Member Avatar for goj

I have a net gear rangemax 240 wireless router and trying to set it up off of a hub. It shows signal on led however, laptop shows no wireless network available. I have tried a direct feed, I have switched out the hub for a switch, and for a router, I have put the switch in between the hub and the wireless. I have tried a crossover cable, I have run out of ideas.
Thanks,
Gary

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The router LED showing activity while the laptop reports no networks suggests the problem is not just cabling. already tried swapping hubs/switches and different cables; and touched on client and router access. The points below focus on checks and actions not yet posted that commonly explain “LED on but no SSID visible.”

Check the client (laptop)

  • Verify the wireless adapter is actually powered on: physical radio switch, function key, BIOS/UEFI wireless option and any OS “airplane mode.”
  • Update or reinstall the wireless driver and disable any vendor utility that conflicts with the OS wireless manager.
  • Try a second client (smartphone or tablet) or a USB Wi‑Fi adapter to rule out the laptop hardware.

Check the AP/router without repeating prior cable tests

  • Scan for the SSID with a Wi‑Fi scanner app to see whether the AP is broadcasting, which channel it uses, and what encryption appears (tools such as inSSIDer can help).
  • Inspect router features that can hide or block clients: hidden SSID, MAC filtering, client isolation, or a wireless mode set to an incompatible standard (for example, an uncommon mode that old clients won’t see).
  • Consider firmware corruption or an outdated firmware image as a cause; updating or restoring firmware (or a factory reset if reconfiguration is acceptable) often fixes invisible-SSID issues. See Netgear support for firmware/reset guidance: Netgear Support.

Quick sequence to try

  1. Scan with a phone or laptop Wi‑Fi scanner.
  2. If the AP is not visible but the LED is lit, log into the router admin (when possible) and note wireless mode, SSID broadcast, MAC filter and encryption.
  3. Update firmware or perform a factory reset per Netgear docs.
  4. If the AP still does not appear to other devices, suspect a hardware fault and contact Netgear support.

These steps expand on the thread’s suggestions and help separate a client-only issue from router-side or firmware/hardware failure.

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Member Avatar for tom curren

How is your PC wireless configured?
1 - Is a wireless connection enabled?
2 - Do any other connections appear in the listing?

Member Avatar for DimaYasny

take a simple rj45 cable, connect the pc to the router. if the pc doesn't get an automatic IP from the router, set the ip manually to match the router's subnet and network. try to connect to the router after that.
if you succeed, login to the router, enable dhcp and wireless.

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