WRT54GS problem

Hi,

My Linksys wrt54gs with DD-WRT acts really weird.

I have unplugged and plugged the power, and thinks I have fried
something.

The ethernet ports work perfect. All computers can see each other.

I can also see the AP I connect to (I run it in client mode).

I get a signal about 68db below 98db noise - that is quite OK and used
to work.

But it looks like something blown in the router. Even though I have
wifi access, no IP packages passes through the wifi-link.

Any idea on what it can be, or how to diagnose it?

It is not the AP, I am writing this from another computer sitting on
that AP.

/JJ

On 7 Jul 2006 10:41:33 -0700, "jj92_2" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
<(E-Mail Removed) .com>:

>My Linksys wrt54gs with DD-WRT acts really weird.
>
>I have unplugged and plugged the power, and thinks I have fried
>something.
>
>The ethernet ports work perfect. All computers can see each other.
>
>I can also see the AP I connect to (I run it in client mode).
>
>I get a signal about 68db below 98db noise - that is quite OK and used
>to work.
>
>But it looks like something blown in the router. Even though I have
>wifi access, no IP packages passes through the wifi-link.

How about wired?
What are the *exact* failure symptoms?
Are wireless clients getting DHCP addresses?

>Any idea on what it can be, or how to diagnose it?
>
>It is not the AP, I am writing this from another computer sitting on
>that AP.

Wired or wireless?

--
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_How_To>
Fixes to Wi-Fi Problems: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_Fixes>

"John Navas" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> On 7 Jul 2006 10:41:33 -0700, "jj92_2" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
> <(E-Mail Removed) .com>:
>
>>My Linksys wrt54gs with DD-WRT acts really weird.
>>
>>I have unplugged and plugged the power, and thinks I have fried
>>something.
>>
>>The ethernet ports work perfect. All computers can see each other.
>>
>>I can also see the AP I connect to (I run it in client mode).
>>
>>I get a signal about 68db below 98db noise - that is quite OK and used
>>to work.
>>
>>But it looks like something blown in the router. Even though I have
>>wifi access, no IP packages passes through the wifi-link.
>
> How about wired?
> What are the *exact* failure symptoms?
> Are wireless clients getting DHCP addresses?
>
>>Any idea on what it can be, or how to diagnose it?
>>
>>It is not the AP, I am writing this from another computer sitting on
>>that AP.
>
> Wired or wireless?
>
> --
Are you just plain thick! READ the message. I'm not going to explain it,
if you don't understand or can't keep up - don't bother.

On Fri, 07 Jul 2006 20:37:47 GMT, "Dave" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
<vCzrg.8478$(E-Mail Removed)>:

>"John Navas" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>news:(E-Mail Removed).. .
>> On 7 Jul 2006 10:41:33 -0700, "jj92_2" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in
>> <(E-Mail Removed) .com>:
>>
>>>My Linksys wrt54gs with DD-WRT acts really weird.
>>>
>>>I have unplugged and plugged the power, and thinks I have fried
>>>something.
>>>
>>>The ethernet ports work perfect. All computers can see each other.
>>>
>>>I can also see the AP I connect to (I run it in client mode).
>>>
>>>I get a signal about 68db below 98db noise - that is quite OK and used
>>>to work.
>>>
>>>But it looks like something blown in the router. Even though I have
>>>wifi access, no IP packages passes through the wifi-link.
>>
>> How about wired?
>> What are the *exact* failure symptoms?
>> Are wireless clients getting DHCP addresses?
>>
>>>Any idea on what it can be, or how to diagnose it?
>>>
>>>It is not the AP, I am writing this from another computer sitting on
>>>that AP.
>>
>> Wired or wireless?

>Are you just plain thick! READ the message. I'm not going to explain it,
>if you don't understand or can't keep up - don't bother.

I don't think I'm at all thick (though various ladies might disagree,
and I did read the message, and if I had thought it clear and complete,
then I wouldn't have asked the questions. I've now read it again at
your suggestion, and I still don't see the answer to those questions.
If you're not going to explain it, then I'm going to assume you don't
either.

--
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_How_To>
Fixes to Wi-Fi Problems: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_Fixes>

"Dave" <(E-Mail Removed)> hath wroth:

>Are you just plain thick! READ the message. I'm not going to explain it,
>if you don't understand or can't keep up - don't bother.

