Member Avatar for harvonkeuka

Hi. A friend has a WG602v4 wireless access point connected to a Time Warner Cable Ambit U10C018 cable modem. Until recently it was working, and for reasons unknown it no longer has Internet connectivity. Not being able to log into the router (someone else set it up), I reset the WG602v4 to factory defaults, still no luck.

The cable modem is fine. I can plug a laptop into the ethernet port, get an ip address, and pull up a web site. When I plug the WG602 into the cable modem, and connect via wireless (no security set up), ipconfig /all reports:

    Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :
    Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Dell Wireless 1395 WLAN Mini-Card
    Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-22-68-D2-7A-36
    Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes
    Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes
    Autoconfiguration IP Address. . . : 192.168.0.120
    Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
    Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . :
    DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 209.18.47.61

I imagine that the Autoconfiguration IP Address should go away and I should get an IP address, but this isn't happening. I have tried ipconfig /renew, and that just spins. I think is may eventually report unable to get to DHCP server. The default IP setting with the WG602 is DHCP client enabled, and absent a dynamic address it is supposed to revert to 92.168.0.227.

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Brief summary and what to try first: described a WG602v4 that stopped receiving a DHCP lease from a cable modem. was right to recommend configuring the access point from a laptop over its wired port before hooking it to the modem. The checklist below focuses on the small, common things that save the most time.

Practical troubleshooting steps (do these in order):

  1. Disconnect the WG602 from the modem and plug your laptop into the WG602 wired port.
  2. Give the laptop a temporary static IP on a private subnet (for example 192.168.0.x with mask 255.255.255.0) so you can reach the AP’s management page even if its address changed. Check the AP label or manual for the default management IP.
  3. Log in, verify operation mode and whether the AP is set to request a DHCP lease or is expecting to be behind a router. If you want to manage it reliably, assign the AP a fixed LAN IP in that subnet.
  4. When you later connect the AP to the cable modem, always power-cycle the modem (unplug for 30–60 seconds) so it forgets any previous MAC-to-IP lease and will offer an address to the new device.
  5. If one device still won’t get an address, try a spare consumer router between modem and AP (this is what ultimately worked for the OP) — routers handle NAT/DHCP and often avoid modem/lease quirks.

Why this usually fixes it: cable modems often remember the MAC of the last device and will not hand out a new lease until rebooted; access points themselves don’t provide NAT/DHCP for a multi-device LAN unless a router is present. Also verify cables, LEDs, and that a full factory reset was performed if credentials are unknown.

Final tips: document any changes, re-enable wireless security after testing, and keep the AP firmware/current manual handy for default credentials and exact reset procedure.

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Member Avatar for JorgeM

If you have already reset the box to factory defaults, you should be able to plug a laptop into the access point via its ethernet port. I would suggest you do this prior to trying to connect via a wireless connection.

here are the quick install instructions that go over the steps in more detail.
http://www.downloads.netgear.com/files/WG602v4_IG_04June07.pdf

Member Avatar for harvonkeuka

Thanks, Jorge. The WG602 only has one ethernet port. It can be connected to my laptop for configuration or connected to the cable modem for use, but not both at the same time. I am wondering if I need to give it a different IP address than the factory default. In the meantime, I remembered that I had a never used Linksys tucked away. It has a setup CD and allows for modem->router->laptop connectivity via ethernet. Unless something pops on this forum, I will bring it over to my friend's next time I am there.

Harv

Member Avatar for JorgeM

It can be connected to my laptop for configuration or connected to the cable modem for use, but not both at the same time

Yes that is correct. You do not need to connect it to the cable modem until you configure it using your laptop.

I am wondering if I need to give it a different IP address than the factory default

Yes, that is the point of connecting to it directly with your laptop. You need to access point with the correct IP configuration that matches your segment. Most likely, the access point is set up as a dhcp client by default so if you plug it into your cable modem, it will receive an IP. However, my suggestion is that you do not do that, but instead configure it with a static IP so that you can easily connect to it without having to worry if it's IP changes in the future. However either is fine. The point here is that it needs the correct IP configuration so that you can access it via a browser on the wired network first so that you can configure the wireless configuration.

I remembered that I had a never used Linksys tucked away. It has a setup CD and allows for modem->router->laptop connectivity via ethernet. Unless something pops on this forum, I will bring it over to my friend's next time I am there.

You dont need the setup CD for this. I find that the application that gets installed with the CDs for those routers, wifi adapters, NICs, just get in the way. These devices generally have built-in web servers so once they get an IP, you just access them via a web browser and complete the configuration.

Member Avatar for harvonkeuka

Yes, that is the point of connecting to it directly with your laptop.

Ah, got you on that, right. Of course the question then becomes if I have a static IP on the WG602 so I can log into it wirelessly while it is connected to the cable modem, what would I change (rhetorical question)? The cable modem -> (ethernet)-> WG602 -> (wireless) -> laptop should "just work," as they say.

I will revisit this when I have time to try the linksys, have a nice day.

Member Avatar for harvonkeuka

I replaced the Netgear with a Linksys, and it worked out of the box, with eveything default. Thanks to all for the help. What an awful waste of time.

Member Avatar for JorgeM

Well, glad you resolved it.

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