Geekzone: technology news, blogs, forums
Guest
Welcome Guest.
You haven't logged in yet. If you don't have an account you can register now.


marlena

4 posts

Wannabe Geek


#22611 2-Jun-2008 20:15
Send private message

Hi,
A family member, who lives in Miramar, Wellington, has had TelstraClear broadband for a year or so. Since the beginning she has had intermittent connection problems with her Internet. The technicians who installed her wireless router (a third party) have been back 2 or 3 times and have changed the wireless router 3 times now to see if that fixes it, but it doesn't. They have also thought there might be some kind of interference in her house, but that doesn't make any sense to me given the troubleshooting we have done:

- bypassed the router by connecting the network cable from PC to TC modem (doesn't fix it)
- tried a different laptop next to the wireless router (same problem on a modern laptop - stuck on acquiring network address)
- the wireless connection always says that the connection is good or excellent

TelstraClear don't reckon it's their problem, and keep referring her to the third party technicians.

The fact that the problem is intermittent i.e. sometimes she does have a broadband connection, and the fact that the process just gets stuck on "acquiring network address" make me wonder whether it is something to do with TC.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated, otherwise it looks like she will have to "upgrade" to dial-up in order to get a reliable connection. Thanks.

Create new topic
freitasm
BDFL - Memuneh
79250 posts

Uber Geek

Administrator
ID Verified
Trusted
Geekzone
Lifetime subscriber

#135048 2-Jun-2008 21:40
Send private message

"Acquiring network connection" is not a TelstraClear problem.

Is this cable modem or DSL?
 




Please support Geekzone by subscribing, or using one of our referral links: Samsung | AliExpress | Wise | Sharesies | Hatch | GoodSyncBackblaze backup




marlena

4 posts

Wannabe Geek


  #135050 2-Jun-2008 21:43
Send private message

Thanks for replying. It is a cable modem connection.


freitasm
BDFL - Memuneh
79250 posts

Uber Geek

Administrator
ID Verified
Trusted
Geekzone
Lifetime subscriber

  #135053 2-Jun-2008 21:47
Send private message

To really prove if there's a TCL problem you have to use the modem directly. You said you tried before, but have you had your PC correctly configured with the required IP address, gateway and DNS? Once you remove the router your PC must be manually configured for this.

If you connect to the modem and all works ok then it's not a TCL probem. You will then have to figure out the router configuration yourself.

Make sure your PC is in receiving automatic addresses from the router. Connect the router to the modem and the laptop to the router. Do this with an ethernet cable. Then manually configure the router to have the TCL provided IP addresses. Once you done that, reset it and restart your computer.

If it works ok with a wired connection then you have to work on wireless. Try checking that you have the correct security setting, and that your laptop is using the latest driver for your wireless network interface. Check that you have all the updates needed through automatic updates (both Windows and Mac). If running Windows Vista install SP1. If running Windows XP make sure you have SP2 at least.

Check for interference. Change the wireless channel. Make sure you are not using a 2.4 GHz cordless phone and that your router is not near a microwave oven.

Good luck.




Please support Geekzone by subscribing, or using one of our referral links: Samsung | AliExpress | Wise | Sharesies | Hatch | GoodSyncBackblaze backup




marlena

4 posts

Wannabe Geek


  #135054 2-Jun-2008 21:53
Send private message

Great, lots of stuff to think about there. Will see what I can do, may need to get a real geek to try some of these things. Thank you.

BarTender
3606 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified
Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #135136 3-Jun-2008 11:21
Send private message

In short, I suspect if she replaces her router with a Linksys WRT54GL and loads DD-WRT her problems will be resolved.  If you check the "Frequent disconnects" thread it details the problems and suggested solutions.

I live in Miramar / Strathmore and could replace her router with a Linksys WRT54GL with DD-WRT, probably cost ~$130 or so, and I doubt she will ever have a problem again.

I installed one for my neighbour who lives across the road and have not heard anything since when he moved from dialup to TCL Cable.

marlena

4 posts

Wannabe Geek


  #135287 3-Jun-2008 20:13
Send private message

Thanks BarTender, are you a supplier of LinkSys routers? Just wondering because it would be good to try it first, given that she has been through 3 different routers already, as recommended by the technicians. You mention $130, presumably that is for the hardware or was that for your time?  Would be to know a little bit more about your offer so that I can pass it on to her...


BarTender
3606 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified
Trusted
Lifetime subscriber

  #135293 3-Jun-2008 20:25
Send private message

I am not a Linksys supplier, just a consultant that lives locally who is happy to go out and sell my own linksys router pre-configured for $130, normally the routers cost $116 (well that's what Ascent sells them for, and that's who I normally buy off) and it just an extra few $ for my trouble.  If it doesn't fix the problem, then I am happy to take the router back, as I will be selling my own router, and buying a new one.

PM me if they are interested.  If you want me to charge you my regular hourly rate I can do that, but it's not worth the trouble :)

Create new topic





News and reviews »

Air New Zealand Starts AI adoption with OpenAI
Posted 24-Jul-2025 16:00


eero Pro 7 Review
Posted 23-Jul-2025 12:07


BeeStation Plus Review
Posted 21-Jul-2025 14:21


eero Unveils New Wi-Fi 7 Products in New Zealand
Posted 21-Jul-2025 00:01


WiZ Introduces HDMI Sync Box and other Light Devices
Posted 20-Jul-2025 17:32


RedShield Enhances DDoS and Bot Attack Protection
Posted 20-Jul-2025 17:26


Seagate Ships 30TB Drives
Posted 17-Jul-2025 11:24


Oclean AirPump A10 Water Flosser Review
Posted 13-Jul-2025 11:05


Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7: Raising the Bar for Smartphones
Posted 10-Jul-2025 02:01


Samsung Galaxy Z Flip7 Brings New Edge-To-Edge FlexWindow
Posted 10-Jul-2025 02:01


Epson Launches New AM-C550Z WorkForce Enterprise printer
Posted 9-Jul-2025 18:22


Samsung Releases Smart Monitor M9
Posted 9-Jul-2025 17:46


Nearly Half of Older Kiwis Still Write their Passwords on Paper
Posted 9-Jul-2025 08:42


D-Link 4G+ Cat6 Wi-Fi 6 DWR-933M Mobile Hotspot Review
Posted 1-Jul-2025 11:34


Oppo A5 Series Launches With New Levels of Durability
Posted 30-Jun-2025 10:15









Geekzone Live »

Try automatic live updates from Geekzone directly in your browser, without refreshing the page, with Geekzone Live now.



Are you subscribed to our RSS feed? You can download the latest headlines and summaries from our stories directly to your computer or smartphone by using a feed reader.