New Airport Extreme - Help Please!

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I have my new (802.22n) airport extreme base station claiming to be up and running ok - the green light is on and my MacBook can see the network I've set up. BUT, for some reason, I cannot surf the web or get my email i.e. it isn't up and running ok despite the reassuring green light.

I've tried diagnostics in system preferences>network (said it couldn't fix the problem) and have set up the base station a couple of times including a factory settings reset. Obviously still no joy...

I can get access to the net by plugging my DSL modem directly into my MacBook's ethernet port so it is not a problem with my modem or ISP so what the **** is it?!

I'm no boffin and would really appreciate any help as to ascertain the problem.

Cheers.
 
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Is MAC filtering on? If so and you haven't added your MB's MAC address, you would be able to see the wireless router, but wouldn't have a valid IP address.
 
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Having called Mac support and messed around with all my wires and modem it seems (according to the guy on the phone - this is all new to me) that my modem is probablly tied to the mac address of the old Airport Express I used before I got the Airport Extreme.

Has anyone had any similar experiences ?

Can anyone help me to get the modem (Netgear DM111P) to work with a new mac address (i.e. my Airport Extreme), please?

Thanks in advance...
 

dtravis7


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I checked the Airport Express's manual and there is no option to clone a MAC address. They say to call your ISP and read then the Ethernet ID on the bottom of the AE.

Who is your ISP?

I also checked the Netgear modem and see no option to clone the MAC there either.
 
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Hi dtravis7 - thanks very much for taking an interest, I am really getting frustrated here!

My (UK) ISP is Bulldog.

I called Netgear (as I was advised to do by Apple when they thought the modem had tied itself to the mac address of the Express) and they told me the modem does not tie itself to the mac address of anything.

So I guess I'll have to call Bulldog (cos that's was what Apple support told me to do if that was the case - although I can't recall why) and tell them the tale... After which I imagine I will probably have to call Apple again because Bulldog tell me it's nothing to do with them.

Any more help is really appreciated...
 

dtravis7


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Call Bulldog and ask them if they are tied to the MAC address of your router or computer. If so give them the Ethernet ID on the bottom of the AE. If not, then it's something else. A lot of Cable is that way but here in the states all the DSL I have used was not tied to a specific MAC addy.

Let us know what Bulldog says.
 
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Yo!

Well I phoned my ISP and they are NOT tied to the MAC address of anything. As they said; if that were the case I would have had to tell them the MAC address of my Airport Express to get that to work (which I didn't have to - it just worked).

Also, having looked at the Airport Extreme Base Station with Airport Utility whilst on the phone to my ISP, we confirmed that it is getting the correct IP number from them. So in theory it is connected to the internet (as the green light indicates). I guess I phone Apple again and tell them that the MAC address theory was wrong.

I love computers.

Perhaps the Airport Extreme is just faulty in some way...

As ever any other thoughts are appreciated.

Thanks.
 

dtravis7


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What do you see on your Macs when you open System Preferences, Network, Built in Ethernet and tell me the IP Address, and Router address. Be sure for now you are plugged in to one of the ethernet ports on the AE to your Mac.
 
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Okay I just kinda glanced over this thread so I could be wrong. But with some modems you have to reboot them before you can attach a new device. The modem detects the MAC address and will only work with that address until it clears its memory, which happens on a reboot. I don't think its an ISP issue that why your getting the run around. I had this issue with both DSL and Cable Modems before I figured it out. It explains why direct computer connections work but putting the router in the middle fails. Reboot your modem then connect your Airport Extreme.
 

dtravis7


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He did have an older AE in the middle before this new one. Recycling the modem though is something you always do when installing a new router. Good suggestion.
 
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Thanks for the suggestions guys. However, if I had a pound for every time I had turned everything on and off and rebooted it in all possible orders I'd be a happy man.

I'll try the "open System Preferences, Network, Built in Ethernet" thing when I next get a chance, which annoyingly won't be until the weekend...

