Larry Heimendinger
asked on
Router reboots when Ethernet cable is connected (initial configuration)
was attempting to configure a new, factory default router (Trendnet TEW-829DRU) and was baffled when the following happened:
The router booted up normally
I connected an Ethernet cable from my Dell workstation to one of the LAN ports on the router
The router immediately rebooted
After it was fully rebooted, it would not provide a DHCP lease to the computer
Using a static LAN address on the computer, I could browse to the management site, but as soon as I entered credentials, the router rebooted again.
I then tried on another computer, another Dell workstation. Same thing. Then a third one, a Dell T410 server. Same thing. I was about to give up but then tried on an Asus All-in-One. Bingo. Worked without a problem.
Tech support at Trendnet was as puzzled as I am, but then i ran across this post: https://www.dell.com/community/Inspiron/Ethernet-wired-connection-keeps-disconnecting/td-p/6216566
I followed the solution and it did in fact make a difference. I let the router reboot, then plugged in the cable and it did not reboot. it also got a DHCP lease, but when I got to the logon screen and entered credentials, it immediately rebooted and then again no longer would give a DHCP lease.
The server has Broadcom on board NICs while the workstations have Intel ones. I used the same Ethernet cable on all machines to eliminate that as a culprit.
Any other NIC settings might you think could cause this behavior? Something else?
The router booted up normally
I connected an Ethernet cable from my Dell workstation to one of the LAN ports on the router
The router immediately rebooted
After it was fully rebooted, it would not provide a DHCP lease to the computer
Using a static LAN address on the computer, I could browse to the management site, but as soon as I entered credentials, the router rebooted again.
I then tried on another computer, another Dell workstation. Same thing. Then a third one, a Dell T410 server. Same thing. I was about to give up but then tried on an Asus All-in-One. Bingo. Worked without a problem.
Tech support at Trendnet was as puzzled as I am, but then i ran across this post: https://www.dell.com/community/Inspiron/Ethernet-wired-connection-keeps-disconnecting/td-p/6216566
I followed the solution and it did in fact make a difference. I let the router reboot, then plugged in the cable and it did not reboot. it also got a DHCP lease, but when I got to the logon screen and entered credentials, it immediately rebooted and then again no longer would give a DHCP lease.
The server has Broadcom on board NICs while the workstations have Intel ones. I used the same Ethernet cable on all machines to eliminate that as a culprit.
Any other NIC settings might you think could cause this behavior? Something else?
ASKER
It was the 2nd RMA unit and both behaved exactly the same. My question really highlights why it failed on Dell machines but not Asus? By your logic, Dell's hardware seems to be the culprit, right?
It's seems the dell network card and the router are not compatible. Did you try to do a software upgrade for the router?
Did you try to plug a cross Cable if automdix is not supported
Did you try to plug a cross Cable if automdix is not supported
Dell's hardware seems to be the culprit, right
No, the router
Did you check to see if the firmware on the router had any updates?
ASKER
I am doing the firmware upgrade today and will retest, but the Trendnet support team confirmed that nothing in that version would have affected this behavior. No on the cross cable, not even sure if I have one, but then why did it work on the Asus with the same cable? And why did adjusting NIC settings make some difference in behavior albeit not solving the problem?
Did you try to plug a cross Cable if automdix is not supported
Alternately, if you have a dumb switch lying around (netgear, D-Link, what ever) you could try putting that between the PC and the router
And why did adjusting NIC settings make some difference in behavior albeit not solving the problem?
This isn't necessarily a matter of bad hardware as much as it's likely the router chip set being incompatible with the NIC chip set on the PC's
Like I stated in my first post
In my experience TrendNet hardware can be flaky
Which NIC are the Dells using?
Broadcom or Intel
Broadcom or Intel
As stated by Kenfcamp try to connect it to a switch/hub if you don't have a cross cable.
Otherwise it's for sure compatibility issue.
Otherwise it's for sure compatibility issue.
ASKER
I used a non-managed gigabit switch between my computer and the router, but
One Dell has Broadcom other two Intel all drivers up to date.
- It would reboot as soon as I connected the switch with the computer plugged in as well
- After rebooting, no IP address via DHCP nor could I reach the router via browser using static set ip address
One Dell has Broadcom other two Intel all drivers up to date.
It's for sure compatibility issue between both hardware. You should report that to the supplier
ASKER
Problem solved. It was the firmware update. Thanks to all that commented.
Great
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Did you check for firmware updates?
Could be a hardware issue with the router (bad router).