Strange Connection Issues

[Annon2255]

Hey all. My mother is having problems with her internet connection. She's no novice when it comes to these kind of issues and knows how to usually fix them. However, she's run into a new issue that even has me stumped.

So her internet stopped working yesterday. She reset modem, router, PCs, etc. That usually fixes it but it didn't this time. So she called her ISP. They saw nothing wrong on their end. Now I've spent several hours on the phone with her and can't figure it out either. So here is where we stand:

-Laptop plugged directly into modem connects just fine.
-PC plugged into modem does not connect. Finds unidentified network and never establishes internet connection.
-When PC or laptop are plugged into the router connected to the modem both can see the router, change settings, etc. but not connect to the internet.

So, is this an issue with the router or with her PC or both? We've done a factory reset on the router and that didn't fix it. And why can't her PC get a connection by directly plugging it into the modem? She's tried several different ethernet cables, all of which work from modem to laptop and pc/laptop to router.

Has anyone ever run into anything like this before? I don't know what else to try.

 

[ch33zw1z]

If this is cable internet, pull the coax during the modem reset. don't plug the ethernet from the router into the modem until it's up all the way.

 

[Fardringle]

It sounds like the modem has associated itself with the laptop, and only with the laptop. Usually just resetting the modem will fix that, but since you already tried that, unplug the power from the modem for a while (some ISPs say up to 30 minutes) then plug the modem back in and connect the router to it, then see if the computers can get a connection through the router.

 

[Annon2255]

Hey, thanks for the help so far. Tried the suggestions but it's still not working. I'm going to get her to try another router. Still not sure why her PC wouldn't work directly through the modem though.

 

[Project86]

I've had a long-standing issue where my router likes to somehow assign a funky IP address to my desktop PC. It's out of range - everything else is 192.168.0.xxx but the desktop (which is the only hard-wired connected) will be assigned 192.168.1.xxx - and thus shows "connected" but won't actually work. It takes a very specific combination of rebooting the router and the desktop in the proper order to come up with a working IP address.

Perhaps something like this is happening? I'd guess the router is to blame. I've had so many fail over the past few years, or just act strange intermittently.

 

[JackMDS]

Is modem is Modem, or it is Modem/Router?