Help with Troubleshooting

18

v1.0, November 2009

Help with Troubleshooting

This chapter gives information about troubleshooting your wireless router. You will find help with

the following problems:

•

Basic troubleshooting

—

“Common Things That Can Go Wrong” on page 18

—

“Basic Functions Are Not Working” on page 19

—

“I Am Unable to Log In to the Wireless Router” on page 20

—

“The Internet Service Connection Is Not Working” on page 21

—

“How Do I Restore the Default Password and Configuration Settings?” on page 24

•

Advanced connectivity troubleshooting using the PING utility

—

“Testing the Path from a PC to Your Router” on page 24

—

“Testing the Path from a PC to the Internet” on page 26

Basic Troubleshooting

Here are some tips for correcting simple problems you might have.

Common Things That Can Go Wrong

Verify that you do not have these common problems.

Be sure to always start your network in this sequence:

1.

Turn off and unplug the modem from it’s power outlet, and turn off the wireless router and

computer.

2.

Turn on the modem, and wait 2 minutes.

3.

Turn on the wireless router, and wait 1 minute.

4.

Turn on the computer.

RangeMax Wireless-N 150 Router Setup Manual

Help with Troubleshooting

19

v1.0, November 2009

Make sure that the Ethernet cables are securely plugged in:

1.

Verify that the Internet status light on the wireless router will be lit if the Ethernet cable to the

wireless router from the modem is plugged in securely and the modem and wireless router are

both turned on (see

“Router Front Panel” on page 3

).

2.

Verify that for each powered-on computer connected to the wireless router with a securely

plugged in Ethernet cable, the corresponding wireless router LAN port status light is lit (see

“Router Front Panel” on page 3

). The label on the bottom of the wireless router identifies the

number of each LAN port (see

“Bottom Label” on page 5

).

Make sure that the network settings of the computer are correct:

1.

Verify that your LAN connected computers are configured to obtain an IP address

automatically through DHCP. For help with this, see the documentation for your computer or

“Related Documents” on page 30

.

2.

Verify whether the MAC address is needed. Some cable modem services require you to use

the MAC address of the computer registered on the account. If so, in the Router MAC Address

section of the Basic Settings menu, select

Use this Computer’s MAC Address

. To save your

settings, click

Apply

. Restart the network in the correct sequence.

Check the router status lights to verify correct router operation:

If the Power light does not turn solid green within 2 minutes after you turn the router on, reset the

router according to the instructions in

“How Do I Restore the Default Password and Configuration

Settings?” on page 24

.

Basic Functions Are Not Working

After you turn on power to the router, check these status lights:

1.

When power is first applied, verify that the Power light is on.

a.

Make sure that the power cord is properly connected to your router and that the power

supply adapter is properly connected to a functioning power outlet.

b.

Check that you are using the power adapter supplied by NETGEAR for this product.

If the error persists, you have a hardware problem and should contact technical support.

2.

Verify that the Test light lights within a few seconds, indicating that the self-test procedure is

running.

RangeMax Wireless-N 150 Router Setup Manual

Help with Troubleshooting

20

v1.0, November 2009

3.

After approximately 20 seconds, verify that:

a.

The Test light turned off.

b.

The LAN port lights are lit for any local ports that are connected.

c.

The Internet port is connected and its light is lit.

If a port’s light is lit, a link has been established to the connected device. If a LAN port is

connected to a 100 Mbps device, verify that the port’s light is green. If the port is 10 Mbps, the

light is amber.

Verify whether the Test light never turns on or stays on:

1.

Verify that when the router is turned on, the Test light turns on for about 20 seconds and then

turns off. If the Test light does not turn on or stays on, the router has a problem.

2.

Turn the power off and then on to see if the router recovers. If all lights including the Test light

are still on one minute after powering up:

a.

Turn the power off and back on to see if the router recovers.

b.

Clear the router’s configuration to factory defaults. This sets the router’s IP address to

192.168.1.1. This procedure is explained in

“How Do I Restore the Default Password and

Configuration Settings?” on page 24

.

