ethernet fails to connect

J

Jezza

Registered
I'm new to OSX but am wondering whether there is any way to do the equivalent of trashing preferences.
I have a G4 desktop OSX10.3.4 and a PB 1.5 gHz OSX 10.3.4 networked via a Netgear WGR614 wireless router. The router is connected to broadband cable internet. The PB communicates with the router via Airport without any problems but the desktop G4 cannot recognize the router. When I power up the desktop G4 the LAN light on the router appears briefly and then disappears before startup is complete. The LAN light also briefly appears on during shutdown.
When I open network settings on the desktop it says the ethernet cable is not plugged in. It is! I've checked it many times and swapped cables to make sure there is nothing wrong with the cable.If I connect the desktop directly to the router I can get online without any problem.
If anybody else has experienced similar problems or can suugest any solutions I would be extremely grateful.
 
You say that you can't connect to the router from your desktop Mac, but when you connect directly to the router, it connects fine ? ? Are you using wireless from the desktop G4, or wired?
How are you connected from the desktop G4 (be detailed - ethernet from G4 to router, or to the cable modem, or which is it?)
 
DeltaMac said:
You say that you can't connect to the router from your desktop Mac, but when you connect directly to the router, it connects fine ? ? Are you using wireless from the desktop G4, or wired?
How are you connected from the desktop G4 (be detailed - ethernet from G4 to router, or to the cable modem, or which is it?)
Click to expand...

Sorry. I should have said that when I connect the desktop G4 directly to the MODEM I can get online without any problem. My apologies that was a crucial error in my original post. I'm using ethernet from the desktop it is not wireless capable. So that's ethernet from the desktop to the router.
Apologies again for my original stupid error. Should have proof-read it.
 
Sounds like bad ethernet ports (or just mis-configured) on the router. Is there a way to hard-reset the router? Have you tried the other ports on your WGR614?
 
Also, are you using cross-over or straight-through "patch" cables? Have you tried plugging the powerbook into the cable you're using with the g4?
 
If you are not powering off the cable modem between switching between the router and the desktop computer, that might be a problem. Typically cable modems will bind themselves to the MAC address of the first device plugged in after they have been turned on. After that, if you plug anything else into the modem, the MAC addresses won't match and you won't get any connectivity. Between switching from the router to the desktop, unplug the cable modem for at least 30 seconds. That will clear the memory buffer, and allow it to bind to a new MAC address.
 
EvenStranger said:
If you are not powering off the cable modem between switching between the router and the desktop computer, that might be a problem. Typically cable modems will bind themselves to the MAC address of the first device plugged in after they have been turned on. After that, if you plug anything else into the modem, the MAC addresses won't match and you won't get any connectivity. Between switching from the router to the desktop, unplug the cable modem for at least 30 seconds. That will clear the memory buffer, and allow it to bind to a new MAC address.
Click to expand...

Yes, that would explain it, if there were no other systems connected, but the wireless portion of the router apparently works fine. A 'lost' MAC address would not seem to be involved here.
 
EvenStranger said:
If you are not powering off the cable modem between switching between the router and the desktop computer, that might be a problem. Typically cable modems will bind themselves to the MAC address of the first device plugged in after they have been turned on. After that, if you plug anything else into the modem, the MAC addresses won't match and you won't get any connectivity. Between switching from the router to the desktop, unplug the cable modem for at least 30 seconds. That will clear the memory buffer, and allow it to bind to a new MAC address.
Click to expand...

I think you might be right. If I switch everything off, in what order should I power things on to test this theory? Also is there a way to alter the way that the modem delas with MAC addresses? Is it the modem or my ISP that controls this. My modem is a Motorola Surfboard SB5100.
Thanks for your help.
 
