Totally frustrated with my Netgear RT314 and PPPoE is evil. FIXED! IT'S WORKING! MUST READ THIS THREAD!{Long}

[MichaelD]

With things I have great interest in, I am a patient man. However, last night I almost smashed my $120 router into little blue bits. I simply cannot get a link with the DSL host. There are two probs (I think)

1. This may sound stupid (remember that I'm new to this router stuff) but I think SWB requires their version of PPPoE that comes on the Enternet disk in order to run DSL with them. I uninstalled the Enternet program and still couldn't link up when going thru the router.

2. I think I have the router configured correctly, but I'm unsure.

I posted my issues w/the RT314 awhile back and many of you graciously offered your expertise. I printed out the entire thread (8 pages!) and I tried every single suggestion. I feel that Netgear should provide some more Provider-specific info. The initial page in the Wizard setup is the most confusing.

For "host name" I tried my email name, my computer name and I tried leaving it blank. I've noticed that when I'm linked up (not going thru the router) I always a different IP address, but my DNS primary and secondary are always the same. So, I tried inputting them. Still nothing.

I'm at wits end. I've tried every possible combination of everything to no avail.

I can get into the router via IE, so I can talk to the router. I know getting this to work is as simple as getting all the settings right, but obviously I'm too inexperienced (stoooopid?) to do so.

I submitted a "trouble ticket" with Netgear via their website. No response on the page and no email either. I tried calling them twice. First time I hung on hold for 35 minutes and nobody answered. Last night I held for 20 mins and hung up.

I really would appreciate some help. I've done EXACTLY what the Netgear instructions said to do. Setup TCP/IP to obtain IP automatically, etc. I'm really not sure about that first page in the Setup Wizard that asks for "host name" and then "domain". Heaven forbid they actually have more than one tech answering phones....any advice would be appreciated.



I FIXED THE #$!*ING THING!!!!!

Thanks to all you very nice people (I don't care what your friends say about youse guys, youse is allright wid me!) and a thread from the Netgear FAQ (thread ID N01733) entitled "Help configuring RT314 with Mindspring" I got it fixed. Here's what finally worked. Oh yeah, before I tell you, I must say this NETGEAR'S 1-888 HELP LINE S*CKS!!!! I was on hold for 35 minutes...finally the phone rings, someone picked it up and then hung it up. You know; "ring, ring, click-click...sounds in room....click..eaahhhhhhhhhh..dial tone. Thanks a whole freaking lot, Netgear. Great products. Lousy service. Was on hold twice in the past two days for a total of more than an hour with no human contact. They still haven't answered my email I sent on their HELP ME page from Saturday. Real nice. Anyway.

The fix, you were ALL right...sorta. One guy had this, the other that. It was kind of like cracking a combination lock. Just keep trying different combos together until it works. You all worked together to..what's that? Shut up and tell you? Oh yeah, sorry. (I'm drinking right now! )

The PC This was semi-easy.
NIC Card: settings "All Auto"
TCP/IP: Get IP automatically
WINS: Use DHCP for Windows
DNS: Disable DNS

The Router
This was really hard. On Netgear's FAQ, I noticed they kept telling users to "Telnet in". Telnet? What the heck is Telnet? Well, I found out. You go to "Run" and type telnet and this little box pops up. Empty box. Found out thru a thread buried at the bottom of their FAQ to type in the router's HTTP addy. Oooooooooo! A shiny BIG menu with LOTS of stuff to mess up....maybe I shouldn't...ah screw it. Dove in headfirst.

The thread I listed above gave me the answers. Here's how the setup goes IN TELNET, NOT in the Setup Wizard, which doesn't give you the appropriate fields.

