Why does Netgear WGT624 wireless router "lose" the PC but keep the Mac?

I picked up a Powerbook with a wireless card and felt obligated to go
from a simple wired router to a wireless one with some wired ports
also. I opted for the Netgear WGT624 after having problems with another
brand that simply couldn't handle my DHCP broadband service (Comcast).
The router will be used for wired access by a Mac running 10.4.8 and a
PC running XP. There never were problems with having these two share
the old, non-wireless 4 port router.

Anyhoo, I got the router working OK last night, although it is
frustrating to have to work with IBM/PCs after being used to the Mac. I
used the "Wizard" from the CD that came with the hardware (it didn't
even have any software for the Mac), laboriously wading through the
numerous steps needed to "teach" the PC how to use or recognize the
router. Did not have to keep resetting the router after DHCP lease
changes, so all seemed OK. Today, though, the Mac worked OK (as well as
the Powerbook),but the PC internet did not.

How can this be? If the router had some DHCP problem, I'd think that
*both* computers would not get a working signal. I tried to reinstall
the stuff on the PC, but continually got messages that there was not a
working internet connection; this is even while the Mac was getting a
good signal (as during my composition of this posting). Is there some
pitfall I should know of in having these 2 systems work via a
wireless/wired router even though they were both happy and getting
along when on the old wired router?

Thanks for any help,
Paul

PS- of course, as I typed this, the PC started getting an internet
signal, but if anyone can explain what the culprit may be, I'd love to
learn in order to avoid future problems with it.

Paul Soderman wrote:
> I picked up a Powerbook with a wireless card and felt obligated to go
> from a simple wired router to a wireless one with some wired ports
> also. I opted for the Netgear WGT624 after having problems with another
> brand that simply couldn't handle my DHCP broadband service (Comcast).
> The router will be used for wired access by a Mac running 10.4.8 and a
> PC running XP. There never were problems with having these two share
> the old, non-wireless 4 port router.
>
> Anyhoo, I got the router working OK last night, although it is
> frustrating to have to work with IBM/PCs after being used to the Mac. I
> used the "Wizard" from the CD that came with the hardware (it didn't
> even have any software for the Mac), laboriously wading through the
> numerous steps needed to "teach" the PC how to use or recognize the
> router. Did not have to keep resetting the router after DHCP lease
> changes, so all seemed OK. Today, though, the Mac worked OK (as well as
> the Powerbook),but the PC internet did not.
>
> How can this be? If the router had some DHCP problem, I'd think that
> *both* computers would not get a working signal. I tried to reinstall
> the stuff on the PC, but continually got messages that there was not a
> working internet connection; this is even while the Mac was getting a
> good signal (as during my composition of this posting). Is there some
> pitfall I should know of in having these 2 systems work via a
> wireless/wired router even though they were both happy and getting
> along when on the old wired router?
>
> Thanks for any help,
> Paul
>
> PS- of course, as I typed this, the PC started getting an internet
> signal, but if anyone can explain what the culprit may be, I'd love to
> learn in order to avoid future problems with it.
>

Is the PC far from the router? Behind a thick wall? Is there a 2.4 GHz
phone in the vicinity? What kind of wireless card? Wireless USB? Give
us some more details, please. I have a combined hardwired/wireless
network with 1 PC and 2 Macs at home. There was no difference in ease of
setup for either.
Speaking of which, what a drag it can be to be a Mac user at times. The
hoops I went through to attempt get a USB to wireless to work on a Mac
were terrible. First I bought a Netcore card, which had crap drivers for
the Mac. Then an SMB EZ card, same thing (Realtec drivers). Got fed up
and hardwired the Mac (my other option was to fork over 100 $ to get an
older Airport card on ebay (the older type). Finally, I got fed up and
hardwired the Mac to the D-Link router. The PC, which is upstairs,
worked flawlessly with both cards (that I picked up for 15 $ on eBay,
BTW). The SMB gets better reception, though. Oh, and I went with channel
7 on the wireless network, seems to work best with my configuration.

