verizon dsl ibook compatability

G

glpeppa

Registered
i need help. i live in new england and just got verizons dsl service and a wireless modem from them (westell link) is this also called the router? i have an airport card in my ibook but can't get the computer to connect to the dsl wireless only with the ethernet cable. what am i doing wrong. do i need an additional airport base station to work with the modem they've provided. i'm so frustrated because i am sitting here in my living room connected via airport to someone elses signal but paying verizon 30 dollars a month for wireless dsl i can't get to work :(
 
Do you see the Verizon wireless in your airport network menu? How do you know you're using a different wireless? What happens when you try connecting to Verizon wireless?
I am in the Philly area, and call Verizon tech support occasionally for help with my customer's connections. I ask for the Mac support team, and usually get someone who can help (or at least reads the script OK :) )
 
Quite simply, the Westell VersaLink Wireless Gateway has a lot of problems, I had to return two of them and the third one Verizon sent me is still pretty buggy.

If you open Configuration and select Wireless, you can enable 4x Support. This might help.

Most of Verizon's Mac support staff are thoroughly unfamiliar with both Macintosh and the VersaLink.
 
i'm definitely connected via someone elses signal because i don't even have the modem they gave me on. i talked to someone at apple support and they told me i needed an airport base station to work with the westell gateway way, this doesn't seem right to me as i supposedly have this wireless modem they gave me, the mac support team at verizon told me they don't support the airport, huh?
 
glpeppa said:
i'm definitely connected via someone elses signal because i don't even have the modem they gave me on.
Click to expand...

Do you mean you are not using the VersaLink that Verizon provided, or that you disabled Wireless Operation? Did Verizon tell you your password so you have access to the Westell?

If you can get into the VersaLink, try setting up the SSID and 128 bit encryption and configure your iBook to match. Here's an example of what your encryption key/password should like:

F25A9D7EC5C6D3A47A1C9B8C7A

Again, enabling 4x Support from Configuration/Wireless might help.

Anyway, your AirPort card is compatible with the VersaLink (as it would be with just about any wireless router.) You don't need a separate AirPort base station, you just need a working Wireless Gateway. If you have it all configured correctly and you still cannot connect wirelessly, chances are the Westell is screwy. I know mine certainly was.
 
first of all thanks for your help. i'm not too savvy with all the internal workings and id #s etc on the computer. well i wasn't temporarily using the versalink because i was online via someone elses signal in town. now i've typed in the SSID as a specific network for airport and it comes up in the airport menu but, the modem and the computer still aren't communicating. the wireless light on the modem just blinks. how do i get into the versalink to do what you were mentioning. i also didn't know where to go to enable 4x support. THANK YOU THANK YOU
 
The steady blinking Wireless LED is normal on the VersaLink. As Wireless is enabled by default, your iBook should be able to detect the VersaLink's SSID, which is the same as the serial number that you'll find on the bottom of the Gateway and in its setting Status/About.

To get access to the administrative settings on the VersaLink you first need to get your secret password from Verizon. They should have done this for you already over the phone, as the self-install CD they provide does not work correctly on a Mac (big surprise) and they do not include your individual password in the space allotted to it in the instructions included with the Gateway.

In Safari's Address Bar enter 192.168.1.1 From Maintenance, select Administrative. User name is Admin, Password is password. After entering that the page settings will go blank again, you then enter your desired user name and the password from Verizon. (You can change your password again in the same manner.) If for some reason you do not have an active DSL connection you might have to go to Home/profile editor to create one. Anyway, once you have entered your Verizon password you should then have access to Configuration, select Wireless/Basic and everything you need to configure for starters will be there, such as SSID, 4x Support, Encryption. You might also wanna take a look at the Configuration for Firewall, while you're at it.

BTW, which model of Westell do you have, the A (made in China) or B (assembled in USA?) Don't know which one is more buggy...

Hope you are able to get everything up and running.
 
thank you, andychrist. it is now working. i didn't know i needed to set up the versalink as a router. that part never came up in the registration/set-up with verizon. i really appreciate all your help, it's awesome, because lets face it, sometimes you can't get the help you need from tech support. THANKS AGAIN!!!! :D
 
Hi. I have two power books at home. One has an old Airport card and the other an Airport extreme card. Should I be able to connect both to the Westell gateway or will it only recognize the one with the "g" type wireless card? Thanks. Jorge
 
The Westell supports both b and g, and this "mixed" environment is enabled by default. That being said, I have found the wireless component a more than a little flakey; you might find it difficult to connect even with everything set up correctly. My VersaLink's browser interface doesn't even acknowledge all the devices that have successfully connected to the network, which makes setting up MAC filter tables a royal pain.

At least Verizon's DSL service itself is pretty reliable.
 
Thanks a lot. I sounds to me that it may be better to use the Gateway connected to the Airport Base Station using an ethernet wire, and use the Base Station for wireless distribution. Do you agree? Thanks again
 
Seems like a lot of Verizon's customers are doing that, using an AirPort or other wireless router as an access point. Supposedly though, if you do that, you have to disable DHCP in the AP, I think it was. But I have a D-Link DI-614+ connected by ethernet to my VersaLink for remote wireless distribution, with DHCP enabled in both devices, and the system works okay. That is, all our machines can connect fine to the internet but I don't think we would be able to network between those getting their signal from the D-Link and those on the VersaLink. I do have wireless enabled in the Westell and it seems to be working a little better since I installed an extended antenna. So you may as well give the gateway a shot before bothering with an additional AP.

This forum discusses issues with the Westell VersaLink 327W and can provide you with much more expert advice than can I.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top