I went ahead and switched to the linksys and thus far everthing is working according to plan, although I really wish I could have stayed with the 1184; I'd also scour http://www.linksys.com for info on their wireless befw series and note their fairly extensive literature on setup and troubleshooting. As I said elsewhere, I had to make the change because work demands an operating network at my home. I have to go with what works.
I just installed a Linksys BEFW11S4. It autoconfigured its IP with Comcast/attbi right out of the box. It directly replaced an 1184 which has worked only with fixed IP setttings copied from manually renewed leases since 2/14.
Others having this problem with the 1184 would be well advised to check their purchase date against Dell's 30 day replacement warranty. Dell refused to extend that to the 63 days from the date of my purchase of an 1184 to its failure. It is still within Dell's 90 day repair warranty, so we will see if they will honor that.
As an aid to Dell in solving this problem, and in follow up to my 2/15 post to this forum, I examined the Linksys' DHCPDISCOVER message through a hub connected between the Linksys and the cable modem during the Linksys' release and renew procedure.
The fixed portion of the Linksys' DHCPDISCOVER message appears properly formed, as did the 1184's, however, the Linksys appends two of the variable length options which the 1184 does not - client identifier (61), and host name (12), each with its wan MAC addredss as the value. It does not append parameter requests as did the 1184. The linksys' DHCPDISCOVER message draws a DHCPOFFER from the cable server, just as it should, whereas the 1184 does not.
Thank you Shawn. Let me know how your Linksys works because that's the way I'm thinking of going. When contacting AT&T/Comcast via email once again to see if there was a specific router that is compatible with their service, I was told that they do not recomend brands of networking...you can have one, but you are on your own in setting up. However, this person went a bit further when I said "okay, you don't recomend a brand but within the info on AT&T website one gets hooked into the Linksys home networking page when checking on home networking and that was sort of recognizing a specific brand". It was also the 1st time that anyone that I've contacted at AT&T acknowledged problems with Dell routers and AT&T and he said Dell & AT&T were working on that problem jointly.
He also gave me a 'how to' in regards to setting up router by saying: The problem some people have is with getting the router MAC address registered. First a computer has to be registered, which mine is so that's already done in my case. Then hook up the router to the modem, go to sas.r5.attbi.com, log in with your account # and registration code, then choose 'replace computer' to replace the network device MAC with the router MAC.
For my 2nd computer that I would be using a wirless adapter on, he told me that I will want to register that computer too. His answer wasn't as clear on how to do that, so will have to check that out.
This sure is tiring....I'd much rather just have 2 computers hooked up to cable modems to avoid any router problems but there's no discount for that and it would cost an additional $45.95 a month.
I did thry entering the computer and host names, because the linksys site suggested it in their "moving from @homte to comcast) page. It didn't help me. Wasn't sure what to put in the "computer" field, so i put "computer" , the actual name of my computer. Someone suggested i use my workgroup name.
I bought a cheap hub in hopes that it would work, but no dice, I'm returning it today. It didn't make sense to me, but what the hay, it was worth a shot.
On another note, my router actually stayed connected for 24 hours with the Static IP and I've gotten pretty good at getting it back up. I've decided to not spend the money for a few days in the hope that Dell gets this resolved.
I've noticed the information doesn't usually change on the renew of the lease, so I just set the static IP to what it was. For some reason, it only works if I reset it to a dynamic IP, save and reset and then reset it back to the static IP and do another save and reset.
As far as the other thread, I suspect everyone has either got the static workaround working and are just waiting for the fix, or have not got it working and have given up.
Regarding why the 1184 doesn't configure, the Client Identifier and Host Name are "MAY" options in the message for obtaining a lease using DHCP is described in RFC2131. They can be present, but they're not supposed to be required. Since it appears that Comcast/attbi's servers now require one or both of these "MAY" options to offer a lease, those servers are no longer DHCP-compliant.
On the other hand, Comcast warrants only that its service will work with a directly connected PC with Windows, and Windows (all versions, I assume) includes those "MAY" options in its DHCP requests. So in effect, Comcast has now adopted the Windows implementation of DHCP as a defacto standard rather than the standard implementation which is all the 1184 has.
'Sorry if anyone was misled by my reference to a hub in an earlier post. The hub was just my way of tapping into the connection, first between the computer and cable modem, which worked, then between the 1184 and the cable modem, which didn't work, in order to compare the DHCP traffic between the two cases. I connected the hub's second downlink port to a NIC on a second PC and used Ethereal to "sniff" and analyze the traffic. The hub didn't change the connection being "sniffed," or make anything work that didn't work without it.
