Can anyone figure this out?
mole
Newbie
I have a new iMac and pc laptop both running wirelessly off my Fios Actiontec router. If I try to access the internet on both at the same time, the iMac suddenly cannot find the router. I have to go into the router software and change channels. The iMac then finds the router and runs at full speed until the next time I have the pc on at the same time. I have been switching between automatic and channel 11 on the router as suggested by a Verizon tech support person. Any idea what is happening? The obvious solution is to not have both on the internet at the same time. If it makes any difference, I use Safari to browse with the Mac.
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Re: Can anyone figure this out?
dslr595148
Community Leader
Community Leader
#1 Do you have another router?

If so, see as need be:

http://www.verizonfioswiki.com/index.php/Using_Your_Own_Router

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Re: Can anyone figure this out?
Justin46
Legend

Have you done any configuration at all on the ActionTec? It almost sounds like you either have DHCP disabled and both the PC and the Apple are trying to connect with the same fixed IP address, or your DHCP pool is only allowing one address at a time. There are configuration options in the ActionTec to manage the IP addresses of connected devices, it is (normally) delivered to you with DHCP activated and I think up to 99 clients to attach (there is a fixed range for the TV STBs which start at 100 I think). If you do have DHCP activated, you might also release the IP addresses on one or both the PC and the Apple and let them try to connect again.

Other than the above, no idea. Any other info you can provide, like what options you have set in the ActionTec and what the TCP/IP definitions in the PC and the Apple are? (I know, lots of info, but maybe it would trigger something in your own mind or someone here if you can provide it).

Justin
Verizon FiOS TV, Internet, and phone
IMG 1.6.0
Keller, TX

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Re: Can anyone figure this out?
mole
Newbie
Thanks for your help. I cannot find DHCP on either basic or advanced settings of the router. I did find one interesting setting. Maybe you can tell me if this makes a difference, even though the laptop and Mac are connecting wirelessly, the Actiontec menu says the Mac is wireless and laptop is Ethernet. They each have a different IP address and different MAC.
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Re: Can anyone figure this out?
Justin46
Legend

If you log onto the ActionTec and click on My Network you will  see all of the devices the ActionTec knows about, and how they are connected and managed. I have three computers connected, one wired and two wireless, and three TV STBs; all show their connection types properly (wired or wireless), and show they use DHCP to get their IP address. For each computer you can click on View Device Details to see detailed info on its connection.

The DHCP management area is under Advanced (and Yes), then in the lower right of the screen under IP Address Distribution. Click on Network (Hone/Office) under Rule Name and it will show you how the IP address distribution is set up: mine has 192.168.1.2 through 192.168.1.254, allowing a bunch of devices to connect.

The business about wired vs. wireless connection for the laptop is strange, mine certainly does not show up that way. It may very well have something to do with your problem, but I don't understand why it shows up that way to begin with, or how you might go about correcting it.

Do you see anything else that looks strange? Maybe something inside the ActionTec is corrupted, perhaps a reset back to the defaults, by pushing the reset button, will straighten things out. If you have done any customization of the router you will lose it, but it isn't working very well for you now, so what would you really lose? 

Justin
Verizon FiOS TV, Internet, and phone
IMG 1.6.0, Build 06.89
Keller, TX

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Re: Can anyone figure this out?
prisaz
Legend

Click on Advanced Settings. DHCP is found under "IP Address Distribution". There you will find a Connection List of what has what address. Most should show up under My Network, but those that don't, will show up here. Perhaps the MAC is doing something strange. The connection is independent of the address being given. When the wireless connection is made, then an address is given. Just like plugging in a cable. If the addresss on the wireless PCs, or others devices are not dynamic you could have an issue with duplicates. I went in my DHCP settings and adjusted the range of what would be given out. That way it prevents conflicts. I set mine not to give out the first 10 addesses, this way I can use those for static address if I choose, and not get conflicts.

I am a PC

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Re: Can anyone figure this out?
cjacobs001
Contributor - Level 3
Why don't you just leave it on channel 11 all the time?  The PC will pick up the signal and so should the MAC.  The thing about switching broadcast channel is that older cordless phones broadcast on same 2.4Ghz signal as wireless and they automatically are set to "automatic" as to searching for available channels (which start at 0 and go up to 11 as needed), but you can change the channel for wireless broadcast to start at 11. Under normal circumstances the phones would not need to go that high.   NOTE:  Your neighbor's 2.4Ghz phones may also be affecting your wireless reception.      Your post said, " ...have been switching between automatic and channel 11 on the router as suggested by a Verizon tech support person."  Are you saying the PC doesn't see the wireless network on one or the other of the settings?   Maybe I missed something?
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Re: Can anyone figure this out?
TimSykes
Specialist - Level 2

Don't buy a iMac. But its to late for that. :smileytongue:

Just give them both different static IP addresses and see if that fixes the issues. If so that says there is a issue with the DHCP leases. I don't know much about macs. But I would say the way to go is put in some static. 

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Re: Can anyone figure this out?
TX_Fios_Usr
Newbie
We recently added a MAC desktop to the mix (my wife was sick of her laptop PC).  We have mix of wireless, tethered.  The MAC was convenient to use 10bT, so it is wired.  The MAC intermittently lost connection to the router (same as you, when other PPCs were in use), so I set her IP address manually, picking a high number on my subnet.  Problem disappeared.  So, it may not be a wireless problem, it may relate to the IP addres.  Not sure why, but again, once I set her to static address, she never looses connectivity any more. 
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Re: Can anyone figure this out?
mole
Newbie
Your idea of manually setting the IP address on the Mac may be the answer. I am so computer illiterate I do not know how to set the IP address on my Mac. How do I do that?
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