Jezza said:
I think you might be right. If I switch everything off, in what order should I power things on to test this theory? Also is there a way to alter the way that the modem delas with MAC addresses? Is it the modem or my ISP that controls this. My modem is a Motorola Surfboard SB5100.
Thanks for your help.
Click to expand...
Power on sequence would be: (after shutting everything down and making sure that cable modem has been unplugged for at least 30 seconds)
Your cable modem first
then the router
then the computer(s)
In your case, the cable modem retrieves the MAC address from your router (the router locally provides the shared internet to your computers)
 
DeltaMac said:
Power on sequence would be: (after shutting everything down and making sure that cable modem has been unplugged for at least 30 seconds)
Your cable modem first
then the router
then the computer(s)
In your case, the cable modem retrieves the MAC address from your router (the router locally provides the shared internet to your computers)
Click to expand...
Thanks. Sorry if been tardy in replying, I've been away.
I tried powering everything off and then restarting in the modem and then the router. Then I started my desktop mac and ,hooray, I had connectivity. I then powered up the Powerbook and had connectivity there as well. It was late so I haven't been able to restart both computers whilst leaving the modem and router powered on yet. I suspect that I'll have the same problem again. It's not really very practical to have to go be switchingthings on and off all the time so there must be a solution somewhere in the configuration.
Thanks for your help I believe that you've pinpointed the source of the problem.
I'll give the NETGEAR guys another go on the phone. Seems like it might be pot luck finding a tech with mac experience. Hopefully there's way of getting the router to prevent the binding problem. Either that or some way to configure the modem.
Thanks so much. You guys have been a great help.

__________________
 
Jezza said:
Thanks. Sorry if been tardy in replying, I've been away.
I tried powering everything off and then restarting in the modem and then the router. Then I started my desktop mac and ,hooray, I had connectivity. I then powered up the Powerbook and had connectivity there as well. It was late so I haven't been able to restart both computers whilst leaving the modem and router powered on yet. I suspect that I'll have the same problem again. It's not really very practical to have to go be switchingthings on and off all the time so there must be a solution somewhere in the configuration.
Thanks for your help I believe that you've pinpointed the source of the problem.
I'll give the NETGEAR guys another go on the phone. Seems like it might be pot luck finding a tech with mac experience. Hopefully there's way of getting the router to prevent the binding problem. Either that or some way to configure the modem.
Thanks so much. You guys have been a great help.

__________________
Click to expand...
I was right. The problem returned when I powered up my macs the next day. I've tried setting them up with static IPs but that doesn't help. It seems that the only way I can establish the connection is if I power down both the modem and the router and then switch them on again. After this the macs both recognise the router. I've rung Netgear and they don't know the answer. I'm at a loss here. It's not practical to have to power down the router and modem every time I want to establish my network. I don't want to have to leave my desktop on all the time. I prefer to shut it down when I'm not using it.
 
Hammm I have a similar problem (see other thread).
I have the USB plugged into a PC, and the ethernet into my netgear router (same model as Jazz). Powering down the modem and powering it up again makes the ethernet active and not the USB. I know that I can solve all of this (hopefully) by buying a NIC for my girlfriend's PC but I dont want to spend the money, given that there is a chance that it might not work.
 
jezza,
No one has asked you what your Network Prefs settings are. Usually, the router gets set up to do the PPPoE authentication/login for you, and the computers in the LAN are set to just connect and Configure via DHCP - No PPPoE setting. Please check that.
 
Jezza said:
... It's not practical to have to power down the router and modem every time I want to establish my network. I don't want to have to leave my desktop on all the time. I prefer to shut it down when I'm not using it.
Click to expand...

If you shut down your desktop when you're not using it (Why not just use sleep?); then, what prevents you from shutting the router and modem down, too? With that, you can properly power up a barely functioning modem and router combination, that gives you the best chance at a working connection. Maybe you could borrow someone else's router (different brand) to check if the problem is your router, if the Netgear people won't help you.
 
DeltaMac said:
If you shut down your desktop when you're not using it (Why not just use sleep?); then, what prevents you from shutting the router and modem down, too? With that, you can properly power up a barely functioning modem and router combination, that gives you the best chance at a working connection. Maybe you could borrow someone else's router (different brand) to check if the problem is your router, if the Netgear people won't help you.
Click to expand...
I'll try to borrow someone else's router to see if the problem's my router. If it is the router, I'll return it as it's still under warranty.
Another thing, when I put my desktop to sleep the hard disks don't spin down, in fact I don't think the fan on my 667 G4 desktop ever switches off either. This doesn't sound normal to me. Sorry if this is a completely ignorant observation. I would just put the desktop to sleep, it's just that it's so noisy when it's apparently asleep.
 
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