ISP's Name: SWBELL (Notice it doesn't ask for "System Name", which was a major problem in the Wizard-based setup; i.e. My login? My computer's name? My complete email addy? ETC)
Encapsulation: PPPoE
Service Type: N/A
My Login: Myname (NOT Myname@swbell.net)
My Password: **********
Idle Timeout: 0

IP Address Assignment=Dynamic
IP Address=N/A
IP Subnet Mask=N/A
Gateway IP Address=N/A
Single User Account=Yes

After entering all the above info, you Enter till you get to the bottom. Enter again and you get a "Saving to ROM" message. Then you get a "Do you want to run the Internet Connection Test?" message. This is probably the same test from Menu 24, Submenu 4, Test 4, "Internet Connection Test". A text box opens , and it goes thru lots of stuff I don't understand. Then it says "sending user name, sending password". Then, much to my delight, a box showing my DNS and IP addy pops up. Then the menu freezes. I ESC out. Logout and open IE. Straight to the Forums! The rest you know.

Why Netgear makes only a casual reference to the Telnet menu in the instruction sheet is beyond me. I do understand that the TELNET menu is very in-depth and scares the newbie. Heck, I almost didn't mess w/it because it had way too many words that I had no idea what they meant, but I had a feeling (because of that one FAQ thread) that this was the way to go.

So anyway, I will now mess with filters and stuff and probably screw it up...so I'll be back!

A sincere thanks to all of you that helped me out...sniff, sniffle, ok man, you CAN have my Budlight! Happy surfing!

 

[GT578]

host name = first part of your email address I believe....someone please correct me if I'm wrong...i haven't looked at my netgear router settings in a while.
domain name is .....@(whatever your email ends with).
Put your NIC card settings to all auto...meaning obtain every info auto.
Hook DSL modem to router....then from router to your computer....
In my Win2k settings...i have tcp/ip installed, client for microsoft networks, and file and printer sharing installed.
Honestly all I did was follow the fold out poster...and everything worked fine...didn't even touch the CD that came with it...because I just wanted to use the router to share internet connection between 2 computers ...don't care about the firewall stuff. Bellsouth is my isp ...so some settings MIGHT be different than yours..but then from what I see ....most things are pretty much the same.

 

[MichaelD]

Hey GT,

Thanks for the reply bud. I've been pulling what little hair I have left, out.

The domain name: do I have to put the "at" sign (@) in front of swbell.net? In other words it should read @swbell.net ???? That could be one possible thing wrong...I've just been putting swbell.net, without the @ sign.


The NIC: I didn't even know it had settings...it came with a floppy w/the drivers. I installed the NIC, windows recognized it on startup, put the floppy in, it copied and it's run fine ever since. I guess I can go into Device Mangler and look at the settings, right?

PPPoE: Did you uninstall the Enternet program before you tried to link to the outside world via the router?

Thanks again for your assistance. Have a nice day.

 

[The Stigenator]

you didnt say anything about it working straight from the desktop. Like using the system to dial out via pppoe using the enternet software. Actually, dont use enternet. Get hold of RASPPPoE from practicallynetworked.com
unzip it and let her rip, its a better dialer.

Now the other possiblity is that the login name should be "something@swbell.com"
not "something"

I found that out on my dad's dsl, which earlier just needed "loginname" but now requires "loginname@earthlink.net"

the third possiblity is "have they turned on the line.. "
because my dad got the equipment a month before the line was activated.

 

[Viper GTS]

PPPoE basically uses hardware connected via ethernet as a dialup modem. It sucks ASS.

I dunno if the Netgear routers are capable of running with PPPoE, the only experience I've had with them has been with stand-alone routers, not the winmodem crap that is PPPoE.

Viper GTS

 

[JafCo]

The_good_guy almost definitely has hit the nail on the head.

I was trying to get myself and a friend hooked up to a PPPoE with Covad using a router, and it wouldn't work for the life of me.

However, if I put xxxxx@covad.net rather than xxxxx as my login (leaving host/domain blank, I recall), all of a sudden it worked.

Try your login@southwesternbell.net (or whatever your email address would be with them) and it should have a good chance of success.

