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Old 10-21-2010, 05:31 PM
 
Location: Chicago
6,025 posts, read 15,316,723 times
Reputation: 8152

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* I'm not even sure if this is the right forum to post this in*

our LL has installed internet in the apartment building so that all 3 apartments can access it. the modem (it's cable internet) is in the basement. the connection is fine through the ethernet cord, but we can't get the wireless working. we can pick up the signal and network, but every time we try to connect wirelessly, it just has an exclamation point stating no internet connection. our LL is clueless and isn't even in town right now to troubleshoot the issue. we tried hooking up our netgear router to the ethernet w/ zero results. I was told that since we're on the 2nd floor, we'll need to get a wireless access point to extend the signal. any idea if this would help? not sure if the issue is on our end or w/ the set up in the basement (and I don't have access to the modem itself). any help much appreciated!
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Old 10-21-2010, 06:05 PM
 
11,715 posts, read 40,385,082 times
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So there's a wireless router in the basement and a wire running from it to your apartment? And you can get one PC online via that wire but you own router doesn't work? It could be because your router and their router are on the same IP network. I believe Netgear defaults to 192.168.0.x. Change your router's LAN IP address to something like 192.168.15.1 and see if your can get your PC online (wired) through your router. If you can, you know it works, then you can configure and secure your router's wifi and forget the landlord's wifi.
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Old 10-21-2010, 08:53 PM
 
Location: Las Flores, Orange County, CA
964 posts, read 2,644,281 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia View Post
So there's a wireless router in the basement and a wire running from it to your apartment? And you can get one PC online via that wire but you own router doesn't work? It could be because your router and their router are on the same IP network. I believe Netgear defaults to 192.168.0.x. Change your router's LAN IP address to something like 192.168.15.1 and see if your can get your PC online (wired) through your router. If you can, you know it works, then you can configure and secure your router's wifi and forget the landlord's wifi.

Not totally sure I understand the original post but it almost sounds like he sees the SSID but can't connect. Maybe there is encryption and he doesn't know the passcode (or whatever it is called). The simple but not secure solution (if this is the problem) is to reset the router so it defaults to "linksys" or whatever the default SSID is. Then see if he can connect. If he can, that was the problem. The next step would be to set up encryption which I don't know enough about to write about it.
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Old 10-21-2010, 09:30 PM
 
11,715 posts, read 40,385,082 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by proudmommy View Post
Not totally sure I understand the original post but it almost sounds like he sees the SSID but can't connect. Maybe there is encryption and he doesn't know the passcode (or whatever it is called).
That's a definite possibility. Others include:

Weak signal due to the distance and two floors in the way. Sometimes you can get teased with signal but not actually have enough to connect properly.

MAC address filtering may be enabled on the router.

Other networks in the area may be on the same channel.

Other microwave frequency devices in the area, like cordless phones, may be interfering.
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Old 10-22-2010, 09:01 AM
 
Location: Chicago
6,025 posts, read 15,316,723 times
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we have the wpa code for the network. oddly enough, I went down to the basement where the modem was and tried to get onto the wireless network and still couldn't, so I'm not even sure it's an issue of a weak signal not getting to our apartment. I'll try to figure out how to change my router's LAN IP address, hopefully it works. for now, we've all just be directly hooking up our laptops/game consoles to the ethernet cord when we need a reliable connection (we have a neighbor somewhere w/ an unlocked network we sometimes hop on, but it's a very weak signal). worse case scenario, I may buy a wireless access point and get some Geek Squad person to help (assuming they know anything of course!)
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Old 10-22-2010, 10:02 AM
 
Location: SCW, AZ
8,269 posts, read 13,371,694 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by eevee View Post
we have the wpa code for the network. oddly enough, I went down to the basement where the modem was and tried to get onto the wireless network and still couldn't, so I'm not even sure it's an issue of a weak signal not getting to our apartment. I'll try to figure out how to change my router's LAN IP address, hopefully it works. for now, we've all just be directly hooking up our laptops/game consoles to the ethernet cord when we need a reliable connection (we have a neighbor somewhere w/ an unlocked network we sometimes hop on, but it's a very weak signal).
I doubt it is the signal strength, I mean if you went down to the basement with a WiFi laptop and still could't connect, the problem is neither your router nor the signal I feel, it might have more to the with the related settings on the router or on your own laptop.
Can you ping the WiFi Access Point in the basement? If you can connect to it via wire, then skip your own router and get the exact IP based information of the device that way, then ping those IPs from your Wi-Fi laptop. The Wireless Connection service you are using on your laptop is Windows own or a third party, either way make sure the related process/service is running, etc. as well.



Quote:
worse case scenario, I may buy a wireless access point and get some Geek Squad person to help (assuming they know anything of course!)
Oh God, no, don't!
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Old 10-24-2010, 12:30 PM
 
Location: Chicago
6,025 posts, read 15,316,723 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TurcoLoco View Post
I doubt it is the signal strength, I mean if you went down to the basement with a WiFi laptop and still could't connect, the problem is neither your router nor the signal I feel, it might have more to the with the related settings on the router or on your own laptop.
Can you ping the WiFi Access Point in the basement? If you can connect to it via wire, then skip your own router and get the exact IP based information of the device that way, then ping those IPs from your Wi-Fi laptop. The Wireless Connection service you are using on your laptop is Windows own or a third party, either way make sure the related process/service is running, etc. as well.




Oh God, no, don't!
blah, not really good w/ tech terms at all!

sadly, I don't have physical access to the modem/router. it's in a part of the basement only the landlord has access to and the landlord doesn't even live in Illinois and may not be back here until mid/late- November. I've been trying to contact him about the faulty wi-fi and he's seemingly MIA (yet another issue I'm having w/ this landlord since we've moved in...). he's not a tech person either and last I talked to him, he didn't have much clue what was wrong with it either

I'm at the point of just getting our own internet account through another party and deducting that cost from our rent since our lease specified internet was included (of course, I guess it could be debated that we do have internet via the ethernet cord, but he also promised internet throughout the whole building, including all the bedrooms, which we definitely don't have).

thanks for the help though. will try to figure it out later

eta: also forgot to mention I have a Macbook (so does another roommate). would getting Airport work better?
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Old 10-24-2010, 01:13 PM
 
11,715 posts, read 40,385,082 times
Reputation: 7585
Just install your own router on the cable running to your apartment. Change its LAN IP like I said before.

Having the modem/router in an area no one has access to is pretty dumb. Those things will eventually stop working and the only fix will be to unplug it and plug it back it. Its just a matter of time.
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Old 10-24-2010, 03:27 PM
 
Location: Colorado
1,711 posts, read 3,593,444 times
Reputation: 1760
I agree with the previous poster.

You'll need access to the cable modem and router in order to reboot the system every so often.
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