Wireless Issues

PaulieB · 22-02-2005, 00:25

Hi, had a quick look through but nobody seems to have posted this one...

Have a STB, 1 Dlink 624 Wireless router and 2 pc's running xp. 1 pc is connected via cable to the router (a), one via wireless (b). Both machines can see each other on the network. The router assigns dhcp addresses to each client and the router is set for dhcp (i.e. receive dhcp address from the stb). In network connections in the ctrl panel, I have local area and internet connection and all the settings are correct. The problem.... no internet connection. Neither pc can see the internet at all. If the nw cable from the stb is plugged directly into pc (a), the pc works fine, can browse without a problem. Have spoke to tech support and they just walked me through the general setup. They did tell me to type NTL.START in the browser but that did nothing. In the router admin/setup program, there is an option to do an ip release/renew but it can't see the STB or it's just not receiving an IP. I know for a fact the router works as I tested it in another network (yes I did reset it between networks). HELP!!!! Stuffed if I know what it is.... Anyone?

Raistlin · 22-02-2005, 00:37

Hi PaulieB,

to CF

Not sure if it works with STBs the way it does with Cable Modems, but you should try the following:

Turn the STB off and unplug it from the power outlet.

Turn off Your Router and unplug it from the power outlet.

Turn off your PCs (shut them down completely).

Leave for a couple of minutes.

Turn the STB back on and leave it to settle and go through the bootup process completely.

Turn the router back on and leave it to settle.

Turn on the wired PC and leave it to settle.
Log in to the PC.

Test internet connection.

Turn on wireless PC and leave it to settle.
Log in to the PC.

Test internet connection.

iron25 · 22-02-2005, 00:47

I don't know how your Dlink router works but most should work in the same manner. I have a netgear router so I am basing my ideas on how it works. To get an outside world address the router normally needs to be assigned a mac address of the registered computer that was being used before the router was installed. I would check what mac address is being used and perhaps change it to the other one to see if it works. Also is the router getting an ntl ip address assigned to it?
__________________

Quote:

Originally Posted by PaulieB

If the nw cable from the stb is plugged directly into pc (a), the pc works fine

I missed this bit.

If the internet connection works with this pc then get the mac address and make sure that it is the one being used by the router.

Raistlin · 22-02-2005, 00:49

The problem would appear to be that the STB is registered to the MAC of the PC that was connected to it originally.

The steps I've described above normally work with a Cable Modem but I have this nagging suspicion at the back of my mind that the Set Top Boxes are fixed to one MAC address when they are first setup and that to get that changed (or to add another MAC) you need to speak to Customer Services.

I would try the steps I've outlined above first and see how you get on. If that fails then we can start looking at cloning MAC addresses (ie giving the router the same MAC as the first PC so that the STB still thinks that is what it is connected to) or talking to CS.

SMHarman · 22-02-2005, 01:30

what he said ^

The router needs to be registered to NTL or the MAC address of the registered computer needs to be cloned to it.

22-02-2005, 07:34

The easiest solution is to clone the MAC address of the registered PC. Most(?) routers have this facility as standard. Worked first time for me.

Aragorn · 22-02-2005, 09:22

If the NTLWorld homepages were up, the simplest thing would be to follow Robin Walker's 'how to register router with STB' tip.
RDHW Cable Modem Troubleshooting Tips

Aragorn · 22-02-2005, 14:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aragorn

If the NTLWorld homepages were up, the simplest thing would be to follow Robin Walker's 'how to register router with STB' tip.
RDHW Cable Modem Troubleshooting Tips

To be specific from http://homepage.ntlworld.com/robin.d...r.html#pacereg

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robin Walker

First connection to set top box on NTL

The first time each PC (or router) connects to the cable modem port of a digital TV set top box (STB) on the NTL cable network, then (having re-booted the STB) you should launch a web browser (which must have JavaScript enabled) and attempt to connect to any simple web site (one which does not have any "/" characters in its URL). You will be redirected to a special registration site for customer PC MAC addresses: if not, try sending the browser to start.ntl. Follow the instructions on the display, and enter a unique name by which this PC will be known to this STB.

It is necessary to repeat this procedure if you connect to the STB another PC (or router) which has never previously been registered with this STB. Once a PC (or router) has been registered with the STB, you only need to re-boot the STB when swapping to it.

If the device you have just connected to the STB is a router, then you should perform the registration procedure via a web browser in one of the LAN clients of the router, although it will be the MAC address of the WAN port of the router that you will be registering, not that of the PC running the browser. When you have completed the MAC registration page (or you are asked to close the browser and restart), restart the router (or make it request a new DHCP lease), not the PC.

This process of registering the client MAC address is quite separate from the registration of the cable modem HFC MAC address with the ISP.

Note that the MAC registration screen is only available to devices whose MAC address has not been previously registered. Once the MAC address has been registered, it is never possible to get back to the MAC registration screen. The site start.ntl does not actually exist.

(Don't know why I couldn't edit my own post

)

IPL · 24-02-2005, 14:41

I was asked to set up a friends connection yesterday. He wants to add a wireless router to an existing, working STB set-up. The routers is not given an IP address by the STB, althought it's been configured with DHCP. I asked my client to contact NTL and ask them to add the MAC address of the new router to the STB. NTL inform him that I'm talking ******** and simply plugging the router in will work like magic!

So, if I can't get it working tonight, I'm going to be heading down the MAC cloning ruote. I presume it's merely a simple matter of cloning the MAC of the PC NIC onto the router and cloning the MAC of the router onto the PC - I suspect the network wouldn't be too happy with 2 identical MAC's talking to each other?

24-02-2005, 14:43

all you have to do is go to the IP address registration page and register the router to the STB. This will happen when you try to access the NET from any PC attached to the router. Once the router is registered it will work fine.

NTL were right!

IPL · 24-02-2005, 14:52

Err - what exactly is the IP address registration page? I'm not an NTL customer - just performing some router config work for a person who is, so I've no idea where this particular page is.

I attempted to look this info up on the ntlhome.com last night but I was getting timeouts on pages.

Aragorn · 24-02-2005, 15:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by IPL

Err - what exactly is the IP address registration page? I'm not an NTL customer - just performing some router config work for a person who is, so I've no idea where this particular page is.

I attempted to look this info up on the ntlhome.com last night but I was getting timeouts on pages.

IIRC when an unregistered device (ie new router) tries to connect via an STB it gets a 'private' IP address that only allows connection to the MAC address registration page. Afaik you won't be able to see this page from anywhere other than a BBand STB. Never seen it myself as I have a SACM.

NTL have had major server problems over the past couple of days - hence the ntlhome timeouts.

Just follow the advice in Post 8 and it should work fine.

HTH

IPL · 24-02-2005, 17:54

Righto. Thanks very much. I was confused as to how I was going to be abe to view a web page via the router when the router wasn't being assigned an IP address by the STB! It's all starting to make a lot more sense.

24-02-2005, 18:27

To answer an earlier post, cloning the MAC address of your PC onto the router sets the MAC address of the router interface to the STB, not the MAC address of the router interface to the PC, hence you don't have the same MAC address duplicated on the SAME network. Cloning the MAC address in this way avoids the need to mess around with registering again as in post 8.