My dad has Verizon DSL service with a Westell 6100 modem. I bought him a new Windows 10 computer, and after a great deal of trial and error I was able to get it to connect to Verizon by setting up a new Broadband connection in Windows. I then set this as the default connection.
However every time the computer is shut down and restarted, there is no longer any internet connection. The only way to connect is to navigate to the Networking section of Windows, click on "Broadband Connection" (the connection I set up), re-entering his Verizon username and password, and clicking "Connect".
With his old computer, he just turned on his PC and it connected to Verizon automatically. He finds it annoying to have to go through all these steps and re-entering his username and password every time. I can't figure out what the problem is.
I'd also like to set up a wireless router for him, but I am worried that it will not work when the computer is shut down, because it seems to be losing the connection every time the PC is powered off. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Strange/odd, let us find out why. Then we go to the fix.
Step 1
As how to check what the IP Address is/are, Subnet Mask is/are, Default Gateway is, MAC Address(es) is/are, DNS Server(s) are of your computer, it depends on the OS and Version.
Note: This example assumes that you are on Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 10
a) Press the Windows Start key to open the Start screen.
b) Type cmd and press Enter to launch the command prompt.
Note: You do not need to click on anything on the Start screen—typing will automatically initiate a program search.
c) Type ipconfig /all at the command prompt to check the network card settings.
d) If not on Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8 or Windows 10 and you do not know how to check that network info - then post what is your OS and Version is.
Step 2
Go to http://ipv4.whatismyv6.com/
On that web page is the non bogan/fully route-able/true WAN/Public IPv4 Address that users from Internet use to connect to you AND OR the IP Address that will show in their logs (if you are connecting to them).
Step 3.
Compare the two IP Address[es] (the one on that site and the one on your computer.)
Note since your computer might have more than one IP Address, check all of them to see if any of them match (is the same) as the true WAN IP.
If they are the same then it means that, your modem is in bridge mode. Then you could get a RJ-45 WAN port router (with or without wireless), connect the RJ-45 WAN port of it to the modem and configure the RJ-45 WAN port NAT router for the PPPoE connection.
If they are not the same then it means that your modem is acting as a modem combo (which is the default setting for the Westell 6100). While not impossible to add a RJ-45 WAN port router, it will make your life easier that the modem is in bridge mode.
[EDIT] Points to a FAQ as how to put the modem into bridge mode (in case it is not already in that mode) https://www.dslreports.com/faq/13600
This way was a fairly common way years ago (over a decade ago) before modems like the Westell 6100, with built-in routers, were handed out. You'd have to establish a PPPoE connection on the computer you wanted to connect up to the DSL network.
If the "Internet" light on your Westell 6100 isn't lit up, you're probably already in Bridge mode. Once you get your router, just configure the router to use PPPoE to connect to the Internet (most ship with Automatic/DHCP, but they should help you change this during the initial setup) using the Username and Password used to connect the Windows computer to the Internet. That should be all there is.
Now if the Internet light on the modem is lit up at any point, this is likely because the modem is in "IP Passthrough" mode, where it passes through the IP the modem has directly to the computer. By making a PPPoE connection on the computer, you break the modem's connection and thus, establish a new connection via your PC. If your modem is behaving like this, it will need to be bridged before you can connect up a router.
With that said, once you're online, any modem settings can be changed by visiting http://192.168.1.1/ . The default login on these modems is admin/password or admin/admin. If these don't match, the modem can be factory reset if need be, to reset the admin password (be aware this may break Internet connectivity until the modem is set back up - it will have a wizard for this if it's firmware is Verizon branded and not Westell branded).
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