Mac hangs with ethernet connection to extended router

TuckerdogAVL

TuckerdogAVL

Registered
I need to use an extended router (netgear) to get a good airport connection in the back of the house where my office is. However, it's never seemed to be as good as it should be re: speed. So, the other day I, I moved it closer to my computer. The speed of the connection did seem to pick up, in fact we went from about 8-9 to 22. Okay. Great.

I then thought, 'well, since I'm so close now, why not just connect an ethernet to the extended router," which I did. Okay, still getting about 16 on the speed test. Then....

It has all stopped.

I just hang now. I've renewed the lease, I've linked the external again to the router in the other room. I've disconnected the modem, and the routers... I have airport on for the wireless printer and that works.

But, if I attempt to connect the ethernet to the external router now (though it worked for about a day), I hang on mail and hang on loading the internet.

The DNS that was assigned to the airport ends in 4... the ethernet ends in 6. Don't know what the printer is. And there is another computer in the other room.

Is my ISP confused? Or what?
So, i'm back to just having the airport connection at this time (I was thinking the ethernet would be faster and just as secure)... any thoughts before I give up and throw the ethernet cable in the box in the closet. It's brand new by the way if that matters).

Thanks for reading!
(Running snow leop 10.6.8, macbook pro set up as a hard drive with external monitor)
 
We need to know some more about your internet/network setup...

What type of internet connection do you have? (DSL, Cable, something else?)
What router are you using? (what is attached to your modem?)
You seem to mention the MacBook Pro, so are you attempting to share your internet connection FROM the MacBook Pro, and hoping that will be reliable? (and you don't actually have a hardware router?)

And, can you tell how the Netgear is set up? If you are using that to extend a wireless network, then you also need to make sure that Netgear has its DHCP server turned OFF, so only one device is providing IP addresses on your network, and any other devices with a router function are set up in bridge mode.
 
What type of internet connection do you have? (DSL, Cable, something else?)
Cable

What router are you using? (what is attached to your modem?)
I think the Router is a Netgear 600N or something like that; the Range Extender that I was trying to plug the ethernet into is a Netgear R2000. Has four female connectors on it.

You seem to mention the MacBook Pro, so are you attempting to share your internet connection FROM the MacBook Pro, and hoping that will be reliable? (and you don't actually have a hardware router?)

Don't know what you are asking me. The cable comes out of the wall, goes into a modem (motorola), which goes to the router. The Extender which has been set up for 3 years and works perfectly speaks to the other router about 75 feet away. I moved the extender into the office so I can see when it goes offline easier than where it was; and it sits next to the computer. So, I had this bright idea that I can put an ethernet cable into the computer and into the extender just like the little female connectors show. All shows up on my computer, airport connected/ethernet connected. But, if I have both the airport on and the ethernet connected, the computer hangs. (The reason I have the airport on is for the wifi printer). So, perhaps the problem is the DHCP... but I don't know how to turn a DHCP server off if that is the case. (The ISP is Charter Communications).

And, can you tell how the Netgear is set up?
If you are using that to extend a wireless network, then you also need to make sure that Netgear has its DHCP server turned OFF, so only one device is providing IP addresses on your network, and any other devices with a router function are set up in bridge mode.

I believe when I went thru the torture of setting this all up, it isn't a bridge mode, or there was something squirrelly about bridge mode. Eventually it was quite simple. I had to assign the security code to it, go online and set it up at the router(s), push in the link buttons, etc etc. and magically it all worked. Not sure about bridge mode.

As I say, all has worked with airport and I'm using it right now. I thought I could just connect an ethernet cable to the extended router and into the computer and the connection (might be/would be/could be) faster than the wifi). The wifi is faster, though, simply because it is sitting next to a window that is in a direct line (except for the two walls it has to go through) to the other router about 75 feet away. (The signals have to get past a kitchen with lots of LCD clocks on washers, dryers, ovens, microwaves, refrigerator, coffee maker).

Everyone works. Except if I try to plug in an ethernet into the extender. So, it sounds to me I can't have both the airport on and the ethernet at the same time maybe?

Does this help at all? Don't know what else to tell you.... thanks for the quick response!
 
There's probably no real advantage with ethernet at your office using your current setup, because (ultimately) your connection in your office is limited by the wireless connection between the two routers. And 75 feet is what I would consider to be on the edge of usability - unless you are using auxiliary wifi antennas.
Ideal, I think, would be ethernet from the N600 (your main router) to the WAN port on the R2000 (the single yellow ethernet port). THEN, you would have the best chance to have a hard-wired network to the office. You would have a wired network, so plug in a patch cable to your iMac. You would select the ethernet network in your Network peer pane, or even easier, add a location, with Ethernet as the priority. And, you can turn off the airport card, as you don't need it on when you are using ethernet.
Or, I would find out if there is some way to get the two routers (somewhat) closer together. Sometimes, that's not practical without adding another wireless access point to "fill-in" a long distance hole.
 
DeltaMac said:
There's probably no real advantage with ethernet at your office using your current setup, because (ultimately) your connection in your office is limited by the wireless connection between the two routers. And 75 feet is what I would consider to be on the edge of usability - unless you are using auxiliary wifi antennas.
Ideal, I think, would be ethernet from the N600 (your main router) to the WAN port on the R2000 (the single yellow ethernet port). THEN, you would have the best chance to have a hard-wired network to the office. You would have a wired network, so plug in a patch cable to your iMac. You would select the ethernet network in your Network peer pane, or even easier, add a location, with Ethernet as the priority. And, you can turn off the airport card, as you don't need it on when you are using ethernet.
Or, I would find out if there is some way to get the two routers (somewhat) closer together. Sometimes, that's not practical without adding another wireless access point to "fill-in" a long distance hole.
Click to expand...

I can get them closer. It might be more like 50 feet. (I'm not good with estimating distances). But, I could definitely put the extender in another room halfway between the computer and the router. Don't understand why putting the two next to each other is a better thing than placing the extended router closer to the computer. Oh...it's an n300 (which is why I had to go this route. The 600 probably would have been fine in the first place.

So, currently its:


Den - N300, motorola modem, and the TV for netflix
*______
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|
|
|(dining room where I could put it about 25' but angled)
|
|
|
|
_______
* 50-60' R2000 sitting next to the computer (about 5 feet away)
|(could put the R2000 at about 25' unless we're using the dining room :))
|
 
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