I was wondering if anyone could help with a problem I'm having with my wireless router.
I'm down here in Mexico and the electricity is somewhat intermittent, we loose power a couple of times per day. It seems each time that power returns, the router stops communicating with the Hughes modem, wired or wireless. I disconnect the Hughes modem and the router, then reconnect each in sequence, still the modem is quiet. The fix has been to reset the router to factory defaults, then put back the encryption, passwords and other settings, but this is a hassle.
Next year, a UPS is on the list of items to bring down to help the situation, but my router at home doesn't have this problem. I guess I could run the stuff through my inverter, but it seems a waste of energy running an inverter and charging the batts while the power is on.
Any comments on something that I've missed to correct the problem?
posted
Al, I wouldn't think that intermittent loss of power would be any different then shutting it down a few times during the day.
The few times that my router has had problems communicating with the modem all I ever do is power down the router/modem and back up again. They are both connected to the same power strip, so I shut it down for about 30 sec. then back up again. Works every time for me.
In the mean time running things off your inverter (especially when power is shaky), even if it seems a waste of power, may save your electronics until you get a UPS installed.
-------------------- Holiday Rambler LE/Chevy Tracker 4wd F1/D2/7000s/117w/1070/WRT54G See where I am today Posts: 807 | Registered: Jul 2004
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Actually, I had the modem and router off for a couple of hours tonight (the transmitter interferes with the Star Choice reception on the BOW attachment) , I reconnected the modem and then the router and had the problem again. It seems that each time the power is taken off the router,it will not allow connection to the net on restart (my computer indicates that I am connected to the router).
posted
So if you lose power, you lose the stored settings, then after you put them back it everything is fine? What kind of router is it, and how old is it?
Routers generally use flash memory to store settings, but some older devices used battery backed up ram. If it is one of those older ones, you could disassemble it and replace the battery. The battery was usually a coin sized watch battery like those used on PC motherboards.
-------------------- Terrestrial Wireless (finally found an alternative!) Posts: 233 | Registered: May 2007
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posted
Also, unless you have a really old version of firmware, you can go to Administration on the top row and Config Management on the bottom row and "Backup" your router's configuration.
This way, at least, when you do have to reset the router, all you will need to do is go to Config Management and "Restore" your router's configuration.
Another thing to try when this happens is to go to the Status page on the router (on the far right) and scroll to the bottom. Click the Release and then the Restore of the DHCP configuration.
This might get the router and modem talking again.
I used the backup and restore function, it gets the router back, I will try the other suggestion next time the router stops working.
I had the router and Hughes modem on the inverter all day (no power interruptions) and the router still lost a connection to the Hughes modem, the router must be going bad. Are there any set-up issues that could cause a drop out?. I'm using the default set up as suggested by Linksys and then changing the router broadcast name, the wireless security and the router password.
posted
Depending upon the power output of the inverter this could be the source of your problem. If you get a chance to connect to shore power, see if the problem persists or goes away before heading out to buy a new router.
-------------------- Bill Adams Winegard Company Posts: 15680 | From: Traveling the Western US | Registered: May 2003
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I am moving to a new campground today, so I will try the router on shore power. Down here in Mexico, it's a bit of a crap shoot, the shore power here is inconsistent and at 137 volts when operating, the other campground is about 132 volts.
With the transformer in the cord to the router, is high voltage a problem?
posted
Depends on the transformer... You might wish to consider purchasing a FRANKS Auto former for use there it is a "Buck/Boost/Pass" device unlike the Hughes Autormer which is a Boost/Pass only
posted
The other thing that can cause the drop in communication is interference.
If you don't need your signal to travel outside of your rig, you can put a piece of aluminum foil like a back drop for the antennas on the side that faces outside. This tends to keep other signals from getting in and yours from going out, but allows connection to the router inside the rig.
I'm set up in at the new campground, the voltage is 128 inside the RV and I plugged in the router (I had to reset it to get it to work again).
I want to share the net with a fellow camper, so I will leave teh set up as-is and see if the problem is the input voltage. Otherwise, it's time to invest in a new router.
The WPA/AES encryption defaults to 3600 seconds on the set up page, I assume that this is some sort of an encryption renewal function, hopefully it does not die after that time?
posted
Looks like the problem turned out to be high voltage, I've shut down the power and brought it back up a couple of times and the router comes back on-line, now that I have voltage at about 128.
I'll check the voltage from the inverter to see if it's outside the normal range next opportunity I get.
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