Well, that makes two of us that are "thick". I can't understand your
message either.

What do you mean by "wierd"? Diconnects? Range problems? Slow
downloads? Makes noises? Flashing lights? Voices from the dead?

I think you were clear enough that it works as expected with a wired
ethernet connection. However, it takes two to tango. What do you
have for hardware and software on the other end of the wireless? Make,
model, OS, wireless device, version, etc. While you're at it, which
hardware version of the WRT54GS are you using and what exact version
of DD-WRT? v23 SP1 or v24. small, tiny, vpn, generic, etc? Some of
the pre-SP1 versions were fairly flakey.
--
Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

Hi,

I'll try to describe a bit better.

I have entered the network manually.

In the GS54 V4 I get signal to the AP, I connect to the network (WEP
code), wireless status shows packages sent and received.

But seems to be that the TCP/IP part doesnt work.

For me it looks like something weird is broken in hardware.

What happenend:
I had DD-WRT#23 installed. It worked fine.
I unplugged and plugged power, and lost the TCP/IP part.
If I run DHCP - I do not get an address from the AP (Antoher Linksys).
(If I connect with my laptop the the AP, it works great).
If I run static IP on the GS54, I still dont get any connection.
If I telnet to the 54GS and do ping to the AP, I get "host
unreachable".
If I do it from the laptop, I get OK ping.

Then I tried to setup my 54GS as AP, and connect to it from the laptop.
It worked fine.

As I do not have my own internet backbone, I have not tried setting the
54 up as AP, with Internet connectivity, and check that that works.

>From my analysis, it seems to me that something inside the 54 is
broken, so it cannot create the connection to the WAN. This I still
have to find a way to test.

Any ideas on how I can diagnosis this further with commandline commands
inside the 54?

I have tried running a ifconfig - and it show me a lot of info I dont
understand, but I cant see anything about errors in there.

Any ideas on how I can test this further - before I go out and buy
another router (which is hard to find - especially the Linksys routers
here in Denmark are all much newer than those that can run DD-WRT.)

Best regards and thank you all for helping out

Jens Jakob

Your message is very confusing..

Why not try the Official DD-WRT forum maybe someone there might be able to
help?

http://www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/

Jixter

"jj92_2" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed) ups.com...
> Hi,
>
> I'll try to describe a bit better.
>
> I have entered the network manually.
>
> In the GS54 V4 I get signal to the AP, I connect to the network (WEP
> code), wireless status shows packages sent and received.
>
> But seems to be that the TCP/IP part doesnt work.
>
> For me it looks like something weird is broken in hardware.
>
> What happenend:
> I had DD-WRT#23 installed. It worked fine.
> I unplugged and plugged power, and lost the TCP/IP part.
> If I run DHCP - I do not get an address from the AP (Antoher Linksys).
> (If I connect with my laptop the the AP, it works great).
> If I run static IP on the GS54, I still dont get any connection.
> If I telnet to the 54GS and do ping to the AP, I get "host
> unreachable".
> If I do it from the laptop, I get OK ping.
>
> Then I tried to setup my 54GS as AP, and connect to it from the laptop.
> It worked fine.
>
> As I do not have my own internet backbone, I have not tried setting the
> 54 up as AP, with Internet connectivity, and check that that works.
>
>>From my analysis, it seems to me that something inside the 54 is
> broken, so it cannot create the connection to the WAN. This I still
> have to find a way to test.
>
> Any ideas on how I can diagnosis this further with commandline commands
> inside the 54?
>
> I have tried running a ifconfig - and it show me a lot of info I dont
> understand, but I cant see anything about errors in there.
>
> Any ideas on how I can test this further - before I go out and buy
> another router (which is hard to find - especially the Linksys routers
> here in Denmark are all much newer than those that can run DD-WRT.)
>
> Best regards and thank you all for helping out
>
> Jens Jakob
>

Did even more testing:

Reset my network. Plugged PC1 into wan-port of 54GS - to act as
"internet".

Set up 54 as AP.

Set up PC2 on the LAN port.

Set up Laptop on wireless.

It works great.

PC2 can ping/tracert laptop and PC1. (Internet)
Laptop can ping/tracert PC2 and PC1 (Internet)

So in normal AP mode, it seems to be that it works just fine.

