Connecting Linksys Wireless A+B Router to Cable modem

[jonmarz]

I have an Earthlink cable modem connected to a Linksys wireless dual band router (supports A, B and G protocols). I run Windows/XP on my Dell desktop and on my Dell laptop computers, each with a Linksys wireless A+B adapter. The system works fine. But after getting off the network for several hours (powering off my PCs), I can connect to the router but can't get back onto the Internet (like DNS no longer works). If I power-cycle the Router, everything works again. I have set up the router with the defaults pretty much. DHCP type connection and such. No WEP enabled. I did not set up any MAC address for MAC cloning because the basic instructions don't say to do that (although it's enabled by default and has since filled in an address by itself). But I have found documents that seem to say that should be done. (I assume that should be the MAC address of the computer I first ethernet-connected to the router when I first set it up.) Seems like something is timing out and needs to re-acquire either MAC addresses or such - or I'm not being assigned an IP address when trying to get back on. I know that PPPoE settings have "keep alive" packet sending and such but DHCP has no such options. And as I understand it, my DHCP setting is correct for a cable modem setup.

Any ideas?

Jonathan Marz

 

[bcastner]

Have you upgraded to 1.04 firmware yet?

ftp://ftp.linksys.com.sg/broadband_router/wrt55ag/

 

[jonmarz]

Thanks. I just noticed that 1.04 is available. I will try that tonight. Also, I misnamed the router: it's an A+G router, not an A+B router.

 

[jonmarz]

For all interested:

The Linksys wireless A+G router (WRT55AG) as shipped with firmware version 1.02 has a problem with the DHCP server function failing after some period of inactivity. Upgrading to firmware version 1.04 (as posted on the Linksys website) corrects the problem. (Use the web-based function in the router, system tab, to perform the upgrade after downloading the fix.)

The basic symptom is that after getting off the system (turning off the PC) for several hours, you can't get back on to the Internet later. The PC will connect to the router but you can't connect to the Internet. It appears as if DNS isn't working. In fact, I believe that because the DHCP server function isn't working, you're not even assigned an IP address upon reentry.

The new firmware version 1.04 was released in early July 2003 while the older version 1.02 was shipped with the (then new) product in March 2003.

 

[smylies]

what kind of modem are you using?