I'll let you know what it says though if your still keeping track of this rather dull and frustrating tale! I really appreciate the suggestions and help. Thanks.
 

dtravis7


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I'll try the "open System Preferences, Network, Built in Ethernet" thing when I next get a chance, which annoyingly won't be until the weekend...

I'll let you know what it says though if your still keeping track of this rather dull and frustrating tale! I really appreciate the suggestions and help. Thanks.

For sure I will keep track. Just post and I will see this message as it's in my watch list.

Good Luck.
 
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Well after 4 hours and fifteen minutes (!) on the phone to Mac Support (I was pretty impressed actually - the guy actually went beyond the call of duty) it now works.

Kind of.

We had to set it up using my old D-Link modem and (I think) use the Extreme in bridging mode?

However, for some reason, I still can't get internet on my 17" iMac via an ethernet cable plugged directly into the Extreme. The guy explained it to me but my brain was fried after all that time on the phone - something to do with the sharing of the IP address - and I still don't see why everything worked fine with the Airport Express and yet not with the new Extreme.

All in all I'm not impressed with the new (n) Airport Extreme but perhaps it's because I am not entirely au fait with all this stuff...

Thanks for the help and if anyone can hazard a guess as to why I can't get the internet on the iMac and what I need to do to sort it...
 

dtravis7


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The SHARING of the IP sounds like both systems are getting the same IP and DHCP is not assigning IP address's. That is my guess at what he meant by that. There HAS to be a way around it. I wish I could come there and give it a shot.
 
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I just saw this thread and thought I'd comment on a few things I noticed.

First, the same thing with the MAC address happened to me when I got my first router in 9th grade. Took me 5 hours to figure it out, but I finally found that you have to leave your router off for atleast 15 minutes to clear the MAC address cache.

Also, I bet you the reason why your modem was causing so much trouble was because it was also a DHCP server, and having two DHCP servers on the same subnet was causing resolution conflicts.

Not sure why you would need to put the Airport Extreme in bridging mode?

As far as your 17" iMac is concerned - are you sure you haven't plugged it into the WAN port? Also, do you know for sure the cable is good? Is your iMac even getting an IP address? Can it ping the router?
 

dtravis7


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Also, I bet you the reason why your modem was causing so much trouble was because it was also a DHCP server, and having two DHCP servers on the same subnet was causing resolution conflicts.

Not sure why you would need to put the Airport Extreme in bridging mode?

Both very good points Obtruse. A Lot of the modems that SBC Yahoo DSL uses have a built in PPPoE Dialer and DHCP. That has to be disabled if you want the AE to work as a router with DHCP. Most of the Efficient Network modems that SBC uses also only will give out one IP. Hang a 2nd computer and the IP will conflict. The Bridged Mode is in the SBC Efficient Network Modems here and allows the Modem to work as just a DSL modem and the AE would do the rest.

http://kbserver.netgear.com/pdf/DM111_RM_23Aug06.pdf

That is a link to the manual for your Netgear DSL Modem. Be sure if your Airport Extreme is set for DHCP that you TURN OFF DHCP in the Netgear Modem!!!
 
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Be sure if your Airport Extreme is set for DHCP that you TURN OFF DHCP in the Netgear Modem!!!

That sounds like something I never thought of (being somewhat out of my depth here) and also like something the guy on Mac Support never got me to try either. The DHCP conflict scenario makes sense to my neophyte brain. I think I'll give it a go when I'm feeling brave enough to undo all the hard work of the 4 and quarter hours I spent on the phone...

Really appreciate the suggestions Obtruse and dtravis7.

I'll report back. Many thanks.
 
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Back once again!

Having connected directly to the DM111P I now remember that the Apple Support guy did try to get me to disable the DHCP in it but for some reason the section to turn it on or off is greyed out (i.e. unchangable) and in the "ON" position, if that makes sense.

Any ideas as to why the **** that would be?

I am thinking this is a modem incompatibility issue...
 

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