Cannot connect laptop to Internet via DSL

[MiketheBook]

My desktop computer and my wife's laptop both connect to the internet via homeplugs from different parts of the home to the homeplug connected to the router. I'm having no problems with my computer but my wife can no longer connect to the internet since we changed her mains plug as a result of it being damaged and over heating. Nothing esle has changed, her homeplug and LAN cable. I've tried rebooting her computer umpteen times, resetting the homeplugs and the router but I still can't get her laptop to connect to the internet. Any bright ideas please?

[CimmerianX]

Are all plugs currently sync'd. Many surge protectors can interfere with these plugs too, so remove if in use.

Does the laptop get an IP address?
Can she ping the gateway?
Can she ping outside the gateway? e.g. ping 8.8.8.8

[MiketheBook]

Thanks for your reply but you've lost me straight away. When it comes to the internet my knowledge is VERY limited. Would you mind walking me through this stuff. As regards the first question, the homeplugs were bought as a set and have been used for years without problems. I tried exchanging plugs and LAN cables around and that didn't help. No surge protector in use.

[MiketheBook]

Okay after a bit of googling I found the laptops IPv4 address. I'm not good with PCs using a Mac myself.

[MiketheBook]

She can't ping the gateway. No number is shown for Default Gateway and there's a message "media disconnected" even though I've checked the cables and the Homeplug seems to recognise a connection with all its lights showing green. I was able to guess the gateway address from an example on-line but the ping just timed out. What now?

[CimmerianX]

OK - 1st thing, take a known working laptop to this questionable desk and plug in then test. This will ensure the plugs are working and we can stop looking at those.

IF plug is working, then make sure the MAC is set for DHCP on the networking setting and not set for static. When your network settings for ethernet are DHCP then you should automatically get an IP address. The IP will be shown here.

[MiketheBook]

My Mac is a desktop so not exactly mobile but we can discount the plugs/cables because they've been tested. As I said. I'm having no problem getting internet through the Homeplugs. They work fine on the Mac but didn't help my wife's laptop. My Mac is already set to DHCP and my IP address is shown.

[rproffitt]

@M "they've been tested."

How? Did you take the laptop to your working desktop area and plug the Ethernet that works with your desktop into this laptop?

[CimmerianX]

ok - So take your wife's laptop to and plug it in here. The laptop works at the other jack and is on ethernet and not wifi, correct? Plug it into the questionable ethernet jack and see what you get.

This way, if the working laptop now fails, the problem is on the jack. If the laptop works, then the issue is on the MAC desktop

Be 100% certain that wifi is disabled on the laptop when testing this.

When you are on the laptop, and it works, open a terminal and run IFCONFIG and paste the output here so I can see. There's nothing personal, so its safe to post.

[MiketheBook]

Maybe a little confusion here. There are only two computers in the house. My wife's laptop won't run internet whatever LAN cable I use or Homeplug - it has never been able to run wifi. I took the cable and Homeplug I use successfully with my Mac Mini and tried using them with the laptop but I still couldn't get internet so the Homeplugs and cables can't be at fault. I'm unable to run internet on the laptop so can't run ifconfig successfully if it needs to be connected to the internet.

[rproffitt]

@M, whoa, stop. You wrote "I took the cable and Homeplug I use successfully with my Mac Mini and tried using them with the laptop but I still couldn't get internet so the Homeplugs and cables can't be at fault."

That's not what I would do to test. I would have taken the laptop to the Mac Mini area to unplug from the Mac Mini and try it on the laptop. It's probably that the new mains wiring could be playing a factor here but it's not clear to me that you did the needed test.

-> Also, what is this about the laptop never working on WiFi? Now it's starting to sound as if the laptop is broke.

[MiketheBook]

Oh dear! Communication problems!!! While the wifi has never worked on the laptop, it's ALWAYS been able to connect to the internet via an ethernet cable. A few weeks back my wife dropped the laptop and in so doing bent the plug on the mains adapter lead. A few days back she noticed the plug was getting very hot probably as a result of a faulty connection and disconnected the laptop from the mains. Since the laptop's battery isn't great she could only use the laptop for a short while but was still able to use the internet via ethernet at that stage. A few days later we get a new mains adapter in the mail that solves that problem . . . but that's when we found that she could no longer connect to the internet.

