knows the solution? I have been using the same router since 3 years and it was working fine for two years without any issue. but this days all of sudden this issue arise and till now i havent done anything except re-boot.
Is there anything like cache memory to be clear or log something ? Pls need help coz i am having 4 router in my resturent and guest are fed up now and me too im fed up bringing ladder and climb up in the ceeling and remove the power, put it back..
hell..
Thanks in advance…!!!