SMC SMCD3GN Modem/Gateway - cannot obtain network address

[allanc]

I went onsite to a new client with a SMC SMCD3GN modem/gateway.
The problem is that her son cannot connect wirelessly from his bedroom on the second floor.

I ran WIRELESSKEYVIEW on the mother's computer (which connects) on the ground floor and obtained an encryption key of 'aaaaa' (for example).
I tried that key on both the son's computer and my netbook while in his bedroom without success.
I tried the same key on my netbook while next to the mother's computer without success.
At that point, I was thinking that it was a MAC filter issue.
However, the mother says that the son has many friends who drop in and can connect their wifi equipment and nobody modifies the router settings.
I ran wirelessnetview and all other nearby networks are also encrypted.

The mother's computer is running Windows 7 and I obtained the following from IpConfig which is not helping me understand the problem.
I was expecting a network in the range of 192.168.0.x


IP 99.253.197.153
Subnet Mask 255.255.254.0
Gateway 99.253.196.1

All assistance is appreciated.

 

[Martyn]

I went onsite to a new client with a SMC SMCD3GN modem/gateway.
The problem is that her son cannot connect wirelessly from his bedroom on the second floor.

I ran WIRELESSKEYVIEW on the mother's computer (which connects) on the ground floor and obtained an encryption key of 'aaaaa' (for example).
I tried that key on both the son's computer and my netbook while in his bedroom without success.
I tried the same key on my netbook while next to the mother's computer without success.
At that point, I was thinking that it was a MAC filter issue.
However, the mother says that the son has many friends who drop in and can connect their wifi equipment and nobody modifies the router settings.
I ran wirelessnetview and all other nearby networks are also encrypted.

The mother's computer is running Windows 7 and I obtained the following from IpConfig which is not helping me understand the problem.
I was expecting a network in the range of 192.168.0.x


IP 99.253.197.153
Subnet Mask 255.255.254.0
Gateway 99.253.196.1

All assistance is appreciated.

Well that's not an internal class address as you know. On the machine that does connect do an ipconfig /all and check again the wireless details. The dhcp server should be the default gateway.

 

[allanc]

Well that's not an internal class address as you know. On the machine that does connect do an ipconfig /all and check again the wireless details. The dhcp server should be the default gateway.

That is what I *thought* I did, but we all make mistakes.
But regardless of the public network (which may be a red herring)... I should be able to connect to the network, correct?
Basically, all one does is select the network and enter the encryption key.

 

[red12049]

I went onsite to a new client with a SMC SMCD3GN modem/gateway.
The problem is that her son cannot connect wirelessly from his bedroom on the second floor.

I ran WIRELESSKEYVIEW on the mother's computer (which connects) on the ground floor and obtained an encryption key of 'aaaaa' (for example).
I tried that key on both the son's computer and my netbook while in his bedroom without success.
I tried the same key on my netbook while next to the mother's computer without success.
At that point, I was thinking that it was a MAC filter issue.
However, the mother says that the son has many friends who drop in and can connect their wifi equipment and nobody modifies the router settings.
I ran wirelessnetview and all other nearby networks are also encrypted.

The mother's computer is running Windows 7 and I obtained the following from IpConfig which is not helping me understand the problem.
I was expecting a network in the range of 192.168.0.x


IP 99.253.197.153
Subnet Mask 255.255.254.0
Gateway 99.253.196.1

All assistance is appreciated.

Did you look in the gateway to see what was what? Can you verify that the mother is, in fact, connected to HER gateway, and not one of the neighbors?

Rick

 

[Martyn]

That is what I *thought* I did, but we all make mistakes.
But regardless of the public network (which may be a red herring)... I should be able to connect to the network, correct?
Basically, all one does is select the network and enter the encryption key.

Oh yes for definite but I thought it may have been another router it was picking up. Try a fixed ip address to check if you can connect that way

 

[allanc]

Oh yes for definite but I thought it may have been another router it was picking up. Try a fixed ip address to check if you can connect that way

On the 192.168.0.1 net?
I just had a look at Roger's (ISP) web site and that modem/gateway is for their 'extreme' service.
Apparently, whether rented or sold by Rogers, the admin password is not available to the end user.
There is a 'customer password' that is limited in functionality.
And... it supports two wireless networks - one of which is public.
Is the public some sort of DMZ?

