kmount327,

I suggest you reset the 1184 back to factory settings using the reset button.  The 1184 should work right out of the box without making any changes to its configuration, unless Charter requires PPPoE (an ID and password in order to logon to the internet.)  If that is the case, you will have to configure the router with the correct ID and password.

Are you trying to connect to the 1184 wired or wirelessly to do the configuring?  I suggest connecting wired.  Once you have done the reset, turn everything off.  Plug the PC into one of the LAN ports on the router using the ethernet cable you have.  Don't plug the router into the modem yet.  Then turn on the router and let it cycle up.  Next turn on the PC.  Once it has booted, use IPCONFIG to determine if the PC is receiving a TCP/IP address from the router.  It should be in the form 192.168.x.x.  Try to access the router at http://192.168.2.1

If you get an appropriate TCP/IP address, turn everything off again.  Plug the router into the modem.  Turn on the modem and let it cycle up; turn on the router and let it cycle up; turn on the PC and let it boot.  Access the router through the browser again and see if it has received a TCP/IP address from the ISP.  If it did, see if you can access the internet.  Try a ping to 4.2.2.1.

Post back with results. 

What is the operating system you are using to connect to the 1184?  And if you are comfortable telling us, what is your zip code so we can log on to the Charter web site and look at their High Speed Internet Help.

Message Edited by _Paladin on 12-22-2002 04:30 PM

Paladin - Thanks for the help.  For the first time I think I may be making progress.  Here's some basic info before I tell you what I tried.  I am using a hard wired connection to the router on an older PC that runs Win98.  This is the box that connected to the cable modem before.  I'll connect the new Dell with the wireless connection later.  If you want to try the Charter site my zip is 53717.  It seems to just tell you how to find your MAC number (despite their tech person telling me I didn't need one)

OK so here's what I did.  I followed your directions and right away I found the router at 192.168.2.1.  I still can't connect to the ISP though.  First, I tried re-inputting the MAC number only.  Nothing, so I repeated the test process.  I then tried entering the MAC number and the host name.  Still nothing.  Another side note, Dell sent me 2 routers by mistake and I haven't gotten the mailer to return one yet, so I tried them both on the odd chance the router was defective.  Same result.

Any other ideas?  I appreciate the step-by-step instructions.  As soon as I unhook the router and go back to connecting the PC and modem, everything comes back again.  The host name and Adapter Address are the same as before. 

 

Try first shutting down the router and the computer completely.  Then power up the router and let it sit for one or two minutes.  Then power up the computer.  This will allow the router to get an IP address from the modem and then, once it has it, allow the computer to get an IP address from the router.  If you can get into the router configuration screen, see if it is getting a WAN IP address in the range you expect from your ISP.

Steve

kmount327,

You will find a lot more information at Charter if you click on Computer Setup rather than Home Networking.

Everything that I have read there about Host Name seems to indicate that it is optional, although if it is specified it will not cause a problem.  Is this host name something Charter assigned to you?  The host name reported in Ipconfig is simply your Computer Name.

What we are trying to do is determine if a TCP/IP address is being assigned to the 1184 by your ISP.  This information will appear under the Device Status tab once you log onto http://192.168.2.1. 

First follow Steve's directions and let's see what you get.  If that still does not work, try MAC cloning.  Use IPCONFIG to determine the Physical Address (the MAC address) of the ethernet adapter in your PC.  Write it down.  Then go into the router configuration and replace the default router MAC address with the address you wrote down.  Recycle everything (Power down, power up, etc.).

What Windows operating system are you using?

If you connect directly to the cable modem and get it working on your Windows 98 computer, you can go to Start > Run and type winipcfg, then make sure your network adpater is selected (not ppp connection) and see what the IP address of your WAN connection should look like.  When connected to the router, the WAN connection IP address that you see when you go into the router configuration should be similar (it may or may not be exactly the same, depending on how often your ISP renews the IP address).  On the other hand, the router will assign another IP address to your ethernet card that will be in the range 192.168.xxx.xxx.  You should also be able to see this address for one of the LAN connections in the router setup as well as if you run winipcfg as described above.

