Question

Linksys WRT54GS Wireless Router can't connect to cable modem

Asked by: jibarra

I am working on  cable modem setup back from the @Home days.
There is an old linkys router attached to the Cable Modem (RCA Digital Cable Modem) connected to an older 4port linkys hub and everthing works just fine.  However I need to setup wireless so I bought the Linksys  WRT54GS.

When I connect it to the cable modem nothing works. I have gone in there and clone the IP as instructed on linksys website. NO LUCK!  Now here's the tricky part.  I don't have the login password to the old hub to look at the configuration.   Do I need a user name and password just line in DSL to use PPOE?

I don't want to reset the old hub as I may lose the configuration on it. I have called Comcast and asked them for the username and password of the user and they say that there is no need for one.

The work order of the cable modem setup goes back to 2000 and on it there is a public IP which comcast now claims is not been used.

how can make this work?  it is becoming a desparate issues.

Please help ASAP!
thanks,
Juan

This Question has been solved and asker verified All Experts Exchange premium technology solutions are available to subscription members.

Subscribe now for full access to Experts Exchange and get

Instant Access to this Solution

  • Plus...
  • 30 Day FREE access, no risk, no obligation
  • Collaborate with the world's top tech experts
  • Unlimited access to our exclusive solution database
  • Never be left without tech help again

Subscribe Now

Asked On
2005-06-05 at 14:26:25ID21447498
Tags

linksys

,

router

,

comcast

,

wireless

,

modem

Topic

Broadband Internet

Participating Experts
2
Points
500
Comments
8

Trusted by hundreds of thousands everyday for fast, accurate and reliable tech support.

  • "The time we save is the biggest benefit of Experts Exchange to Warner Bros. What could take multiple guys 2 hours or more each to find is accessed in around 15 minutes on Experts Exchange." Mike Kapnisakis, Warner Bros.
  • "Our team likes having a resource that is more secure than just using Google and most experts using this service really know their stuff. It's nice to look here first versus using Google." Dayna Sellner, Lockheed Martin
  • "Anytime that I've been stumped with a problem, 9 out of 10 times Experts Exchange has either the accepted solution or an open discussion of the potential solution to the problem." Kenny Red, eBay Inc.

See what Experts Exchange can do for you.

Got a question?

We've got the answer.

Experts Exchange has been collecting answers to technology questions since 1996…3 million and counting! If you have a question, chances are we already have your answer.

Screenshot of Experts Exchange Knowledgebase

Need individual assistance?

Our experts are ready to help.

If you can't find the exact answer you're looking for, ask our exclusive community of 50,000 experts. You’ll get a personalized answer from a trusted professional.

Screenshot of Experts Exchange Knowledgebase

Want to learn from the best?

Read articles from industry experts.

Thousands of free tech tips, tricks, how-to’s and tutorials are available in our peer reviewed articles section. See for yourself how smart our experts are, no login required.

Screenshot of an Article

Working on a long term project?

Store your work and research.

Save solutions to your questions, answers you’ve discovered through searching plus helpful articles in your personal knowledgebase for easy future access.

Screenshot of Experts Exchange Knowledgebase

Access the answers to your technology questions today.

Subscribe Now

30-day free trial. Register in 60 seconds.

What Makes Experts Exchange Unique?

Members of the expert community talk about why the experience at Experts Exchange is different than what you will find anywhere else.

Trusted by the world's most respected brands.

image of each brand's logo

Faithfully serving IT professionals since 1996.

Experts Exchange Logo

Try it out and discover for yourself.

Subscribe Now

30-day free trial. Register in 60 seconds.

Related Solutions

  1. Disabling Routing on a LinkSys WRT54G
    Hi all, 500 points for the first correct answer! Does anyone know if there is a way to disable the routing and broadband connectivity on the LinkSys WRT54G so I can just use it as a Wireless Access Point / Switch? Thanks Bob
  2. Can't get LInksys WRT54G router working with Zoom x…
    Hey there guys, I'm trying to fix a friends problem. They have a DSL Zoom x5 modem that is configured internally with ppoe to connect to the internet. The PPOE is not run from their pc, it is programmed into the modem. They have a LInksys wrt54g wireless router they want ...
  3. linksys wrt54g comparison question ?
    When I was in the USA I got the linksys wrt54g router from walmart , took it out the book , connected the RJ45 between the modem and the router and then hooked another rj45 between the computers nic and the router , installed the drivers and away I went from what I can rememb...
  4. VRRP with Linksys WRT54G?
    Anyone know of a VRRP (or equivalent) capability on any firmware which will run on Linksys routers - say a WRT54G?
  5. DCM425 Cable Modem (RCA/Thomson) & Linksys Wr…
    Ok, so a little background. I currently subscribe to cable modem service from my cable company at 1mb. I had a Com21 cable modem hooked to a Linksys router that was assigned a static IP. I have my own web server and was utilizing the router for port forwarding,etc. Recen...