EDIT: is it possible that she is connected to the public net (as opposed to the internal)?
I think that there is a missing link that I am not getting

 

[Martyn]

On the 192.168.0.1 net?
I just had a look at Roger's (ISP) web site and that modem/gateway is for their 'extreme' service.
Apparently, whether rented or sold by Rogers, the admin password is not available to the end user.
There is a 'customer password' that is limited in functionality.
And... it supports two wireless networks - one of which is public.
Is the public some sort of DMZ?

EDIT: is it possible that she is connected to the public net (as opposed to the internal)?
I think that there is a missing link that I am not getting

If it is an address that is on the net then there will be a limited number for use. Are you sure the address is via dhcp and not a fixed one? are there any others that are free, maybe they are all taken?

Edit

Yes the reverse lookup is registered to Rogers.com. I would check one of the others that connect and see what range they connect to, like you say it might be a red herring.

 

[allanc]

If it is an address that is on the net then there will be a limited number for use. Are you sure the address is via dhcp and not a fixed one? are there any others that are free, maybe they are all taken?

Edit

Yes the reverse lookup is registered to Rogers.com. I would check one of the others that connect and see what range they connect to, like you say it might be a red herring.

I will have to wait until I either go on-site or connect remotely (if she will agree).

 

[jvcomputerservice]

do you know if the router suppports MAC cloning?

http://www.ofzenandcomputing.com/zanswers/605

 

[jvcomputerservice]

from another forum:

Do you know if this is a new router?

A clever trick is to hook it up to your router first, power off your modem and back on again, and if you still can’t get an IP, call your ISP and just tell them you got a new computer. Don’t even mention you have a router.
They will then reset your modem to authorize with a new MAC (this time it will be your router) and bingo, it will work.
As soon as you mention router or anything, 99% of ISP’s will just be like “Woah, that’s the problem right there. We don’t support it, call them.”

hope this helps

 

[Frank]

The mother's computer is running Windows 7 and I obtained the following from IpConfig which is not helping me understand the problem.
I was expecting a network in the range of 192.168.0.x


IP 99.253.197.153
Subnet Mask 255.255.254.0
Gateway 99.253.196.1

All assistance is appreciated.

How is the mother's computer connected to the network? Wired or wireless?
If wireless, do you know if it is connecting to the correct network?

Do you know if the mother's computer's IP address is statically or automatically assigned?
I know you're not on-site anymore, but when you get a chance, could you post the results of ipconfig /all after confirming the network connection on the mother's PC?

We have limited information here, but we know the mother's computer is assigned a public IP address.
If it is, in fact, on the correct network, then DHCP may either be off, or it has already assigned the maximum number of IP addresses (usually 1-5 addresses).

The only SMC gateways that I have dealt with have been business class Comcast gateways.
Their default IP is usually 10.1.10.1; I'm not sure if it would be the same for the gateway that you're working on. But it's worth a shot to try to log onto it and view the wireless and DHCP settings.
And, as mentioned earlier, try to log on using the public default gateway address you listed earlier.

I'm not familiar with the ISPs/gateways in your area, but you may just have to bite the bullet and contact their ISP for assistance if the gateway is locked down.

EDIT: Never mind about 10.1.10.1. I googled the gateway and saw that it's 192.168.0.1, like you expected.

 

[Jake77444]

The problem is not with the wireless, it is with the configuration of the gateway.

If you getting 99.253.197.153 as an ip address on the single wireless computer which is working and no other wireless computer can connect it is because that one computer is getting the only available public ip address. The gateway you have is essentially in "Bridge Mode" and acting as a passthrough, not doing NAT.

Your other wireless computers fail to connect because there are no available ip addresses available to assign. You can test this theory by shutting down the wireless computer which works, power cycle the modem, then try to connect wirelessly on a different computer. This new computer should connect but the others will not be able to.

I'd recommend factory resetting the gateway or browse to the gui, configuring it correctly, and power cycle this device. Your main wireless computer which was always working should then get an internal NAT'd IP address along with your other computers.

If you can't browse to the GUI by public IP or factory reset then you will need to hardcode an IP to the NIC for configuration purpsoes and then set it back to DHCP.

To do this you should hardcode(assuming the IP Scheme has not been changed)
IP 192.168.0.10
Subnet 255.255.255.0
Gateway 192.168.0.1

Then you should be able to access the GUI via 192.168.0.1 in the browser.

Goodluck.