# Solved: Some devices cannot connect to wireless while others can



## dawgdog (Sep 27, 2012)

During the summer we had three laptops and an iPod. Two of the laptops and the iPod were having trouble connecting to the Internet, but I thought that was because we had too many devices but I looked it up and most sites said that wasn't true.

Now we have two laptops and the iPod and there are still problems so I thought it was a modem issue. It's a Webstar DPC2100R2 and when the Up and Down lights go off our wireless has trouble but if I use cord which goes through a D-Link DIR-615, the Internet is fine. When the lights go out I usually turn off both devices and turn them back on after about a minute and that usually works.

But then, the lights didn't come back on so I called my Cox, my provider and they did something that fixed for about a week then the two lights went out again. Yesterday I reset them again and my Acer Aspire connected and so did my iPod but my HP Pavilion couldn't so I reset it again. Now my HP and iPod work but my Acer doesn't even though I've reset it multiple times.

What's weird is that the HP never has any trouble connecting, even when the lights aren't on or when my iPod, Acer and my sister's Dell couldn't.


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## TerryNet (Mar 23, 2005)

Not sure, but I think that you are saying that you have two different issues to solve--some devices losing the ability to connect to the router via Wi-Fi and sometimes the modem losing connection to your ISP. Is my understanding correct?

For the wireless issue make sure you have the latest firmware; then reset the router to factory default settings and reconfigure it.

After that if a device cannot connect by Wi-Fi disable encryption on the router and try to connect. If successful you may be able to simply re-enable encryption and reconnect. If you have to do this more than once-in-a-while we can do a little trouble shooting, but the router may need replacement.

Please explain the workings of the modem LEDs. For example, on my Motorola Surfboard when I plug it in all LEDs light and then go off. Power light comes on steady; then Receive (Down) blinks and then becomes steady; Send (Up) blinks and becomes steady; Online LED comes on. There's also an Activity LED that blinks when a router or computer is connected. If I don't have steady Receive, Send and Online LEDs I do not have internet access.


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## dawgdog (Sep 27, 2012)

Hey I found the firmware but it's in .bin format and I looked it up and downloaded both winiso and ultraiso but neither can convert it to iso. Winiso says it can't open the file and ultraiso says it's either invalid or unknown. 

I'm not sure about the modem losing connection to the ISP because I don't know how to check that.

There are five lights on the modem: power, data receive, data send, cable, and pc. When I turn it on all lights turn on and sometimes there is a little flickering. Usually the power, cable and are steady while data receive and data send blink. PC sometimes blinks or is steady. This is when I have internet. When the receive and send are not on I usually do not have internet. 

On my router I have a power light, a globe light, a signal light (like a signal on an iPhone but horizontal), and a computer light which is on when the cord is connected to a laptop or desktop even if it's not on. These are all green when everything is working fine. The globe turns orange when I cannot get wireless but the cord still lets me get online.

Sometimes even when the Receive and Send are on though, I don't have internet. When this happens I turn them off and then on again at the same time because they're on the same surge protector. If that doesn't work I unplug the internet cord from the modem and plug it back in and it works. 

When my sister was here sometimes either her Dell, my Acer or iPod couldn't connect or any combination of those but the HP rarely had any problems. Now though, the Receive and Send are both off yet my iPod and HP can get on but my Acer can't.


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## TerryNet (Mar 23, 2005)

In your router's configuration pages find the "update firmware" option. If will give you an opportunity to browse to the .bin file and it knows how to update itself. Be sure to do this with an ethernet connection; very dangerous to do a brain transplant using Wi-Fi.



> Now though, the Receive and Send are both off yet my iPod and HP can get on


If you have internet access when the modem is showing that it does not have communication with your ISP the modem must be malfunctioning. I'd replace it.

Anytime you are not sure if a lack of internet access is caused by the router or "upstream" to the router connect a computer directly to the modem (remembering to power cycle the modem when switching the device connected to it).


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## dawgdog (Sep 27, 2012)

Thanks, that seems to have fixed it!


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## TerryNet (Mar 23, 2005)

Router firmware update or modem replacement?

You're welcome. 

You can mark this solved using the







button at the upper left of the page or just below the last post.


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## dawgdog (Sep 27, 2012)

Firmware update.


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