[MiketheBook]

Today I took to heart something you said and tried plugging the laptop into my Mac's homeplug but at the Mac's desk. It turns out the laptop connects without problem to the internet at this location using either homeplug and either Ethernet cable, so the problem appears to be with the sockets in the lounge where my wife uses her laptop. I don't understand this at all beacsue the sockets behave perfectly well when anything else is plugged in. Do you have any ideas? i may have to write to the homeplug manufacturer. Thanks for your patience and all your help.

[rproffitt]

@M OK, that helps to tell me that the laptop works with this plug in this location.

Now we should be able to... But first, powerline networking does rely on the bridges to be on the same "side" or "phase" of the mains. That's all on the web but a clue was in your writing about burnt out sockets and repair of the house mains unless I misread that.

Next test. Now the laptop works at your spot, take the powerline bridge, Ethernet cable and Laptop and move towards the new location. This set works, don't break it up.

[MiketheBook]

No, you misunderstand. There was no problem with burnt out mains sockets or repairs of the house mains. Nothing has happened to the house. It was the laptop's AC mains adapter/lead and plug, damaged when my wife dropped the laptop a few weeks back, that was overheating and which we replaced. I've been back and forth between my Mac desk and the laptop's "home" in the lounge testing all variations of homeplug and ethernet cable and the fact remains that the laptop connects to the internet at my Mac's desk (with either cable and homeplug) but not at the laptop's home with the same combinations. I don't know what has changed becasue a few days back it was working fine. Would it do anything to switch off the wall sockets at the mains fuse box and swicth them back on again?

[MiketheBook]

Okay, we've tried the laptop in the kitchen now and it works fine, connects to the internet first time so the problem would appear to be with the wall plugs in the lounge which work fine with the TV, DVD etc but not with the homeplugs and ethernet cables.

[MiketheBook]

Unbelievable!!! My wife moved the setup to the lounge and now it's working there. So what happened?

[MiketheBook]

Spoke too soon! Now its not working in the lounge. I don't know what's going on. I have uninterupted internet upstairs at my Mac.

[rproffitt]

One more time. Back to the upstairs and if the setup works, my nod is to powerline phase issues. Yes the TV working doesn't help us here. It could be less picky as to drops.

Remember I can't know what phase each plug is on. Read "Q: Can TP-LINK powerline adapters work in different phases of three-phase circuit?" at http://www.tp-link.com/en/article-406.html

[MiketheBook]

Yes, it works at the Mac's desk and in the kitchen too. The problem seems to be in the lounge, though why its suddenly happened, I don't know. My wife was having good internet reception via ethernet and had been for a long time. Can you tell me what you mean by powerline phase issues or will the article help with that? I was having internet drop-offs for a while and the homeplug manufacturers suggest I move up to more powerful plugs 200mbs rather than 60mbs I think. That might be worth thinking about. I'll check out the article. Many thanks.

[rproffitt]

@M The article is not all there is to know about home wiring. But your testing points to that issue. What I find is folk are often put off by it worked before and this works but that doesn't. They often need time to season.

As to the change in powerline networking, might help or get you to the same results you have now.

[rproffitt]

Bug? Can't seem to get to my last reply.

Ahh, so where there is one lone reply on Page 2, can't get to it! Add another reply and there it is.

[pritaeas]

If that is so, then please post a bug report in the feedback forum. Add specifics so Dani can try to reproduce the issue.

[rproffitt]

@pritaseas. I clicked on the hamburger (the one that says Forum List) and didn't see a feedback forum. So I sent up a flag.

Seems if there is a discussion with 20 replies that fits on one page. the 21st reply is on page 2 and I couldn't get to it until I added another reply.

[CimmerianX]

If you go and look at your electrical panel, there are breakers/fuses down both sides, you might even have 2 panels. For network over electrical to work, all plugs must be on the same phase (think of it as all your house's electrical split down the middle with sides A and B, all plugs must be on either side or side B, if they aren't then they won't communicate.)

[sonipat]

"Did it ever work? What changed since than?"
Since I've had it, it's never been able to connect to the Internet at home thru my DSL Ethernet connection.

"It was Device Manager component problem"
Change your component?