Steve

I appreciate all the help I'm getting here.  I still don't connect to the internet, but I feel like I'm close.  Here's what I can do in my sleep now:  I can bring up the router at will.  If I connect directly for a while, then try to attach the router to the PC, I need to release the old connection and I then get the router IP address as my connection.  After I get the router I power everything down, connect the router to the modem, wait a little, then power up the PC. and try to get the internet, but no luck.

The last answer raised a question for me.  If I clear everything out, the router picks up its default WAN, which is not my NIC card's WAN.  If everything is working fine, does the router assume my old WAN or does it use a new one and my NIC keeps the old one?  RIght now, in the status tab, the router has the old WAN and the card has a new one.  I've tried it both ways, but it still doesn't seem to work.  If there's a right way, I'm sure I can get there.

I didn't do anything with the host name this time.  It was blank through everything.  There's got to be one setting I've screwed up somehow.  I'm hoping it will jump out at you guys.  I'm still hoping for a Christmas present! 

kmount327,

It would be helpful for you to post the IP addresses you get for each of these scenarios:

- PC connected directly to the modem.

- PC when it is connected to the router.

- The router's WAN IP address when it is connected to the modem.

kmount327,

Unless you manually clone the NIC's MAC address into the router, the router will present its own MAC address to the ISP.  That's why I wanted you to try that.  Some ISPs pay attention to the MAC address and disallow connection of another MAC address.  Your ISP has seen the MAC address of your NIC.  So cloning that address into the router would fake the ISP out, so to speak.

I'm still thinking.

I'm going to need to find a way to ship a lot of beer or other beverage.  OK here we go:

I start connected directly from the PC to modem so I can talk to you guys.  I run Winipcfg and get the following, IP address of 66.188.107.xx, and a Device (WAN) address of 00-A0-CC-A2-xx-xx.  These are the normal Charter settings.  The WAN has always been the same.  I have a lease on the IP address for another week.

I turn the PC and router off.  I disconnect the ethernet cable from the modem, plug it into LAN 1 on the router, then connect the other ethernet cable from the router/ethernet plug to the modem.  I turn on the router first, then after a minute or so the PC.

Once the PC is up I type winipcfg again and get the exact same settings as before.  As it it, I can't access the router.  I go back to winipcfg and release the settings then renew.  When I do that I get an IP address of 192.168.2.2 and the same WAN address, 00-A0-CC-A2-xx-xx.

Now I can find the router.  Here's what I get on the status screen.  No connection to the internet and:

DHCP Lease = LAN IP 192.168.2.2 and MAC 00-A0-CC-A2-xx-xx (same as before)

Device IP = 192.168.2.1

LAN MAC = 00-90-4B-31-xx-xx

WAN MAC = 00-A0-CC-A2-xx-xx

If I read this right, I've got the WAN MAC set the same as my original adapter MAC.

kmount327,

Thanks for that information.  One additional item needed.  What is the WAN IP when you have the router wired into your configuration?  Is it 000.000.000.000 or just not displayed or 66.188.107.xx?

Everything else makes perfect sense.  You have successfully cloned your PC's NIC MAC address into the router.  BTW, think of a MAC address as a serial number.  Every addressable network device has a MAC address and it is unique in the world.  The first 6 positions are a manufacturer identifier and the last 6 positions are unique.

Unfortunately cloning the MAC address has not resolved the problem.  I was reviewing the Win 98 DHCP configuration at Charter.com and noticed that they want ATTBI as the PC's Workgroup.  Can you verify that when you are driectly connected to the modem (no router) that the workgroup is ATTBI?  If Charter requires that, I have no idea how to configure a router to present a Workgroup Name.  I also looked at the Win XP DHCP configuration and it did not mention this.

No beverage required until we get this rocket in orbit.