 

[GT578]

take the "@" sign out....i've seen as other have mentioned where the login name is the whole email address...such as ...XXXX@whatever.net or something similar...I took out the PPPoE software because its not needed. Just select PPPoE in the netgear setup...and I'm guessing you already did. Other than the possibility of the router being defective(I am pretty sure its not), there isn't much you can do....except to double check every setting...

 

[esung]

host name is the name for your router, could be anything you want.
the domain name is your ISP's swbell.net no @ sign


and it's probably better for you to configure the router through either telnet or console, although the latest 3.24 firmware has a lot more features on the web interface, the full menu is still only availible from telnet.

 

[esung]

Well, if you want to, you can post your settings for RT314 menu by menu, and I'm sure we'll find out how to do it right..

Also you did setup your TCP/IP stack correctly right?

 

[MichaelD]

Wow! :Q Thanks for all the replies; I've got lots of stuff to try when i get home tonight.

ESung: TCP/IP stack? If you mean, did I configure it to "obtain IP address automatically", yes, I did. What about the Gateway and the WINS and those other tabs? I didn't do anything with those.

This is harder than it should be. Compared to this, building/configuring my first PC was a breeze! Sheesh, and I thought my "no USB" problem was hard!

 

[Liquidity]

From a working PPPoE install on a Netgear RT314 & PacHell DSL in California:

Host Name: <everything before the '@' of your DSL email address>
*note: YMMV, sounds like some people need to put in their whole email address
Domain Name: <domain of your DSL provider, for me it's pacbell.net>

NEXT SCREEN:
Encapsulation: PPP over Ethernet
Sevice name: <blank>
User name: <everything before the '@' of your DSL email address>
Password: <duh>
Idle Timeout: <300> Seconds

NEXT SCREEN:
WAN IP Address Assignment: Get automatically
DNS Server Address Assignment: Get automatically
WAN MAC address: Factory Default

FINISH.

Hope that helps.

 

[esung]

in the TCP/IP configuration, you'll need to point DNS and the gateway to your router (typically 192.168.0.1 for Netgear RT311/314)

and if you want, you can have a static IP instead of DHCP on your own computer. (since Netgear will obtain the real internet IP from your ISP automatically via PPPoE, the internal IP don't need to be dynamic)

 

[MichaelD]

Thanks again guys. Liquidity, I REALLY appreciate the step-by-step. I am the President of the I.N.N.O.A. (Idiot Networking Newbies of America) and organization dedicated to confusing ourselves with things we don't understand. Thanks for your help. YOU 'DA MAN!

 

[Liquidity]

No problem, I hope it helps. There's nothing worse than knowing you have mad bandwidth that you can't access!

FWIW, even though I got the router part right, I still couldn't get more than 120k or so on my 1.5mb line...after two months of fighting with PacHell they finally came out and found it was... (EXACTLY WHAT I TOLD THEM) the MODEM!!! They swapped out the modem and BAM 1200kb/sec.

Good luck!

 

[MichaelD]

Liquidity,

Just got home. About to try all this stuff to make the thing work. I've only had DSL for about 10 days now (will never go back to dialup...unless I'm held at gunpoint ) and check my speed at DSLREPORTS everday. I've not tried the East Coast Server, but the two out in Cali regularly give me rates of 1.1-1.2kbps down and about 130kbps up. My service is the &quot;Basic DSL service&quot;; 384-1.5 down/128 up.
When downloading large (5mb+) files, I generally get about 65kbps. Hell, that a meg every 15 seconds! I'm totally happy with that. With my dialup, I downloaded at an amazing 2.97kbps. Whooooo. Set 'yo hard drive onnnnn fiiiirrreeeeee! I'll post my results in this here thread! Keep your fingers crossed! BTW, if about an hour from now, you see this blue blur fly past your window......that's my router, which will orbit the earth regularly for the next 20 years or so. Sheesh. Now I'm threatening inanimate objects...sadness! :disgust:

 

[MichaelD]

Up for all my buds to see!