Member Avatar for myelectricliz

Hi all -- I'm new here so please excuse my lack of knowledge on teh subject...


I've been trying to set up my OLD Netgear Wireless Modem at my parents for the past few days and nothing seems to work, as the "i" information light never turns green and stays orange all the time -- I've read a little about this and it seems to not be communicating with the wireless modem.

I can directly connect the DSL modem to my computer and the connection is great. When I set up the wiring for the wireless connection, however, the signal pops up and says theres a strong wireless signal but i cannot connect to the internet and the "i" like I said never turns green to show that information is being transferred from the modem to the router and then the computer.

I always used the modem -- Netgear RangeMax Wireless Gigabit Router WNR3500U/WNR3500L with a cable modem, could it be that it will not work with a DSL modem?

Please help asap!!

Thanks!

Edited by myelectricliz because: n/a
  • 2 Contributors
  • 1 Reply
  • 326 Views
  • 18 Hours Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by rubberman

Dani AI

Generated

Quick practical checklist for — is on the right track. The WNR3500 series will work with a DSL modem, but the router must see a valid WAN connection (many DSL setups use PPPoE or sit behind a modem/router combo). The amber/"i" LED usually means the Netgear has not obtained a working WAN IP or cannot reach the Internet.

Follow this order of checks (do each step and pause a minute after power changes):

  • Confirm physical hookup: modem LAN port -> Netgear WAN/Internet port (the single, differently colored port). Use a known-good Cat5e/6 cable (modern gear auto-senses crossover, so special cables rarely matter).
  • Power-sequence: power off both devices, connect them, power on the modem first and wait until DSL sync is stable, then power on the Netgear so the modem learns the router MAC.
  • WAN type: log into the router admin (default gateway IP), open Internet/WAN settings and set the connection type to PPPoE if the ISP requires a username/password; otherwise use Dynamic IP (DHCP).
  • MAC binding: if the ISP previously saw a different device, either reboot the modem with the router connected or use the router's WAN MAC clone feature to copy the working PC’s MAC.

If the DSL device is a modem+router, there are two safe choices: put the DSL box into bridge mode and let the Netgear handle PPPoE/NAT, or run the Netgear as an access point (disable DHCP on the Netgear and connect modem LAN -> Netgear LAN port) to avoid double-NAT.

Final notes: check the Netgear WAN status page to see whether a WAN IP is assigned (0.0.0.0 = no WAN IP). Update router firmware and factory-reset the Netgear only as a last resort. If all steps fail, the router hardware could be faulty or the ISP may need to re-provision the modem.

Member Avatar for rubberman

You either have the modem connected to the wrong port on the router (it needs to be connected to the WAN port), or the cable is the wrong sort (cross-over vs. not cross-over), or the router is fubar.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.