Very weird.

I will reset again, try client mode once more, maybe upgrade to DD-WRT
alpha (24) and see if that fixs it.

I have tried resetting to factory settings too.

Yes, I might try to reboot the main AP physically (not just via the
web-interface), even though I cant see why that might help - since the
laptop connects just fine to it.

Weird, very weird.

JJ

"jj92_2" <(E-Mail Removed)> hath wroth:

>I'll try to describe a bit better.

You're doing very badly (seriously). I keep asking for exact version
numbers. Instead, I get truncated descriptions. You are apparently
doing an excellent job of troubleshooting (simulating the WAN
connection with another PC) but the descriptions are very vague and
confusing. I realize the English is not your native language. Your
English is quite good, but the organization and descriptions are the
problem. I'll try to illustrate the problem with my quesitions below.
Do NOT answer my questions as there are too many of them. Try to use
them as a guide for a new posting that describes the equipment and
symptoms much better.

>I have entered the network manually.

Does that mean a static IP address? LAN or WAN side? It's easy to do
those wrong. Fill in the blanks below:
LAN IP Address:
LAN netmask:
WAN IP Address:
WAN IP Netmask:
WAN Gateway Address:
If DCHP on the WAN side, look on the status page for the IP's. If you
have security concerns, do NOT post the exact WAN IP and Gateway
Address.

>In the GS54 V4 I get signal to the AP, I connect to the network (WEP
>code), wireless status shows packages sent and received.

Signal to what AP? I thought that the WRT54GS v4 is acting as an
access point or wireless router and that you're using some unspecified
client computer to connect to the WRT54GS v4. If there is more than
one access point in your system, kindly describe it. To avoid
confusion, especially when changing "modes", try describeing them as
"box #1" and "box #2".

>But seems to be that the TCP/IP part doesnt work.

The first step to solving a problem is NOT to blame something. TCP/IP
part not working is like saying "my car doesn't go". It tells us
nothing. Does your car have a flat tire or dead engine? What part of
TCP/IP is not working? What doesn't it do that you would expect it to
do.

>For me it looks like something weird is broken in hardware.

Again, please describe the symptoms, not your impression of the
symptoms. What looks weird to you way be a common problem familiar to
those with some experience.

>What happenend:
>I had DD-WRT#23 installed. It worked fine.

Try again on the version number. It's a bit tricky to find. Go to the
status page. It's in the upper right hand corner of the page. Include
the version date. Mine is at:
https://office.learnbydestroying.com:8080/
If you click on the version number, you get some more detail. Mine
says:
DD-WRT v23 SP1-RC4 (05/12/06) std
That's what I want from you.

>I unplugged and plugged power, and lost the TCP/IP part.

I started and stopped the car and it still won't go. That doesn't
tell me whether it's the engine or the flat tires. Try a better
description that does NOT include your guess as to the cause. What
part of TCP/IP does not work?

>If I run DHCP - I do not get an address from the AP (Antoher Linksys).

What other Linksys? Make, model, version, firmware? Is it acting as
an access point, client, repeater, or what? Just what are you doing
to "run DHCP"? DHCP is not a program. It's a service that is enabled
or disabled and is run by the operating system. Better description of
what you're doing.

>(If I connect with my laptop the the AP, it works great).

What laptops? Wireless or wired? What AP? Which AP (there are
apparently two)? How do you connect?

>If I run static IP on the GS54, I still dont get any connection.

Don't use static IP's on the LAN side. Use DHCP. That will tell us
if you have a connection.

>If I telnet to the 54GS and do ping to the AP, I get "host
>unreachable".

Host unreachable means that the IP addresses are not set properly.
It's difficult to tell without knowing the IP setup. See fill in the
blanks on the IP's above and add the 2nd AP to the list of IP's. If
you're using DHCP to set the IP addresses on the 2nd AP, then supply
what IP's are returned, even if it's 0.0.0.0 or 169.254.xxx.xxx.

>If I do it from the laptop, I get OK ping.

What laptop? Maker, model, wireless client maker, model, version,
operating system.

Do what from the laptop? What is "it"? What are you doing when you
try "it"?

>Then I tried to setup my 54GS as AP, and connect to it from the laptop.
>It worked fine.

