Home networking question

peppy · 02-12-2016, 06:03 AM

I have hardwired the internet connections in my house and have run into an issue.

I have all connections terminated in one of these

This is the switch I am using.

I have run one line to my shop to connect wifi and I can't get an internet connection. The shop is about 125' from the switch. I do get internet service if I plug my laptop directly into the line just not with the wifi routers. I have tried 2 different routers, they connect when wired in the house, but not at the end of the long run.

Where should I start looking or testing?

widebody911 · widebody911's Garage

Need clarity: if you run a long wire from that switch to your shop, and plug that wire into your laptop, you get internet. Yes/No?

Then you're trying to connect that wire to a WiFi router, and then connect your laptop via WiFi to that router, you do not get get internet?

Does the laptop actually successfully connect to the WiFi router? When doing so, do you get an IP (run ipconfig /all)?

peppy · 02-12-2016, 06:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by widebody911

Need clarity: if you run a long wire from that switch to your shop, and plug that wire into your laptop, you get internet. Yes/No?

Then you're trying to connect that wire to a WiFi router, and then connect your laptop via WiFi to that router, you do not get get internet?

Does the laptop actually successfully connect to the WiFi router? When doing so, do you get an IP (run ipconfig /all)?

Yes I get internet plugged in.

correct I do not get internet

Yes laptop connects to WiFi router but no internet.

stomachmonkey · 06:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by peppy

Yes I get internet plugged in.

correct I do not get internet

Yes laptop connects to WiFi router but no internet.

Are you plugging the router into the switch in it's "out of the box" config or have you actually configured the router as a bridge or better yet as an access point (AP)?

Also, are you using one of the LAN ports on the WIFI router or the single WAN?

peppy · 02-12-2016, 06:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

Are you plugging the router into the switch in it's "out of the box" config or have you actually configured the router as a bridge or better yet as an access point (AP)?

I did the auto setup and it worked fine inside the house.

id10t · 02-12-2016, 07:09 AM

So... long cable run to elsewhere, with a access point plugged in at that end. You can get onto the access point, but no net access. Yes?

Long cable is bad. Your access point isn't set up for the network, or it is but it has conflicting IP addresses or other bad info.

peppy · 02-12-2016, 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by id10t

So... long cable run to elsewhere, with a access point plugged in at that end. You can get onto the access point, but no net access. Yes?

Long cable is bad. Your access point isn't set up for the network, or it is but it has conflicting IP addresses or other bad info.

I get access at the end of the long run when plugged into a laptop, but no access with the router (WiFi or plugged in)

stomachmonkey · 02-12-2016, 07:34 AM

This really makes no sense.

You connect a router to your switch and configure it as an AP.

You can then attach to the WIFI network that specific AP is broadcasting and access the internet.

You change nothing other than moving the router to a another cable run. A cable run that you have verified gets internet access when plugged directly into a laptop.

Are you rebooting the primary router and switch when you move the new router outside?

peppy · 02-12-2016, 07:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

This really makes no sense.

You connect a router to your switch and configure it as an AP.

You can then attach to the WIFI network that specific AP is broadcasting and access the internet.

You change nothing other than moving the router to a another cable run. A cable run that you have verified gets internet access when plugged directly into a laptop.

Are you rebooting the primary router and switch when you move the new router outside?

I guess it reboots when I unplug it and move it. I have tried 2 different routers with the same results.

id10t · 02-12-2016, 07:42 AM

OK... so the second router/wifi unit needs configuring.

In its admin interface, turn off DHCP. Set the SSID to something other than what you are already using. Make sure long cable is plugged into a regular LAN side port and not the WAN side port. That should be it.

stomachmonkey · 02-12-2016, 07:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by peppy

I guess it reboots when I unplug it and move it. I have tried 2 different routers with the same results.

Are you rebooting everything including the switch and primary router?

Let's start from the beginning.

Does your network look like this?

peppy · 02-12-2016, 07:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by id10t

OK... so the second router/wifi unit needs configuring.

In its admin interface, turn off DHCP. Set the SSID to something other than what you are already using. Make sure long cable is plugged into a regular LAN side port and not the WAN side port. That should be it.

I will try when I get home and report back.

peppy · 08:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

Are you rebooting everything including the switch and primary router?

Let's start from the beginning.

Does your network look like this?

I have tried rebooting the primary router and switch and that did not fix it.

Yes it looks like your drawing.

John Rogers · 02-12-2016, 08:39 AM

I did something similar and followed the steps as noted here: How to Make a Wireless Router Into an Access Point | eHow

Make sure that you connect to your main router and that it can "see" the router that you are having trouble with. The biggest thing is to disable DHCP on the outside router and assign an address in the range of your main router. You can also test things by attaching a cable from the outside computer to the outside router and check connectivity that way also.

HardDrive · 02-12-2016, 09:31 AM

Agree with id10t's DHCP diagnosis. The wireless access point is probably doling out IP addresses to your client machine in the garage. Even if your requests are automagically making to the hard wired router in the house, it won't have a correct return route. You need the wireless router to act as a bridge.

Scott R · Scott R's Garage

The 125ft run, what type of cable is that currently? 5e? 6e? Conduit?

Also from the diagram, how many feet between the patch panel and the switch?

peppy · 02-12-2016, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott R

The 125ft run, what type of cable is that currently? 5e? 6e? Conduit?

Also from the diagram, how many feet between the patch panel and the switch?

cat5e shielded and in conduit.

about 2 feet between the panel and switch

Scott R · Scott R's Garage

At 1000MB on CAT 5e you can get a reliable 30 meters given the consumer class switch and router (that I assume you have). To test this theory you can hard code your ports to a slower speed, if possible, something like 10MB/Half and see if it negotiates.

However this all for not with a bad cable, and it really sounds like you have a bad or poor cable, or possibly a bad switch port or patch somewhere in there.

stealthn · 02-12-2016, 11:16 AM

Cross-over cable...

peppy · 02-12-2016, 01:39 PM

Ok. I got home and reset the router/DSL box and then went and reset the switch. I connected the router in the shop and now it works fine. I had forgotten to plug the switch back in to that line.

I am thinking the TP-Link $19.95 was the original issue, and I was the other issue. I now have a netgear G54 and it's working fine.

Thanks for all the help and suggestions.