I found that Windows (XP in my case,) includes the hardware address in two places that are optional according to the DHCP standard, but which the Comcast servers now appear to require. The 1184 does not do so, hence it fails to connect.
I've had the same AT&T/TrueMobile problems as everyone else, and I've been able to use the router by setting a static IP address, etc, until tonight. Has anyone else found that the static settings work-around no longer works for them? (My problem coincided with my IP lease expiring; changing the router settings did not have the same effect as last time.)
Also, I am so completely fed up with the ineptness of Dell's customer support (and apparently their engineering department: HELLO, the answer to the problem is sitting in the post two above mine! What are you waiting for?) that I'm going to go get a more dependable router tomorrow. I've had my TM router for longer than 30 days but fewer than 90--does anyone know what my rights are? Is there any way to get a refund, since the POS is not living up to Dell's most basic claims (eg, that it will work)?
Hey Cody: your company might find it of interest that there are a bunch of dissatisfied customers out here. I suspect that the posts on this board aren't even the tip of the iceberg--I pity the poor Dell owners who don't have the technical wherewithal to come here or figure out things on their own, and are completely at the mercy of the unintelligible support staff that man the world's worst customer support line.
Perhaps your lease expired and your IP was immediately reallocated by the ISP. Be sure to direct connect your computer to the cable modem again, run ipconfig/release and ipconfig/renew, and check to and be sure the connection is working on the new IP and other settings while direct connected before you copy the new ipconfig/all settings into the 1184's fixed settings page. Be very careful when you write the settings down; a single digit error or transposing the IP addresses and masks puts you out of the box.
After reconnecting the 1184 to the cable modem, you'll have to reboot the PC or run another ipconfig sequence so your computer obtains a local IP address from the 1184 instead of the wan IP address assigned by the ISP (which now belongs to the 1184.) The DHCP server in the 1184 works as far as I know, even though the DHCP client does not.
The lease may have expired because a DHCP client (e.g. your 1184) receives an IP address together with a lease time. Before its expiration, (or when rebooted) the client is expected to request a renewal of the same IP from the same server; failing that, it is supposed to request the same IP from any other DHCP server that responds to a broadcast on its subnet; failing that, it is supposed to start over, that is, broadcast a "discover" for a new DHCP server and take on a new IP. A client has 1 minute past the expiration time to stop using an IP before the network is free to reallocate it. In effect, if you're not there to renew the lease before it expires, you're evicted a minute later.
I've only probed the 1184's discover message and found it lacking two options that Comcast requires (at least in my part of its network.) My GUESS is that the 1184's request messages are also lacking those options, so if the 1184 is attempting to renew, it is being ignored, allowing your lease to expire and your IP to be reallocated.
i was able to reconnect using the work-around. my lease should have expired sunday, but it's thursday and i'm still connected. what a surprise. i agree with others that dell support has been unacceptable with this issue, as well as other issues i've had since i purchased three computers and networking hardware in december. everyone from sales to tech support to customer service has been unable and unwilling to help me. i've been as pleasant and positive as possible on the phone with these people and they still shove you off to someone else, over and over again. Hello Dell, you have our money, figure out the router/comcast problem!
The lease may have expired because a DHCP client (e.g. your 1184) receives an IP address together with a lease time. Before its expiration, (or when rebooted) the client is expected to request a renewal of the same IP from the same server
I have not lost connection since applying the workaround on 2/15. Do you think because I keep my computer 'always on' have anything to do with it? ( I have rebooted several times since applying the workaround but have not turned off the router or modem) I keep checking and the IP continues to renew to a new expiration date. I'm really happy about this and I sure hope it continues to do so. I just wonder why it works in my situation and not others.
ersing
6 Posts
0
February 25th, 2003 00:00
red and shawn,
I went ahead and switched to the linksys and thus far everthing is working according to plan, although I really wish I could have stayed with the 1184; I'd also scour http://www.linksys.com for info on their wireless befw series and note their fairly extensive literature on setup and troubleshooting. As I said elsewhere, I had to make the change because work demands an operating network at my home. I have to go with what works.
Message Edited by ersing on 02-24-2003 08:12 PM
DPoole
7 Posts
0
February 26th, 2003 11:00
I just installed a Linksys BEFW11S4. It autoconfigured its IP with Comcast/attbi right out of the box. It directly replaced an 1184 which has worked only with fixed IP setttings copied from manually renewed leases since 2/14.
Others having this problem with the 1184 would be well advised to check their purchase date against Dell's 30 day replacement warranty. Dell refused to extend that to the 63 days from the date of my purchase of an 1184 to its failure. It is still within Dell's 90 day repair warranty, so we will see if they will honor that.
