Limited Linksys

My sort of "sideline" which actually keeps me sane and compensated was a bit of challenging today. Of course the VOiP installation was a breeze eventhough it was my first time to install one on a skycable isp the hard part was figuring out why on earth my client's linksys has limited connectivity when its connected to the PC through LAN.

Normally once one end of the Ethernet wire is hooked up to any of the 4 LAN ports of the router and the other to the LAN port at the back of the PC a local network is detected and you can see a bubble popping out on the right side of the screen that says LOCAL AREA CONNECTION is connected 100mbps. What happened with this WRT54GS version 6 is that the pc cannot fully detect the router (limited connectivity) and i cant enter the router's control panel by keying in it's ip address on Internet Explorer and set it up.

So after almost 2 hours of bitching how i often have problems installing Linksys routers, reading at geek forums, plugging and unplugging and a few help from my former health economics teacher ma'am kathy who happens to work with Linksys in their Davao office i finally figured it out..

Step One: Manually set the ip address of the router in the Local Area Connection

I got this from my linksys slaved friend. On your Local Area Connection Properties, click on the properties of the TCP/IP and key in the usual IP address most linksys routers have 192.168.1.1 then press tab to automatically key in the subnet mask and type in the same numbers for default gateway. Leave the DNS server addresses blank..

This should fully detect your router and a balloon would pop up saying so. You can now access your router's control panel upon entering the ip address on your Internet browser.

Step Two: Download Latest Router Firmware and Install

I have installed a handful of linksys routers and its usual problem is a non- updated firmware. Have you updated your firmware, thats linksys' Tech support agent's mantra. So before going bitchy give the graveyard shift agent a break and install a new firmware. Latest firmwares on corresponding routers are available at their support website.

Go back again TCP/IP properties and set to Obtain an IP Automatically. Make sure that the balloon doesn't pop up a limited connection.

Step Three: Reset the Router

After i completed steps 1 and 2 and hooked the router to the modem i still wasnt able to come up with an Internet connection and found out that some router settings have been changed during a failed attempt to set up the router which might have messed up the router-modem connection. Getting the router back to its out of the box shape was necessary to clear out wrong configurations.

Use the ballpoint of a pen to press the reset button found at the back of your router. Press until all the lights in the router turns off by itself and turns on again. All previous settings were erased but i noticed that the firmware is still the same latest version done in step 2.

Step Four: Setup Router and Modem

Get your Internet connection back to its pre-router phase (modem directly connected to the pc) and check if you can get online (open a website or instant messenger).

If you still have the software cd that comes in with your router just pop it in your cd drive, run the application and follow the no brainer instructions. But if you lost the cd, theres a problem installing with the cd or your too lazy to find it somewhere in your stacks of discs you can use linksys EasyLink Connect. It runs the same way the software that comes with the cd and I like the fact that it configures your modem setup (very useful for dhcp and static ip settings ). Just downloads and save the file, run and again follow no brainer instructions.

I could have easily gave up on that router since I was eager to follow some sort of schedule for the day. But I guess my techie instinct prevailed and I wouldnt want those two new toshiba laptops missing out on the world of wifi.

On router memories, my first router was a dlink who's wireless connection was somehow busted (i think it fell and messed up with the antenna). It didnt bother me that then since i was on a desktop. I later on shifted to Netgear (papa got one on sale) and for 2 years now i havent had a slightest problem with it and havent updated its firmware either.

There have been reports that linksys routers have been such a total drag and i think it has something to do with updating their router's firmware as often as they should. My friend from linksys said it fucks up because its soo cheap. Im not sure how low they pay chinese laborers to do it, but they better give them a raise or else their call center agents will have to deal with angry costumers. Too bad, I really do like the shape and design of most linksys' routers. It just looks so "powerful" and sturdy or so i thought.

Boo Linksys!