Netgear Router Setup - SOLVED

[Martin109]

I am trying to set up a Netgear DGN2200v4 router to replace a pretty old Netgear DG834Gv3, but am having trouble.  Here's the overview page from the Netgear Genie program display:



The setup page has the following settings:

Encapsulation: PPPoA
Login: mjsawers@plusdsl.net
Password: [copied over from old router]
Connection Mode: Always On
Idle timeout (min): 5
Internet IP address: Get dynamically from ISP
Domain Name Server (DNS) address: Get automatically from ISP
( Router program has already placed values:
Primary DNS: 212 159 6 10
Secondary DNS: 212 159 6 9 )
NAT (Network Address Translation): Enabled
Router MAC address: Use default address selected
( Router program has already placed values alongside 'Use this MAC address':
A0:63:91:D8:07:FD )  This differs from the MAC address shown in the overview screen above, which ends with 'FC', not 'FD'.

Any information about what might be preventing this new router from connecting would be most helpful.

[Kim]

What I see there is a lack of a PPP connection (no IP address on the internet port).  What do you get on those "show statistics" "connection status" pages?

Firstly, I'd be looking to see that the ADSL is in sync.  (There may be a hardware 'DSL' blinkenlight to denote this.)

If it is, then it'll be some sort of PPP configuration issue.  If not, it's probably a hardware thing (cables and filters and such).

You haven't mentioned VPI/VCI settings.  These should be 0 and 38 respectively (and may default to something else).  If there's an encapsulation setting, it should be set to VC-MUX (rather than LLC).  PPPoA is already selected, and is correct.

MAC addresses are unique to each piece of hardware (except when you deliberately configure one to pretend to be another), and shouldn't matter for these purposes.

[Mr Larrington]

What happens when you run the Setup Wizard and tell it to try and detect the connection type automatically?  Mine was telling me there wasn't a cable plugged into the DSL port yesterday; it eventually transpired that it was BT's end of the cable that was unplugged at the exchange (detected by virtue of my landline being dead as well).

[Martin109]

Thanks for the help so far.

In order to post this, I had to unplug everything from the new router, and plug everything back into the old router, and all came back up again immediately with no issues.  I have done this several times, with the same results as before when the new router is plugged in, so that means , I think, that physical plugs, filters etc are all OK.

You haven't mentioned VPI/VCI settings.  These should be 0 and 38 respectively (and may default to something else).  If there's an encapsulation setting, it should be set to VC-MUX (rather than LLC).  PPPoA is already selected, and is correct.

I was looking at how to check this; the old router program interface lists these settings, and PlusNet told me about them way back when I started with them, but I can't see, on this new 'Genie' software, where to check they're set correctly.

When I get back home this evening, I'll post a couple of screenshots of the 'show statistics' and 'connection status' pages.

Thanks for the help so far.

[Feanor]

I think you need to go the Setup page, and find the Internet Connection setup stuff.

The page you need to be on is the one which has your username and password in it, and things like VPI/PCI.

A picture of that page would be the most useful.

[Martin109]

Back at the computer now, with same situation.

I have checked the VPI & VCI settings, and they are correct at 0 & 38 respectively.

Here is the Diagnostics screen:



This is the Administration Logs:



and this is the Routing Table:



What might be the next step?

[Kim]

Curiouser and curiouser...

The log says internet (it means PPP) connected, and gives a valid plusnet IP address (143.159.11.34).  That seems to contradict the empty field in the first screenshot.

The private address (172.16.15.200) as the default gateway seems odd, though maybe plusnet's network is set up that way.

[pcolbeck]

The private address (172.16.15.200) as the default gateway seems odd, though maybe plusnet's network is set up that way.

Thats not a default gateway. Its an all 255s mask ie a host route. Its saying this router has an IP address of 172.16.15.200 somewhere, a loopback interface perhaps ?

[Martin109]

Thanks.

I am rather gratified that the experts on here are somewhat foxed at the moment, as it means I'm not quite as stupid as I thought I was!

Just to add, there is one red' blinkenlight' on the router, and it has next to it a symbol similar to the one shown below.  It's the one situated top right in the image:



I imagine, if it were green, it would be indicating 'Connected to Internet', and its redness is related to the current non-functioning.  No word about the symbols on the front of the router in the Installation Guide.

[pcolbeck]

IS there a newer version of firmware available for the router ?

I'd try that along with a factory reset if there is an option to do that as well, Maybe some setting you cant see through the GUI is stuck or the GUI is lying to you (also can happen).
Resettlng everything to a clean state and starting again can help with that kind of thing.

[Tim Hall]

IS there a newer version of firmware available for the router ?

I'd try that along with a factory reset if there is an option to do that as well, Maybe some setting you cant see through the GUI is stuck or the GUI is lying to you (also can happen).
Resettlng everything to a clean state and starting again can help with that kind of thing.