As an aid to Dell in solving this problem, and in follow up to my 2/15 post to this forum, I examined the Linksys' DHCPDISCOVER message through a hub connected between the Linksys and the cable modem during the Linksys' release and renew procedure.
The fixed portion of the Linksys' DHCPDISCOVER message appears properly formed, as did the 1184's, however, the Linksys appends two of the variable length options which the 1184 does not - client identifier (61), and host name (12), each with its wan MAC addredss as the value. It does not append parameter requests as did the 1184. The linksys' DHCPDISCOVER message draws a DHCPOFFER from the cable server, just as it should, whereas the 1184 does not.
ersing
6 Posts
0
February 26th, 2003 14:00
jwatt
4.4K Posts
0
February 26th, 2003 17:00
Jim
jecast
15 Posts
0
February 26th, 2003 18:00
Thank you Shawn. Let me know how your Linksys works because that's the way I'm thinking of going. When contacting AT&T/Comcast via email once again to see if there was a specific router that is compatible with their service, I was told that they do not recomend brands of networking...you can have one, but you are on your own in setting up. However, this person went a bit further when I said "okay, you don't recomend a brand but within the info on AT&T website one gets hooked into the Linksys home networking page when checking on home networking and that was sort of recognizing a specific brand". It was also the 1st time that anyone that I've contacted at AT&T acknowledged problems with Dell routers and AT&T and he said Dell & AT&T were working on that problem jointly.
He also gave me a 'how to' in regards to setting up router by saying: The problem some people have is with getting the router MAC address registered. First a computer has to be registered, which mine is so that's already done in my case. Then hook up the router to the modem, go to sas.r5.attbi.com, log in with your account # and registration code, then choose 'replace computer' to replace the network device MAC with the router MAC.
For my 2nd computer that I would be using a wirless adapter on, he told me that I will want to register that computer too. His answer wasn't as clear on how to do that, so will have to check that out.
This sure is tiring....I'd much rather just have 2 computers hooked up to cable modems to avoid any router problems but there's no discount for that and it would cost an additional $45.95 a month.
cuibel
33 Posts
0
February 26th, 2003 19:00
I did thry entering the computer and host names, because the linksys site suggested it in their "moving from @homte to comcast) page. It didn't help me. Wasn't sure what to put in the "computer" field, so i put "computer" , the actual name of my computer. Someone suggested i use my workgroup name.
None of this worked for me
cuibel
33 Posts
0
February 26th, 2003 19:00
Someone said they put a hub between the router and cable modem and it worked? How might that work?
Also why is the other group so silent lately?::
Re: AT&T/Comcast and Dell TrueMobile Connectivity -- PLEASE READ
ShawnRosinski
20 Posts
0
February 26th, 2003 20:00
cuibel,
I bought a cheap hub in hopes that it would work, but no dice, I'm returning it today. It didn't make sense to me, but what the hay, it was worth a shot.
On another note, my router actually stayed connected for 24 hours with the Static IP and I've gotten pretty good at getting it back up. I've decided to not spend the money for a few days in the hope that Dell gets this resolved.
I've noticed the information doesn't usually change on the renew of the lease, so I just set the static IP to what it was. For some reason, it only works if I reset it to a dynamic IP, save and reset and then reset it back to the static IP and do another save and reset.
As far as the other thread, I suspect everyone has either got the static workaround working and are just waiting for the fix, or have not got it working and have given up.
DPoole
7 Posts
0
February 27th, 2003 01:00
Regarding why the 1184 doesn't configure, the Client Identifier and Host Name are "MAY" options in the message for obtaining a lease using DHCP is described in RFC2131. They can be present, but they're not supposed to be required. Since it appears that Comcast/attbi's servers now require one or both of these "MAY" options to offer a lease, those servers are no longer DHCP-compliant.
On the other hand, Comcast warrants only that its service will work with a directly connected PC with Windows, and Windows (all versions, I assume) includes those "MAY" options in its DHCP requests. So in effect, Comcast has now adopted the Windows implementation of DHCP as a defacto standard rather than the standard implementation which is all the 1184 has.
DPoole
7 Posts
0
February 27th, 2003 01:00
'Sorry if anyone was misled by my reference to a hub in an earlier post. The hub was just my way of tapping into the connection, first between the computer and cable modem, which worked, then between the 1184 and the cable modem, which didn't work, in order to compare the DHCP traffic between the two cases. I connected the hub's second downlink port to a NIC on a second PC and used Ethereal to "sniff" and analyze the traffic. The hub didn't change the connection being "sniffed," or make anything work that didn't work without it.