Free Tech Articles

  1. WARNING: 5 Reasons why you should NEVER fix a computer for free.
    It is in our nature to love the puzzle. We are obsessed. The lot of us. We love puzzles. We love the challenge. We thrive on finding the answer. We hate disarray. It bothers us deep in our soul. W...
  2. SCCM OSD Basic troubleshooting
    SCCM 2007 OSD is a fantastic way to deploy operating systems, however, like most things SCCM issues can sometimes be difficult to resolve due to the sheer volume of logs to sift through and the dispe...
  3. Migrate Small Business Server 2003 to Exchange 2010 and Windows 2008 R2
    This guide is intended to provide step by step instructions on how to migrate from Small Business Server 2003 to Windows 2008 R2 with Exchange 2010. For this migration to work you will need the fo...
  4. Create a Win7 Gadget
    This article shows you how to create a simple "Gadget" -- a sort of mini-application supported by Windows 7 and Vista. Gadgets can be dropped anywhere on the desktop to provide instant information, ...
  5. Outlook continually prompting for username and password
    There have been a lot of questions recently regarding Outlook prompting for a username and password whilst using Exchange 2007. There are a few reasons why this would happen and I will try to cover t...
  6. Backup Exchange 2010 Information Store using Windows Backup
    There seems to be quite a lot of confusion around the ability to backup Exchange 2010 using the built in Windows Backup feature. This stems from the omission of this feature prior to Exchange 2007 s...

Cloud Class Webinars

  1. Avoiding Bugs in Microsoft Access
    Alison Balter takes and in-depth look at avoiding bugs in Access. In this webinar you will learn about using the immediate window to debug your applications, invoking the debugger, using breakpoints to troubleshoot, stepping through code, setting the next statement to execute, ...
  2. Top 10 Best New Features in Visio 2010
    Scott Helmers gives live demonstrations of the top 10 new features in Visio 2010. This webinar will teach you how to create compelling diagrams by adding shapes to the page with a single click, linking the shapes in a diagram to data in Excel (or SQL Server, or SharePoint), ...
  3. IT Consultant Business Secrets Revealed
    Michael Munger, Experts Exchange tech pro and IT consultant, pulls back the curtain on his very successful businesses and answers question on every IT consultant and business owner should know about. He shares secrets on what he did to solve the 5 most common problems in IT, ...
  4. Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity
    Quest CTO, Mike Billon, gives an overview of the steps involved in building a dunamic disaster recovery plan. Through case studies and an examination of software/hardware tooles for monitoring and testing, you'll gain a better understandin of where you are, where you want ...
  5. Organize Your Visio Diagrams with Containers and Lists
    Scott Helmers uses cross functional flowcharts, wireframe diagrams, data graphic legends and seating charts to teach you: how to ustilize all three new structured diagram components in Visio 2010, the best practices for organizeing shapes in previous version of Visio, how to organize ...
  6. How to Us Objects, Properties, Events and Methods in Microsoft Access
    Alison Dalter gives an in-depbth look at objects, properties, events and methods in Microsoft Access. In this webinar you will learn about using the object browser, referring to objects, working with properties and methods, working with object variables, understanding the ...

Join the Community

Give a Little. Get a Lot.

Join the community of experts here and help other tech pros by answering question in your area of expertise. You can earn FREE access to all Experts Exchange's premium features and resources.

Join the Community

Answers

 

by: lrmoorePosted on 2005-06-05 at 17:10:06ID: 14150142

No need to for username/password on cable.
You probably need to "clone" the mac address of the older linksys router. Check the old router for it's MAC address, and on the new router, use the "clone" MAC address feature and put the old MAC in the fields..
After that, power off the modem, save the config on the new Linksys. Wait a full 5 minutes or so with the modem powered off.. shut off the router, too.
Power up the modem. Wait until it syncs up with downstream, give it another minute.. then power on the new Linksys...