--

Nicolas

Paul Soderman wrote:

> PS- of course, as I typed this, the PC started getting an internet
> signal, but if anyone can explain what the culprit may be, I'd love to
> learn in order to avoid future problems with it.

The fact that one computer worked on the router but not the other rules
out the router and the Mac. Make sure you factor in distance and any
possible interference, then after that recheck all your DHCP client
settings on XP.

Paul Soderman wrote:
> I picked up a Powerbook with a wireless card and felt obligated to go
> from a simple wired router to a wireless one with some wired ports
> also. I opted for the Netgear WGT624 after having problems with another
> brand that simply couldn't handle my DHCP broadband service (Comcast).
> The router will be used for wired access by a Mac running 10.4.8 and a
> PC running XP. There never were problems with having these two share
> the old, non-wireless 4 port router.
>
> Anyhoo, I got the router working OK last night, although it is
> frustrating to have to work with IBM/PCs after being used to the Mac. I
> used the "Wizard" from the CD that came with the hardware (it didn't
> even have any software for the Mac), laboriously wading through the
> numerous steps needed to "teach" the PC how to use or recognize the
> router. Did not have to keep resetting the router after DHCP lease
> changes, so all seemed OK. Today, though, the Mac worked OK (as well as
> the Powerbook),but the PC internet did not.
>
> How can this be? If the router had some DHCP problem, I'd think that
> *both* computers would not get a working signal. I tried to reinstall
> the stuff on the PC, but continually got messages that there was not a
> working internet connection; this is even while the Mac was getting a
> good signal (as during my composition of this posting). Is there some
> pitfall I should know of in having these 2 systems work via a
> wireless/wired router even though they were both happy and getting
> along when on the old wired router?
>
> Thanks for any help,
> Paul
>
> PS- of course, as I typed this, the PC started getting an internet
> signal, but if anyone can explain what the culprit may be, I'd love to
> learn in order to avoid future problems with it.
>

Call Linksys tech support.

By the way I have never used any of the software
that came with a Linksys device, just point your
browser to 192.168.0.1 or maybe 192.168.1.1 and
configure it from there.

Steve

Nashton wrote:
> Paul Soderman wrote:
>> I picked up a Powerbook with a wireless card and felt obligated to go
>> from a simple wired router to a wireless one with some wired ports
>> also. I opted for the Netgear WGT624 after having problems with another
>> brand that simply couldn't handle my DHCP broadband service (Comcast).
>> The router will be used for wired access by a Mac running 10.4.8 and a
>> PC running XP. There never were problems with having these two share
>> the old, non-wireless 4 port router.
>>
>> Anyhoo, I got the router working OK last night, although it is
>> frustrating to have to work with IBM/PCs after being used to the Mac. I
>> used the "Wizard" from the CD that came with the hardware (it didn't
>> even have any software for the Mac), laboriously wading through the
>> numerous steps needed to "teach" the PC how to use or recognize the
>> router. Did not have to keep resetting the router after DHCP lease
>> changes, so all seemed OK. Today, though, the Mac worked OK (as well as
>> the Powerbook),but the PC internet did not.
>>
>> How can this be? If the router had some DHCP problem, I'd think that
>> *both* computers would not get a working signal. I tried to reinstall
>> the stuff on the PC, but continually got messages that there was not a
>> working internet connection; this is even while the Mac was getting a
>> good signal (as during my composition of this posting). Is there some
>> pitfall I should know of in having these 2 systems work via a
>> wireless/wired router even though they were both happy and getting
>> along when on the old wired router?
>>
>> Thanks for any help,
>> Paul
>>
>> PS- of course, as I typed this, the PC started getting an internet
>> signal, but if anyone can explain what the culprit may be, I'd love to
>> learn in order to avoid future problems with it.
>>
>
> Is the PC far from the router?

