Feel like crying, WRT54G stressing me out.

Hey there, I'm in search of a low tech solution for this.

Here's the problem, I've got a WRT54G (ver.5) at my gf's house. It refuses to connect to any of our computers normally (there's 3 in the house, and another desktop upstairs). It'll go about a week when it works, and a random amount of time when it won't, then will work for a random amount of time again. Now, I've updated the firmware before, and that helped for awhile, but the problem came back.

I can connect to the router, but not to the internet, I do receive/send packets but nothing loads, just gives me the gold 'ole IE cannot display the webpage. Before anyone asks, we can connect to other networks, and when I'm at home my network works flawlessy regardless of what laptop I use at the time.

Here's the catch, I'd love to try to set this up like I did at home, but I can't even seem to access the admin page for the router itself. I have an inkling that if I do that and add a password&SSID, it MIGHT solve my problems. I don't want to load DD-WRT, because I'd like to leave the router in a shape that my gf's mom can do what she wants with.

 

While connected to the router and with IE opened type 192.168.1.1, this will connect you to the router, I believe the default username is admin and no password. Other routers use the IP address 192.168.0.1.

 

Thanks wireless, but that's the thing, I can't for the life of me get that to work. I mean, I've set up a few different routers and networks, so it's nothing new to me, but this just perplexes me. Could it be the router? I've read people having problems with this series of routers before.

Thanks again for the help.

 

Have you reset the router back to factory defaults?

one one of your computers that is connecting to it, open a command prompt (type "CMD" on the run line), and then type "IPCONFIG". Whatever your "default gateway" is, most likely 192.168.x.x type that IP in the webbrowser on that machine. see if you can get into the config.

I do recommend resetting back to factory defaults, otherwise maybe the thing just went bad. rare, but not impossible. Spend the $50 for a new one if its broke.

 

I would reset it to the defaults and start all over. DD-WRT works fine on the v5 WRT54G. The default password to the control panel is admin/admin and the IP is 192.168.1.1.

 

I guess I've been misunderstood, I can't get into the admin panel, as I've said before, this is nothing new to me, and this particular router is giving me problems.

I've factory reset a few times, and still nothing in terms of being able to access the admin panel. I'm going to go out on a limb here and let everyone know I'm using the proper 192.186.1.1, as when I'm connected using my laptop it gives me a 192.168.1.x ip.

 

Can you connect to the router with a cable? Perhaps you disabled admin login through WiFi.

 

I can't get into the admin login regardless of what computer I'm on. I'm currently using the desktop that's hardwired. Even after factory resets I cannot log into the admin login.

 

That pretty much states it all. Replace it. If after a hard reset on the WRT54G and you can guarantee there's no oddball stuff going on with the PC itself (try multiple all hardwired), and you open a web browser... type http://192.168.1.1 and press enter, you should be prompted for ID/PW. if you are not, then the thing is hosed. if it does prompt for ID/PW, whats it do when you type in Admin as the ID with no PW, or maybe it was no ID with admin as the PW. I can't remember the default offhand.

 

Oddly enough a neighbour had a spare WRT54G (how weird is that?) I borrowed it, and low and behold the old one was toast. Thanks for all the help guys, I guess I was freaking out and getting stressed for no reason.

 

The router is defected IMHO, buy a new one or ask your ISP to give you another one.

 

Nah, not for no reason. Wireless is subject to so many little imperfections, and the system, especially on Windows, is so opaque that, unless it does exactly what it's supposed to, you often find yourself at a point where you don't know if you're doing something wrong, the computer's messing up, there's too much interference, or - as in your case - the router's just bit the dust.

Glad you managed to get a definitive answer pretty quickly; I'd probably have hobbled along on the old router until it caught fire or something.