I thought it was acting as an AP all this time? An AP is nothing more
than a wireless AP connected to an ethernet router. In this case,
it's all in one box but can be in two seperate boxes. How are you
using the WRT54GS v4 as an AP? How is the connection made via
wireless? Do you get a valid IP address from the AP? If so, you've
apparently still have the DHCP server enabled in the router section.
That means that you may have two DHCP servers running at the same
time. Bad idea. If you're going to convert the WRT54GS v4 into an AP
only, please disable the DCHP server.

>As I do not have my own internet backbone, I have not tried setting the
>54 up as AP, with Internet connectivity, and check that that works.

I don't think anyone in this newsgroup owns an internet backbone. They
cost millions of dollars to build and tend to more than what the
average user can afford. You could invest in an ISP, but that would
still be overkill. What do you mean by your "own internet backbone"?

>From my analysis, it seems to me that something inside the 54 is
>broken, so it cannot create the connection to the WAN. This I still
>have to find a way to test.

From my analysis, I have only partial clues as to what you're trying
to accomplish and what you have to work with. There doesn't seem to
be much of a problem with your troubleshooting abilities. What's
lacking is your abilities to describe the problem, the equipment, the
symptoms, and the testing. My questions above are to illustrate the
questions I'm asking myself when I read you posting. I suggest you
*NOT* try to answer them. Instead, start over with a description of:
1. What are you trying to accomplish. This is totally missing. A
one sentence description will suffice.
2. What do you have to work with? That means hardware, software,
versions, etc. Numbers, not partial truncated descriptions.
3. What have you done so far and what happened? That means describe
your test setup and what actually happened, even if you know the
results are "weird".

>Any ideas on how I can diagnosis this further with commandline commands
>inside the 54?

Pardon my warped sense of humor but I noticed that we started with
WRT54GS, then shrank to 54GS, and now are down to 54. I don't really
care what designations you use to describe a single box, but since you
apparently have two access points, it would very handy if you would
consistently use the same designation or abrev.

>I have tried running a ifconfig - and it show me a lot of info I dont
>understand, but I cant see anything about errors in there.

Wait. Let me check my crytal ball. Ah, I can almost see the results
of ifconfig.... drats, you cleared the screen.

>Any ideas on how I can test this further - before I go out and buy
>another router (which is hard to find - especially the Linksys routers
>here in Denmark are all much newer than those that can run DD-WRT.)

I still can't determine what you're using for equipment and software.
I also can't determine what is not working.

It might be helpful if I recommended the exact DD-WRT version. Try:
| http://www.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv2/down....23_wrt54gs.bin
This is v23 SP1 standard for the WRT54GS May 16, 2006.

--
Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

"jj92_2" <(E-Mail Removed)> hath wroth:

>Reset my network. Plugged PC1 into wan-port of 54GS - to act as
>"internet".

This is a good test for simulating internet access. I presume this
means that you cannot connect to the internet with your WRT54GS?

>Set up 54 as AP.

Wrong. Stop. That disables the router section which you need to
access the internet from the WRT54GS.

>Set up PC2 on the LAN port.
>Set up Laptop on wireless.
>It works great.
>PC2 can ping/tracert laptop and PC1. (Internet)
>Laptop can ping/tracert PC2 and PC1 (Internet)

Good. I'll assume you did this via wireless, not wired.
That proves that the wireless part of the WRT54GS v4 works. However,
you completely disabled the router section, which is probably where
you're having problems.

>So in normal AP mode, it seems to be that it works just fine.

AP mode is NOT normal. An access point (AP) is where the router is
disabled. If you plugged PC1 into one of the LAN ports, you have an
access point. However, if you plugged PC1 into the WAN port, the
router is still enabled and functional. What did you do?

>Very weird.

Very bad description again.

>I will reset again, try client mode once more, maybe upgrade to DD-WRT
>alpha (24) and see if that fixs it.

Don't try alpha at this point. Go with a stable version as described
in my previous message.

>I have tried resetting to factory settings too.

I've found this to be necessary only when going between radically
different versions. Still, it's a good thing to do in case some
obscure setting was set incorrectly. The defaults usually work well.

>Yes, I might try to reboot the main AP physically (not just via the
>web-interface), even though I cant see why that might help - since the
>laptop connects just fine to it.
>
>Weird, very weird.
>
>JJ
--
Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558