I thought it was hard wired.

Steve

Both the Mac and the PC are indeed hardwired; the only wireless card is
in the Powerbook and it works fine. I had no need to contact Linksys,
as this is a Netgear router. The one I had picked up *before* this was
Linksys and I had a hell of a time with it having to continuously be
reset after not being able to properly handle the DHCP leases. I
researched this and learned that it was a firmware problem and felt it
was easier to just return it for another brand.

It seems to me that maybe the PC just needs to "get used to" the
router, as it did eventually accept the signal without me doing
anything more. I have a feeling, however, that this may be shortlived.
When checking out the router through the Mac system prefs and accessing
the router via the IP address, I first saw that the router was not
showing the PC as a hooked up device; when the PC got a signal, I
rechecked the router again and saw it as device #2. I saved the
settings to a file just in case I need to "refresh" the router, as per
the firmware or software which indicates that this can be done.

Am I on the right track here?

Steve de Mena wrote:
> Nashton wrote:
> > Paul Soderman wrote:
> >> I picked up a Powerbook with a wireless card and felt obligated to go
> >> from a simple wired router to a wireless one with some wired ports
> >> also. I opted for the Netgear WGT624 after having problems with another
> >> brand that simply couldn't handle my DHCP broadband service (Comcast).
> >> The router will be used for wired access by a Mac running 10.4.8 and a
> >> PC running XP. There never were problems with having these two share
> >> the old, non-wireless 4 port router.
> >>
> >> Anyhoo, I got the router working OK last night, although it is
> >> frustrating to have to work with IBM/PCs after being used to the Mac. I
> >> used the "Wizard" from the CD that came with the hardware (it didn't
> >> even have any software for the Mac), laboriously wading through the
> >> numerous steps needed to "teach" the PC how to use or recognize the
> >> router. Did not have to keep resetting the router after DHCP lease
> >> changes, so all seemed OK. Today, though, the Mac worked OK (as well as
> >> the Powerbook),but the PC internet did not.
> >>
> >> How can this be? If the router had some DHCP problem, I'd think that
> >> *both* computers would not get a working signal. I tried to reinstall
> >> the stuff on the PC, but continually got messages that there was not a
> >> working internet connection; this is even while the Mac was getting a
> >> good signal (as during my composition of this posting). Is there some
> >> pitfall I should know of in having these 2 systems work via a
> >> wireless/wired router even though they were both happy and getting
> >> along when on the old wired router?
> >>
> >> Thanks for any help,
> >> Paul
> >>
> >> PS- of course, as I typed this, the PC started getting an internet
> >> signal, but if anyone can explain what the culprit may be, I'd love to
> >> learn in order to avoid future problems with it.
> >>
> >
> > Is the PC far from the router?
>
> I thought it was hard wired.
>
> Steve

On 30 Nov 2006 17:05:34 -0800, "Paul Soderman" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote
in <(E-Mail Removed) om>:

>I picked up a Powerbook with a wireless card and felt obligated to go
>from a simple wired router to a wireless one with some wired ports
>also. I opted for the Netgear WGT624 after having problems with another
>brand that simply couldn't handle my DHCP broadband service (Comcast).
>The router will be used for wired access by a Mac running 10.4.8 and a
>PC running XP. There never were problems with having these two share
>the old, non-wireless 4 port router.
>
>Anyhoo, I got the router working OK last night, although it is
>frustrating to have to work with IBM/PCs after being used to the Mac. I
>used the "Wizard" from the CD that came with the hardware (it didn't
>even have any software for the Mac), laboriously wading through the
>numerous steps needed to "teach" the PC how to use or recognize the
>router. Did not have to keep resetting the router after DHCP lease
>changes, so all seemed OK. Today, though, the Mac worked OK (as well as
>the Powerbook),but the PC internet did not.
>
>How can this be? ...