If the error persists, you might have a hardware problem and should contact technical support.

Verify if the LAN or Internet port lights are not on when the Ethernet connection is made:

1.

Make sure that the Ethernet cable connections are secure at the router and at the computer.

2.

Make sure that power is turned on to the connected computer.

3.

Make sure that you are using Ethernet cables like the cable that was supplied with the wireless

router.

I Am Unable to Log In to the Wireless Router

If you are unable to log in to the wireless router, check the following:

•

If you are using an Ethernet-connected computer, check the Ethernet connection between the

computer and the router as described in the previous section.

For more information about the status lights, see

“Router Front Panel” on page 3

.

RangeMax Wireless-N 150 Router Setup Manual

Help with Troubleshooting

21

v1.0, November 2009

•

Make sure that you are using the correct login information. The factory default login name is

admin

, and the password is

password

. Make sure that Caps Lock is off when you enter this

information.

•

Typically, your computer’s address should be in the range of 192.168.1.2 to 192.168.1.254.

Refer to your computer’s documentation for help with finding your computer’s IP address.

•

Make sure that your browser has Java, JavaScript, or ActiveX enabled. If you are using

Internet Explorer, click Refresh to be sure that the Java applet is loaded. Try closing the

browser and starting it again.

The Internet Service Connection Is Not Working

If your router is unable to access the Internet, check that the Internet connection is working, and

then check that the wireless router can get an Internet address.

Check that the Internet connection is working:

1.

Internet connection

. First verify that your cable or ADSL modem has a successful

connection. The cable or ADSL modem status lights indicate if the modem connection is

successful or not. Check your modem documentation, or call your Internet service provider for

help with verifying that the modem has a successful connection.

2.

Wireless router Internet light is green or blinking green

. If your Internet light is green or

blinking green, then you have a good Internet connection, and your wiring is correct.

3.

Wireless router Internet light blinking amber

. If your Internet light is blinking amber, then

your wireless router is attempting to make an Internet connection with the service provider.

The LED should turn green within several minutes. If it does not, check the Internet

connection on the modem as described above.

4.

Wireless router Internet light

off

. If the Internet light is off, verify that the Ethernet cable is

securely connected between the cable or ADSL modem, and that both the modem and wireless

router are turned on.

If your computer’s IP address is 169.254.x.x, verify that you have a good

connection from the computer to the router, and then restart your computer.

RangeMax Wireless-N 150 Router Setup Manual

Help with Troubleshooting

22

v1.0, November 2009

Obtaining an Internet IP Address

If your wireless router is unable to access the Internet, and your Internet light is amber or blinking

amber, check the wireless router to see if it is able to get an Internet IP address from your service

provider. Unless you have a static IP address, your wireless router automatically requests an IP

address from your service provider.

To check the Internet IP address from the browser interface:

1.

Log in to the wireless router.

2.

Use the Router Status link under the Maintenance heading to check that an IP address is shown

for the Internet port. If 0.0.0.0 is shown, your wireless router has not obtained an IP address

from your service provider.

If your router is unable to obtain an IP address from the your service provider, the problem might

be one of the following:

•

Your service provider might require a login. Ask your service provider whether they require

PPP over Ethernet (PPPoE) login.

•

The service name, user name, and password might be set incorrectly. See

“Troubleshooting

PPPoE”

.

•

Your service provider might check for your computer’s host name.

Assign the computer host name of your ISP account to the wireless router in the Basic Settings

screen.

•

Your service provider allows only one Ethernet MAC address to connect to Internet, and

might check for your computer’s MAC address, in this case, do one of the following:

•

Inform your service provider that you have bought a new network device, and ask them to

use the wireless router’s MAC address.

•

Configure your router to spoof your computer’s MAC address. This can be done in the

Basic Settings screen. Refer to the online help in the wireless router main menu.

Troubleshooting PPPoE

To troubleshoot a PPPoE connection:

1.

Log in to the wireless router.

2.

Under the Maintenance heading, select the Router Status link.

3.

Click the

Connection Status

button.

4.

If all of the steps indicate OK then your PPPoE connection is up and working.