 

by: ZabagaRPosted on 2005-06-05 at 17:17:20ID: 14150157

I would think that setting up the Linksys WRT54G as "automatic DHCP" would work.  I don't think you need to setup username/password like a dsl connection.

I have that same linksys router and use Comcast cable.

The cable line goes into the cable modem...the cable modem into the WRT54G linksys router.  

If you set up the linksys for "Automatic DHCP" (from the linksys setup web page) check the STATUS tab.  Do you get an IP?  Can you cut&paste the results here?

If you have to, just get another cable modem.  I use my own modem and just had to give comcast the MAC address from it.
Maybe the modem is older and is causing your problem?  Can you log in to the cable modem?  If it's the type of device you can log in to, maybe you could set it up in "bridge mode" ...where it should just pass everything along to the router. I've done that with some dsl modems.

 

by: jibarraPosted on 2005-06-05 at 18:13:08ID: 14150263

I did set up the Linksys for the autmatic DHCP and I am unable to log in to the old cable modem. I will try it again adn post back.

 

by: ZabagaRPosted on 2005-06-05 at 19:35:10ID: 14150464

You're probably better off getting a new cable modem:  whether you have to tell comcast to replace yours because it doesn't work right OR you go out and buy one then tell comcast you have your own modem....either will solve your problem.  As I said above, you may need to inform comcast if you pick up your own cable modem.


 

by: jibarraPosted on 2005-06-05 at 21:43:31ID: 14150827

I will do that. What about for the wireless do I need to configure the Linksys to provide DHCP to the wireless hosts?

Thanks a bunch.

 

by: ZabagaRPosted on 2005-06-06 at 06:43:31ID: 14153119

The Linksys settings for DHCP apply to both wired and wireless clients.  I believe by default it is turned on.

 

by: jibarraPosted on 2005-06-06 at 12:10:51ID: 14156125

I got the  cable modem to recognized and accept the new Linksys router. I shut the cable modem down and unplug it for about 15 minutes.  Plugged it back and waited about 15 more minutes before connecting the Linkyss to it.  Rebooted the pc and evertying worked just great. However, I still can't the the wireless to work.

My question is:  The Linksys is set to "automatic DHCP"  when i try to connect with the wireless I just get a "no or limited connectivity" on the laptop, I have configured wep with 128 bit encryption, entered the key on the laptop but it won't acquire a dhcp address.

If I enable the DHCP on the linksys i get the same problem.  I gave the wireless a static IP and it connected, however I am still unable to get out to the internet.  Any ohter ideas?

thanks,

 

by: ZabagaRPosted on 2005-06-06 at 13:58:26ID: 14157095

If I were troubleshooting the wireless connection, I'd turn off encryption, etc...and make the security is as loose as possible until it works.  Then, tighten afterwards.  Otherwise, you never know what other factors could be involved in your problem.

I'm a little confused by your descriptioon above.  I'm not sure when you're talking about your wireless laptop vs. your wireless router and when you say DHCP I'm not sure if you mean WAN dhcp on the linksys, LAN dhcp on the linksys or DHCP settings on the laptop.  It would be easier on my brain if you specified exactly which device and service. I just ended up a bit confused.

Does your wireless network card on your laptop come with a "wireless config utility".  Sometimes the Windows built in "wireless zero service" can get in the way of the same utility provided by the NIC folks.  Disable one of them.  Do you see your wireless router listed as an available device in range to connect to?

20120131-EE-VQP-002

3 Ways to Join

30-Day Free Trial

The Experts

98% positive feedback on 31,087 answers since March 2000. angeliii is a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional for his work with MS SQL Server & Develoment.

He has also proven his knowledge of Visual Basic Programming, PHP Scripting and Oracle Databases.

The Experts

97% positive feedback on 10,752 answers since July 2000. lrmoore has more than 18 years experience in the networking industry.

The six-time Mircosoft MVPs specialties include firewalls, virtual private networking, and network management.

Testimonials

"...and excellent source for support... Kind of like having your very own IT dept." Electriciansnet

Testimonials

"I was apprehensive at signing up at first. However... it has already made my life as an IT administrator much easier." JaCrews

Testimonials

"WOW! You guys have great, active, and knowledgeable people on here." moore50

Business Clients

Business Clients

In the Press

"If you’ve got a question... Experts Exchange can supply an answer.”

In the Press

"...an invaluable aid for both IT professionals and those who require tech support."

In the Press

"where IT professionals provide quick answers on just about any topic"

Business Account Plans

Loading Advertisement...