2 Laptops on a DSL Line

Jim,

Your setup should be...

wall > ISP modem/router > wireless router > wired/wireless

DSL Filters on everything excpet the DSL modem/router.

I have mine attached on the second floor. Signal travels like a radio signal.

Use these Recommended Wireless Router Settings I use channel 11.

The wireless N router is not a dual band, so if she has a wireless N adapter, that may be ok but wireless devices, like printers, cells, etc, may not be able to connect.

I would go with a wireless G or dual band that works on both 2.4GHz and 5.0GHz bands. Try to stay away from Belkin. Some devices have problems connecting to WPA Security.

Any questions, fell free to ask.

Rick

Hi Rick. I bought the router we discussed, a TP-Link TL-WR541G. It was quite hairy getting it setup -- took me about a week to get it to work consistently with my laptop connected via cable. The instructions were very complete including a Quick Guide leaflet, an Easy Installation application on cd, a full pdf manual on cd, and a web site with many FAQ's, and of course I had your WIKI articles to refer to. The main problem was that although I could get on the internet, whenever I shut down the computer/modem/router and started back up the next day, it would not load a web page again until I went through the router setup again or made other adjustments. The router and modem were not communicating correctly with each other. The instructions did not make it clear that you have to set the dsl modem to bridge mode. This vital information is buried in a FAQ in the pdf manual and on the manufacturer's web site and also on ATT's site. It says on page 73 of the pdf:

"How do I configure the router to access Internet by ADSL users?"
1) First, configure the ADSL Modem in RFC1483 bridge mode.
2) Connect the Ethernet cable from your ADSL Modem to the WAN port on the router.
3) Login to the router, click the “Network” menu on the left of your browser ....etc

Although I did see that early on, for several days I thought that meant that when I connect the modem to the router then the modem would be in bridge mode. After all there are absolutely no controls on the Motorola 2210 modem and no program in my computer to configure it. Finally after 4 days of having problems I googled and found out that the user interface for my modem is on the internet. I found the UI and set the modem to bridge mode and went through the router setup again and no more problems. After that it was easy to set up my daughter's laptop to work wirelessly with the router.

This is what I would advise anyone with an ATT supplied Motorola 2210 dsl modem when adding a "third party" (non ATT supported) router: These steps probably also apply to other dsl modems.

Step 1
While the Motorola 2210 modem is still connected directly to your computer and before you connect the router, shut down the computer and the modem. Power up the modem and let it finish starting up. Use a paper clip and press the reset button on the back of the modem for several seconds. The modem will restart. Boot up the computer.

Step 2
    Open a web browser.
    Type 192.168.1.254 in the address bar.
    Click the Go button or press the enter key on the keyboard.
    
     
Step 3
Enter your ATT Username and password. Re-enter your password in the Confirm Password field. Click on Next. Update the Auto Calender and click Next. The modem will try to initiate a session and then might return to the main menu. Restart browser.

Step 4
Now you should see the user interface for the modem. Click on the "Broadband DSL" tab. Click on "Configure Connection". Select "Bridged Ethernet" from the drop down box. Click Save and restart the connection at the bottom. This will automatically restart the modem and the interface will return after the changes are saved.

Step 5
After the modem has restarted your Motorola 2210 is now in "Bridged Ethernet" mode and is ready to work properly with a router. Turn off the power to your computer and DSL modem. Connect the computer, router and modem as per instructions (connect the computer to one of the LAN ports on the router, and connect the modem to the WAN port on the router).

Note: at this point you will not be able to return to the modem's user interface as in Step 2. If you ever need to use the UI again you will have to reconnect the modem directly to the computer.

Step 6

Complete the router's set up configuration as per its instructions. When asked to select your type of WAN connection, select "PPPoE".

Jim,

You made me tired just reading that. I think I need a nap. :emotion-5:

When I help someone setup their router and secure it, I use the smple procedure.

I first connect the ethernet cable to a numbered port, then to my comuter. I press and hold the reset button for 30 seconds to reset the router.

Setting up/Troubleshooting a Wireless Network

I usually follow the above. I actually had to make a system restore point on the one school computer because it would not connect. They had system restore turned off.

I then had to right click on the adapter, and uninstall the adapter, After I restarted the computer, it connected. When I go somewhere, I usually carry a wireless USB Adapter in case there are problems.

When I had DSL, I had the DSL MOdem installed, then after it, I put my own wireless router, that way I could control the netwoprk to be able to add devices, like my wireless printer.

Rick

When I help someone setup their router and secure it, I use the smple procedure.

Ha ha! Well I tried the simple procedure, then the intermediate procedure, then the complex procedure and they all worked, just wouldn't work again after a restart of the modem & router.

!st method: used the Easy Setup Assistant on the cd. Everything went ok until it asked me to select between Static, Dynamic, or PPPoE. Had to disconnect everything and connect directly to modem again to google those terms and find out I needed PPPoE. Reconnected the router setup and entered my  I.D. and password, then the program configured the router but gave an error message. I then contacted ATT to verify that I was entering the correct username and DSL Network password. After fooling with that a lot of times I went on to next method.

2nd method: configured using Windows XP

Control panel>Network & Internet Connections>Network Connections>LAN>Properties>Internet Protocol TCP/IP>Obtain an IP address automatically/Obtain DSN server automatically. That got me on the internet where I was immediately redirected to the ATT password reset page,where ATT reset the modem password to the same password I had been using all along. After that it was okay except when restarting the router & modem, then I would have to use method 1 or 2 again to get back on the internet. Sometimes neither method worked but if I waited 10 minutes or so it would connect. When the net did connect to the internet, the "internet" light on the modem would go from green to red. That was another indication that something was not right.

3rd method -- similar to yours but the instructions call it "Configuring the Device Using the Web Based Quick Setup Wizard". This is the one where you go to 192.168.1.1, enter the default user name & password, then manually enter settings. At first I used their "Wizard" but later as I got used to the program I went directly to the fields I wanted to fill in. Same results with this method -- worked until restart and the red light glowed when connected to internet.

I had a lot of work to do last week so I did not ask you any questions because I was not at home long enough to have a conversation. I found a FAQ on the TP-Link site that said to try certain steps. Two of the steps in combination did help. They were a.) change my IP address by a number and 2) change connection method from PPPoE to Dynamic. After those changes I could restart the router & modem and still connect to the internet, and the internet light on the modem stayed green as it was supposed to. However I did not stay with that configuration because the next day I discovered that the Motorola modem was supposed to be in Bridge mode, so I reset both the modem and router and started over.

4th method -- this one was a piece of cake. Set up the modem in bridge mode using the steps in my previous post, then configured the router by using the UI at 192.168.1.1. Set connection type back to PPPoE  like it was supposed to be. It has been working since.

Question. When I was setting up my daughter's laptop (see 1st post if need specs) I first connected it to the router with a cable to a LAN port. At that time I could see my computer and some things on it, and could see the printer that is connected to my computer. I liked that because there are files I would like to share with her. But when i connected her laptop wirelessly to the router, I could no longer see my computer. When I asked hers to show the network map it could not find any devices on the network, but obviously it is finding the router. So how to set them up? Her laptop has 7 and mine has XP so the settings look different in each laptop. Mine is configured for file and printer sharing and I have some folders set up to "Share this folder on the network".

Jim,

Glad you got it working! :emotion-21: Thanks for posting back.

Have a SAFE and HAPPY HOLIDAY!

Take care,

Rick

That did it.