LAN network problem -- Can't enable the router as DHCP Server

[Muse]

I have:

~5-6 mbps DSL via a broadband modem and sonic.net

Asus RT-N66R N router (upstairs laptop is using the 5GHz wifi band, downstairs laptop is further away and using the 2.4GHz wifi band).

Router's connected to a TP-Link TL-SG1008D 8-Port Unmanaged Gigabit Desktop Switch to get some extra ethernet connections.

Synology DS214play NAS is connected by ethernet to the router.

Upstairs devices except for one laptop are all ethernet connected to the LAN. They include two midtower systems and a blu-ray player. All my computers are Windows machines, 2 are Windows 10, two are XP and one is Windows 2000.
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I often have long waits to access the data on the NAS and this shouldn't happen. It can take up to a minute or more sometimes. I used to have the NAS configured to go to sleep after 20 minutes and I changed that to always on but I still often get waits, short to long to quite long.

Someone said I should make sure that the router is the DHCP server. I look in the router's configuration and in the LAN settings, DHCP Server tab, there are two radio buttons to enable the DHCP server and the option "No" is selected and the "Yes" option is unselectable.

What could be going on here? Is something else the DHCP server? What could that be? How can I get my LAN properly configured? Thanks for help!
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Edit: In the router config, the Router Domain Name field is empty. Could that be a factor? Keying in gibberish there doesn't appear to have any effect on those Yes/No radio buttons.

I just looked in the manual and it says to "tick Yes" to enable the DHCP Server. However, doing that has no effect, the No option remains the chosen one.

 

[Muse]

Funny thing is, accessing the web based router configuration utility from an ethernet connected XP laptop showed "Yes" the DHCP Server is enabled! From my Win 10 32 bit wifi connected laptop it didn't show that or maybe I misinterpreted what I saw... don't think so. Clicking stuff there did nothing.

Anyway, I saw at Asus site that newer firmware was available for the router and I just installed that and rebooted the router. Will see how things go. I'm not optimistic that the problem is solved. It was suggested to me that my network is not properly configured. Don't know which way to turn with this. Networking is not my long suit.

 

[ch33zw1z]

What's the dsl modem model?

It unusual to be greyed out.

Firmware may fix it, factory reset may be needed.

What's the router show for wan ip?

What's ipconfig from the LAN show?

 

[Ken g6]

You might need to make sure the router has a static IP before turning on DHCP.

 

[JackMDS]

OP, Some thong is lacking in your description.

If the Router's DHCP ia Off and there is No otrer DHCP on the Network then nothing would work since the computers would Not be assigned with IPs.

Thus, either all your devices are configured with Stattic IP, or your Modem is a Modem/Router with DHCP On.

If indeed your Modem is a Modem Router then the Asus has to be configured this way.

Using Wireless Routers (or Modem/Wireless Router) as a Switch with an Access Point - http://www.ezlan.net/router_AP.html

 

[Muse]

What's the dsl modem model?

It unusual to be greyed out.

Firmware may fix it, factory reset may be needed.

What's the router show for wan ip?

What's ipconfig from the LAN show?

Modem: COMTREND CT-5072T

WAN IP: 50.0.142.165
DDNS: GO

ipconfig from the LAN? Do you mean to run ipconfig on an ethernet connected PC? I'm on a wifi connected laptop right now on the 5GHz band.

 

[Muse]

I'm pretty sure that that COMTREND modem isn't a router modem, it's just a broadband modem. The model number is in my last post.

 

[Muse]

Like I said in post #2, there seems to be some confusion. When accessing the router config via browser using my Win10 32 bit laptop connected by 2.4GHz band, the DHCP function of the router appears to be disabled. However, when accessed from this XP ethernet laptop, it shows as enabled. Don't know what's up with that.

Looking at the ipconfig output from this ethernet connected machine it's assigned this IP, I'm thinking by the router: 192.168.1.121

Edit: Going back to the 2.4GHz band connected Win10 32bit laptop where I couldn't change the DHCP Server Enable/Disable setting, I now see that it's set to Enable ("Yes") and I CAN change it to "No"... so, something has changed. I'm leaving the setting on "Yes." Maybe it was the firmware update that made the difference?

I'll see how things go now. I'm told that I should have near instant access to that data on the NAS and that the long waits indicate a mis-configured network.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Maybe the differences between the config screens showing variously "enabled" and "disabled" for your DHCP settings, perhaps that has to do with your choice and version of web browser on those machines. Sometimes, routers are designed and programmed, such that they only work with one brand of browser. I would try IE8 or newer, or Firefox.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

When you go to the main router configuration page, how do you get there?
What does the router say its WAN IP address is?
How are you connecting to the NAS? (What address do you connect to?)

 

[ch33zw1z]

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=2&ved=0ahUKEwjIt5v3gorRAhWRxiYKHenECpgQFggcMAE&url=http://www.comtrend.com/na/dbase/upload/DS_CT-5072T.pdf&usg=AFQjCNG4ewakJyfEKV8vMzkGuKhMV5tnlg

edit:

so the Comtrend is indeed a modem/router.

Depending on how you want to run things, some configuration may be in order.

I would take Jack's advise and setup the Asus as a WAP. The biggest thing I would be concerned with is the traffic on the LAN to the NAS, which would all be layer 2 so the Comtrend wouldn't be slowing that down.