Hard to say without more information. When this happen, open a command
window; run "IPCONFIG /ALL"; and post the exact output here.

--
Best regards, FAQ for Wireless Internet: <http://Wireless.wikia.com>
John Navas FAQ for Wi-Fi: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi>
Wi-Fi How To: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_HowTo>
Fixes to Wi-Fi Problems: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_Fixes>

Paul Soderman wrote:
> Both the Mac and the PC are indeed hardwired; the only wireless card is
> in the Powerbook and it works fine. I had no need to contact Linksys,
> as this is a Netgear router. The one I had picked up *before* this was
> Linksys and I had a hell of a time with it having to continuously be
> reset after not being able to properly handle the DHCP leases. I
> researched this and learned that it was a firmware problem and felt it
> was easier to just return it for another brand.
>
> It seems to me that maybe the PC just needs to "get used to" the
> router, as it did eventually accept the signal without me doing
> anything more. I have a feeling, however, that this may be shortlived.

On your NIC if it is set to "Auto" change it to
"100 Full" and if it is set to "100 Full" change
it to "Auto".

Steve

In <(E-Mail Removed) om> Paul Soderman
wrote:
>
> PS- of course, as I typed this, the PC started getting an internet
> signal, but if anyone can explain what the culprit may be, I'd love to
> learn in order to avoid future problems with it.

Windows can take several minutes to realise it's got a network
connection.

As Steve says, don't bother with any software supplied with the router,
just use your browser.

The other thing it might be worth doing is a firmware update on the
router.

--

Peter

On Thu, 30 Nov 2006 20:05:34 -0500, Paul Soderman wrote
(in article <(E-Mail Removed) om>):

> I picked up a Powerbook with a wireless card and felt obligated to go
> from a simple wired router to a wireless one with some wired ports
> also. I opted for the Netgear WGT624 after having problems with another
> brand that simply couldn't handle my DHCP broadband service (Comcast).
> The router will be used for wired access by a Mac running 10.4.8 and a
> PC running XP. There never were problems with having these two share
> the old, non-wireless 4 port router.
>
> Anyhoo, I got the router working OK last night, although it is
> frustrating to have to work with IBM/PCs after being used to the Mac. I
> used the "Wizard" from the CD that came with the hardware (it didn't
> even have any software for the Mac), laboriously wading through the
> numerous steps needed to "teach" the PC how to use or recognize the
> router.

I've always simply ignored any such 'Wizard' and simply configured the router
by hand. Q: what's the router's NAT-side IP address? Linksys routers
typically are set to 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1 at the factory.

> Did not have to keep resetting the router after DHCP lease
> changes, so all seemed OK. Today, though, the Mac worked OK (as well as
> the Powerbook),but the PC internet did not.

Are you running WinXP on the WinBox? If so, do you have the firewall turned
on? Is the WinBox set to use DHCP?

>
> How can this be? If the router had some DHCP problem, I'd think that
> *both* computers would not get a working signal. I tried to reinstall
> the stuff on the PC, but continually got messages that there was not a
> working internet connection; this is even while the Mac was getting a
> good signal (as during my composition of this posting). Is there some
> pitfall I should know of in having these 2 systems work via a
> wireless/wired router even though they were both happy and getting
> along when on the old wired router?

you did ipconfig /all to determine the IP on the WinBox, and then ipconfig
/release and ipconfig /renew to clear the lease and grab a new one, right?

>
> Thanks for any help,
> Paul
>
> PS- of course, as I typed this, the PC started getting an internet
> signal, but if anyone can explain what the culprit may be, I'd love to
> learn in order to avoid future problems with it.

Possible lease problem. Do an ipconfig /all on the Winbox. Do an ifconfig -a
on one of the Macs and compare the inet line to the output of the ipconfig.
See if both the Mac and the Winbox are on the same subnet.



--
email to oshea dot j dot j at gmail dot com.