I found that Windows (XP in my case,) includes the hardware address in two places that are optional according to the DHCP standard, but which the Comcast servers now appear to require. The 1184 does not do so, hence it fails to connect.
chas45
2 Posts
0
February 27th, 2003 07:00
I've had the same AT&T/TrueMobile problems as everyone else, and I've been able to use the router by setting a static IP address, etc, until tonight. Has anyone else found that the static settings work-around no longer works for them? (My problem coincided with my IP lease expiring; changing the router settings did not have the same effect as last time.)
Also, I am so completely fed up with the ineptness of Dell's customer support (and apparently their engineering department: HELLO, the answer to the problem is sitting in the post two above mine! What are you waiting for?) that I'm going to go get a more dependable router tomorrow. I've had my TM router for longer than 30 days but fewer than 90--does anyone know what my rights are? Is there any way to get a refund, since the POS is not living up to Dell's most basic claims (eg, that it will work)?
Hey Cody: your company might find it of interest that there are a bunch of dissatisfied customers out here. I suspect that the posts on this board aren't even the tip of the iceberg--I pity the poor Dell owners who don't have the technical wherewithal to come here or figure out things on their own, and are completely at the mercy of the unintelligible support staff that man the world's worst customer support line.
DPoole
7 Posts
0
February 27th, 2003 10:00
Perhaps your lease expired and your IP was immediately reallocated by the ISP. Be sure to direct connect your computer to the cable modem again, run ipconfig/release and ipconfig/renew, and check to and be sure the connection is working on the new IP and other settings while direct connected before you copy the new ipconfig/all settings into the 1184's fixed settings page. Be very careful when you write the settings down; a single digit error or transposing the IP addresses and masks puts you out of the box.
After reconnecting the 1184 to the cable modem, you'll have to reboot the PC or run another ipconfig sequence so your computer obtains a local IP address from the 1184 instead of the wan IP address assigned by the ISP (which now belongs to the 1184.) The DHCP server in the 1184 works as far as I know, even though the DHCP client does not.
The lease may have expired because a DHCP client (e.g. your 1184) receives an IP address together with a lease time. Before its expiration, (or when rebooted) the client is expected to request a renewal of the same IP from the same server; failing that, it is supposed to request the same IP from any other DHCP server that responds to a broadcast on its subnet; failing that, it is supposed to start over, that is, broadcast a "discover" for a new DHCP server and take on a new IP. A client has 1 minute past the expiration time to stop using an IP before the network is free to reallocate it. In effect, if you're not there to renew the lease before it expires, you're evicted a minute later.
I've only probed the 1184's discover message and found it lacking two options that Comcast requires (at least in my part of its network.) My GUESS is that the 1184's request messages are also lacking those options, so if the 1184 is attempting to renew, it is being ignored, allowing your lease to expire and your IP to be reallocated.
shafra
2 Posts
0
February 27th, 2003 11:00
i was able to reconnect using the work-around. my lease should have expired sunday, but it's thursday and i'm still connected. what a surprise. i agree with others that dell support has been unacceptable with this issue, as well as other issues i've had since i purchased three computers and networking hardware in december. everyone from sales to tech support to customer service has been unable and unwilling to help me. i've been as pleasant and positive as possible on the phone with these people and they still shove you off to someone else, over and over again. Hello Dell, you have our money, figure out the router/comcast problem!
cayce1
22 Posts
0
February 27th, 2003 13:00
The lease may have expired because a DHCP client (e.g. your 1184) receives an IP address together with a lease time. Before its expiration, (or when rebooted) the client is expected to request a renewal of the same IP from the same server
I have not lost connection since applying the workaround on 2/15. Do you think because I keep my computer 'always on' have anything to do with it? ( I have rebooted several times since applying the workaround but have not turned off the router or modem) I keep checking and the IP continues to renew to a new expiration date. I'm really happy about this and I sure hope it continues to do so. I just wonder why it works in my situation and not others.
Thank you DPoole, for your continued support.
sselkirk
1 Message
0
February 27th, 2003 14:00
Good threads folks...
I've read all the posts to this thread, and when I get home this afternoon I will try the static IP tactic and see what happens.
I have 2 questions:
1) Has anybody experienced the same connection issues with CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS?
2) Can I have my Insprion 8200 connect with another access point other than the 1184 router?
If the answer is YES to #2 (I expect it to be) then I will also go to Best Buy and get a LinkSys Router and try this as well, just for my sanity.