The comtrend would only handle layer 3 traffic in that scenario

 

[Muse]

Maybe the differences between the config screens showing variously "enabled" and "disabled" for your DHCP settings, perhaps that has to do with your choice and version of web browser on those machines. Sometimes, routers are designed and programmed, such that they only work with one brand of browser. I would try IE8 or newer, or Firefox.

Pale Moon used on both machines. Anyway, like I said in last post, now DHCP Server is enabled as shown on both machines. What changed that? Maybe the firmware upgrade I did last night. Have to see if I still have the slow access problem. It's been intermittent and unpredictable, but happens a lot!

 

[Muse]

When you go to the main router configuration page, how do you get there?
What does the router say its WAN IP address is?
How are you connecting to the NAS? (What address do you connect to?)

To get the the main router config page I enter this URL: 192.168.1.1/

Then I log in.

WAN IP address I indicated in earlier post: WAN IP: 50.0.142.165

Connecting to the NAS? The NAS is connected by ethernet to the router. All my machines access 4 areas on the NAS by assigned drive letters:

M:\ = music
P:\ = photos
V:\ = video
W:\ = general data

Before I could set up the drive mapping I had to log into the NAS with my credentials.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

To get the the main router config page I enter this URL: 192.168.1.1/

Then I log in.

WAN IP address I indicated in earlier post: WAN IP: 50.0.142.165

Connecting to the NAS? The NAS is connected by ethernet to the router. All my machines access 4 areas on the NAS by assigned drive letters:

M:\ = music
P:\ = photos
V:\ = video
W:\ = general data

Before I could set up the drive mapping I had to log into the NAS with my credentials.

What is the UNC patch that is mounted to be those drive letters? Should look like "\\192.168.1.24\music" or "\\SYNOLOGY1234\music"

If it's "\\SYNOLOGY1234\" or some other non-IP address, try changing it to use the NAS's IP address instead. Could be something wrong with your DNS setup.

 

[ch33zw1z]

so where does 192.168.1.1 get ya? to the Asus?

 

[Muse]

What is the UNC patch that is mounted to be those drive letters? Should look like "\\192.168.1.24\music" or "\\SYNOLOGY1234\music"

If it's "\\SYNOLOGY1234\" or some other non-IP address, try changing it to use the NAS's IP address instead. Could be something wrong with your DNS setup.

Where would I get that?

What I'm seeing in Windows Explorer for the M: drive is this:

music (\\DISKSTATION) (M: )

Edit: I think I may see what you're getting at. I did some detective work and figured out that the NAS is assigned \\192.168.1.56\

I disconnected the V: drive and reconnected it using that and it's now:

video (\\192.168.1.56) V:

 

[Muse]

so where does 192.168.1.1 get ya? to the Asus?

Yes, the Asus config web based utility after logging in.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Where would I get that?

What I'm seeing in Windows Explorer for the M: drive is this:

music (\\DISKSTATION) (M: )

Edit: I think I may see what you're getting at. I did some detective work and figured out that the NAS is assigned \\192.168.1.6\

I disconnected the V: drive and reconnected it using that and it's now:

video (\\192.168.1.56) V:

You got it. "\\DISKSTATION".

Generally speaking, on a small network with just you as the network admin, it's fine (and a bit more reliable) to just use IP addresses. You will want to make sure that the router has a DHCP reservation set for the Synology box, though, so its IP address does not change.

 

[Muse]

You got it. "\\DISKSTATION".

Generally speaking, on a small network with just you as the network admin, it's fine (and a bit more reliable) to just use IP addresses. You will want to make sure that the router has a DHCP reservation set for the Synology box, though, so its IP address does not change.

I will look for that.

I think that my downstairs laptop running Win10 32bit and on the 2.4GHz router channel has more issues with slowness. Haven't been scientific in this, it's a feeling. I changed the mapping in it to \\192.168.1.56\Diskstation share

Maybe that will help. I'm on that machine ATM, so far so good, only time will tell. I'll look in the router config to see if I can nail down that IP address as you suggest.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

I will look for that.

I think that my downstairs laptop running Win10 32bit and on the 2.4GHz router channel has more issues with slowness. Haven't been scientific in this, it's a feeling. I changed the mapping in it to \\192.168.1.56\Diskstation share

Maybe that will help. I'm on that machine ATM, so far so good, only time will tell. I'll look in the router config to see if I can nail down that IP address as you suggest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Osl_RQIzzIA

 

[Muse]

Went into router config and changed to manual IP assignment, then added just the DISKSTATION, nailing it down to 192.168.1.56

 

[Muse]

Now on upstairs laptop running Win10 64bit, it connects via the 5GHz router band. Long delays. It was around 75 seconds before the data on the network was accessed. Should have been under 3 seconds. Nothing else is using the NAS, and the NAS is always on. Once the NAS data was seen, the next request for data took at least 10 seconds. Should have been a second or less. Something's still wrong.

The machine is backing up a DVD to local HD. Maybe that's a factor.

 

[Ketchup]

If you switch to 2.4 on that laptop do things change?

 

[JackMDS]

Assuming that the Wireless configuration is OK.

Using Home Group IPv6, or Regular IPv4 sharing?

http://www.computernetworkingnotes....ferences-between-workgroup-and-homegroup.html

Try both and see which work better.

This might help too.

http://www.speedguide.net/downloads.php

 

[Muse]

If you switch to 2.4 on that laptop do things change?

Tried that. Seemed to behave OK for a couple of days but just now it took around 90 seconds for Visual Foxpro to get a handle on a table on the NAS. I'm going to look into what JackMDS said in the previous post.