Issues with FIOS modem/router's wireless and multiple devices connected to the WLAN?
datanetri
Newbie

I am an IT consultant who was assisting someone with getting some devices connected to the fios wireless router and adding a wireless print server so they could print wirelesly. 

I was having difficulty with one of their systems that was connected prior to me going on site.

It was having difficulty obtaining an IP from the WLAN, i tried reinstalling the adapter, removing stored wlan settings and setting it up again, etc.

When it did obtain an IP it could not ping the router.

I had left it suggesting that they replace the wireless adapter on that system.

However they're saying that after they shut down one of their other devices that i had connected (a netbook), that this problematic system started working fine.

It makes no sense that a wireless client would have an impact on another wireless client. We're only talking 4 total devices here, a netbook, a laptop, a wireless print server and a desktop in another area of the house that has a usb wireless adapter.

Does anyone have any ideas on if Verizon's wireless built in to the fios modem/router just isn't too good to handle multiple wireless devices?

After hearing this i was thinking they might have been better off configuring the fios router as a bridge and getting a better wireless router or shutting off the fios supplied wifi and implementing a wireless access point instead of using the router/modem that verizon provides.

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Re: Issues with FIOS modem/router's wireless and multiple devices connected to the WLAN?
lasagna
Community Leader
Community Leader

You can't configure the FiOS router as a bridge.   While the ActionTec and Westell routers they've used have been much maligned in the forums for some of their shortcomings, the situation you describe is not among the issues.   They are a pretty standard 802.11b/g wireless router (albeit not with the greatest signal strength) and I have about a dozen devices on the wireless network at home without any issues.

I would suspect more than likely you have some kind of IP address conflict on the network -- perhaps one of the devices you think it DHCP'ing an address is actually statically defined?

That or you have a mix of b and g devices -- but some devices are set to "g" only and thus aren't playing well in the sandbox with the other mixed mode devices.

Or a device is set in "adhoc" mode (or acting as an access point inappropriately) instead of being in "infrastructure" mode causing clients to incorrect bind to the wrong wireless device.

Verizon also had, at one point,  turned on wireless isolation on home routers -- meaning one wireless device couldn't see another.  While this generally is not an issue for more people, those with wireless print servers, etc. would have major issues.

Re: Issues with FIOS modem/router's wireless and multiple devices connected to the WLAN?
datanetri
Newbie

Thanks.

Everything is DHCP except the print server which i have static at .254, the router is .1 and the dhcp pool starts at .2

I am suspecting the wireless adapter on the problematic system is the problem.

As we add devices the signal strength may drop .

this system was reporting a low signal strength when a netbook sitting right next to it had a good signal strength.

If they still have issues i'm going to go out with a spectrum analyzer to figure out what's going on with the wireless signal.

I was just curious if other people had issues with the signal lowering as you add devices to the point where some wireless devices start having problems.

i had no issues with the print server which was connected wirelessly right next to the problematic system as well.

i could ping it from a laptop with no packet loss and low latency and print without problems.

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Re: Issues with FIOS modem/router's wireless and multiple devices connected to the WLAN?
prisaz
Legend

You can configure the wireless router as a bridge. All connections but the WAN are bridged by default. Mine has no WAN connection and operates as a bridge between coax, wireless, and Ethernet. Turn off DHCP, make sure WAN connections are disabled, use different IP addresses for the two routers on the same network. I have Ethernet from my ONT, and this is the only way it will work. Do not look at Verizon to support this configuration. My primary router is a Linux box.

I do agree with most of lasagna's post regarding your issue, and have my setup for different security and filtering reasons. My Linux box runs as a transparent proxy with Dan's Guardian proxy filter, and the router logs every connection to everything for 90 days. Inbound and outbound. The Verizon router will not do that.

Re: Issues with FIOS modem/router's wireless and multiple devices connected to the WLAN?
lasagna
Community Leader
Community Leader

By bridge I mean in the sense you see some of the early DSL setups configured before they started using multiport routers -- essentially bridging the WAN MoCA port to the LAN ethernet.   The ActionTEC's won't do that.   This is what I think most are seeking to do when they want to turn the device into a "bridge" (essentially making the Verizon unit "transparent" to the communication which in this scenario it can't be).  You can do as suggested an turn the ActionTEC into essentially a "switch/bridge" that is only bridging the MoCA LAN and Ethernet LAN segments, but this then requires you to have an ethernet WAN feed from the ONT ... and as indicated, it is definitely not a "supported" configuration from Verizon (although there is nothing "wrong" with doing it this way if you are comfortable with networking and understanding the mechanics of all that is going on -- if not, sticking with a supported configuration is highly advisable).

Re: Issues with FIOS modem/router's wireless and multiple devices connected to the WLAN?
prisaz
Legend

@lasagna wrote:

By bridge I mean in the sense you see some of the early DSL setups configured before they started using multiport routers -- essentially bridging the WAN MoCA port to the LAN ethernet.   The ActionTEC's won't do that.   This is what I think most are seeking to do when they want to turn the device into a "bridge" (essentially making the Verizon unit "transparent" to the communication which in this scenario it can't be).  You can do as suggested an turn the ActionTEC into essentially a "switch/bridge" that is only bridging the MoCA LAN and Ethernet LAN segments, but this then requires you to have an ethernet WAN feed from the ONT ... and as indicated, it is definitely not a "supported" configuration from Verizon (although there is nothing "wrong" with doing it this way if you are comfortable with networking and understanding the mechanics of all that is going on -- if not, sticking with a supported configuration is highly advisable).


I agree with that also. Yes bridging Moca WAN to Ethernet will not fly.Smiley Wink