One of the screenshots upthread suggests newer firmware is available.

[Martin109]

IS there a newer version of firmware available for the router ?

I'd try that along with a factory reset if there is an option to do that as well, Maybe some setting you cant see through the GUI is stuck or the GUI is lying to you (also can happen).
Resettlng everything to a clean state and starting again can help with that kind of thing.

I have tried the resetting thing, by pushing a pin into the reset hole - doesn't seem to make a difference.

I think I would need to be connecting properly in order to download a newer version of the firmware.  There is a button to do that, but it does not lead to a download at the moment.

[rafletcher]

Have you tried asking Plusnet? They're not as good as they used to be (takes far longer to get the phone answered for instance) but still pretty helpful.  0800 432 0200

[pcolbeck]

I think I would need to be connecting properly in order to download a newer version of the firmware.  There is a button to do that, but it does not lead to a download at the moment.

That router will download new firmware from your PCs hard drive via the web interface as well as via the internet.
Use your old routers to connect to the Internet and download the latest firmware from Netgear.

[Mr Larrington]

Thanks.

I am rather gratified that the experts on here are somewhat foxed at the moment, as it means I'm not quite as stupid as I thought I was!

Just to add, there is one red' blinkenlight' on the router, and it has next to it a symbol similar to the one shown below.  It's the one situated top right in the image:



I imagine, if it were green, it would be indicating 'Connected to Internet', and its redness is related to the current non-functioning.  No word about the symbols on the front of the router in the Installation Guide.

Do the front panel blinkenlights look like this:


Router blinkenlights by Mr Larrington, on Flickr

The one in your picture will indeed be green if it's got an internet connection, as should the DSL light next to it.

[Kim]

The private address (172.16.15.200) as the default gateway seems odd, though maybe plusnet's network is set up that way.

Thats not a default gateway. Its an all 255s mask ie a host route. Its saying this router has an IP address of 172.16.15.200 somewhere, a loopback interface perhaps ?

Right, that tells it how to reach that host.  And then at the bottom of the routing table is the 0.0.0.0 mask route to everywhere else, with that address as a gateway.

[pcolbeck]

Woops I didnt look further than the host address. Thats nasty you should never point a route at an iP address or interface on the devcie itself (unless you are trying to simulate something or are point it at null0 for BGP purposes). It will work but usually means you have to ARP for every IP address you want top send a packet to rather than just forwarding to a sensible IP address.

Anyhoo I just checked and it seems BT use the 172.16.x.x within their network. Looks like the BT is handing you an IP address for the router instead of Plusnet.

Basically your router is working its the other end of the link that the funky stuff is going on. Why its OK with one router and not the other is strange though. Culd be some weird Radious thing at BT, I presume the authentication requests hits the BT server and its supposed to just relay it to PLUSnet but isnt.

Try deleting your username and then re-entering it, perhaps you got a ctrl character in there or something thats stopping BT recognising "@plusnet" or whatever text its setup to kick in the relay.

[Kim]

Anyhoo I just checked and it seems BT use the 172.16.x.x within their network. Looks like the BT is handing you an IP address for the router instead of Plusnet.

Ah yes, I think BT give you a connection to nowhere with a private address when they can't reach the ISP's LNS, rather than refusing to authenticate.  It rate-limits the attempted reconnections, so the LNS isn't overwhelmed after an outage.

Try deleting your username and then re-entering it, perhaps you got a ctrl character in there or something thats stopping BT recognising "@plusnet" or whatever text its setup to kick in the relay.

Agreed.  Probably worth doing the password too.

[Martin109]

Right, I seem to have some success, but it feels a bit random.

I re-entered username and password, but that didn't seem to make any difference.

I then went to 'Advanced', 'Setup Wizard', and set this going.  This took a very long time, but eventually got the connection going!   All the blinkenlights are green!

However, the Admin Logs screen is now showing the date as 15 Nov 2018, whereas it was showing correctly as 26 Sept previously!



I tried uploading the latest firmware, apparently without success, but then restarting the router program showed the latest firmware as installed.  All seems very mysterious.  How can I change the date to show correctly, I wonder?

Thanks for all the help so far.

[fuaran]

Looks like that log is going backwards, ie most recent line at the top?
So it has the wrong time/date to start with, then it connects to DSL, then syncs with NTP to get the correct time. So it is working fine.

[Martin109]

Ah... that's a relief.  Thanks for the orientation.

Glad to have got it going finally.

Grateful for all the help.

[Kim]

Looks like that log is going backwards, ie most recent line at the top?

Yeah, that threw me in one of the previous screenshots.  Also the timestamps being at the end, when any right-thinking logfile has them first.

[Mr Larrington]

Apropos the date and time malarkey, TFM says:


Router datetime by Mr Larrington, on Flickr

Hopefully that's big enough to read