# On again off again DHCP...ACK!



## Datababe (Dec 28, 2004)

My refurbed Cube, running OSX v 10.3.7, is suddenly having trouble maintaining a connection to our wireless network (via a Linksys router). It'll show active on the status bar, then inactive, then active again. When I open Internet Connect, the Airport panel will show a high signal and the base station id, and a status of "connected - getting status" and then "authenticating", followed by a signal drop to zero and a status of "not associated with any network - status not available" and the base station id disappears. Then the whole cycle starts over again.

We're running w/DHCp with WEP, and the only thing that's changed since I last had this machine online was hubby changed the IP range on the router. He thinks it's an impending hardware failure on my Airport card, but since he's been twiddling with the router I am of course blaming him. ;-P Especially since his twiddling, while Precious (my Powerbook w/OSX v 10.20.8 ) can still get online, she drops signal after about five minutes of inactivity and I have to reselect our network.

Trying a static IP is my next troubleshooting stop, just didn't go there yet. It's kinda funny, as hubby and I went round and round last night arguing. He's a good hardware guy, so he angles for it being a hardware issue; I'm a software/OS gal, so I'm leaning towards it being an OS config issue...and now we hit that old proverb about if you're used to nothing but a hammer, everything looks like a nail, lol. It just strikes me that Velma (yeah, I name my machines) didn't go hinky until the IP range on the router changed (and my first question always with a computer problem is: what in the machine's environment has changed?). Precious, however, is having no problems other than dropping connectivity...though that she also has changed behaviour catches my attention.

Any Mac experts have any suggestions...?  My big problem with my Macs is they rarely act up on me, so unlike my Windoze boxen I don't have extensive experience troubleshooting them. *sigh*


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## MSM Hobbes (Apr 23, 2004)

Greetings! Laughing at your post, love the humour therein! 

Ok, since its kinda late, time now for a silly question,,, can your beloved change the router IP range back to what it was prior to your problem? Don't know if that is the issue, but logically if X is changed, and then Y occurs, X would be good place to start looking at... 

Good luck and please post what did and didn't work.

Take care,
Rob


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## Coolnat2004 (Apr 18, 2004)

Try going into System prefs > Network > Airport > TCP/IP and changing the "Configure IPv4" to "Manual" instead of DHCP. Type in an address within the router's range (ex: if the router is set for 192.168.0.100 - 192.168.0.255, try something like 192.168.0.150).

The subnet mask might already be there, but in most cases it is 255.255.255.0 . Type in the IP of the router into the "Router" and "DNS" fields.

Click "Apply Now" and it should connect. I use this on my new PowerBook with OS X 10.4 because it did not like DHCP over the airport.. It works for me, maybe it will work for you!


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## Datababe (Dec 28, 2004)

Update: I tried the suggestion from this thread on another forum:

http://chroniclesofgeorge.nanc.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=16892&start=0

And whaddya know? I was able to establish a strong stable network between Velma and Precious. My next test will be to send files between them, but I'm impressed that these two are happily talking.

So it's my MAC that screwed up...? Oh, reeeeeally.

Hubby just called from a client's job and I relayed my findings thus far. He got rather short and his "goodbye" was shy of hanging up on me. PPPBBBBTTTT

(hell hath no fury like two geeks under the same roof...let alone married to each other - and both Scorpios, no less! LOL)

Cool and Hobbes, I'll be trying both your suggestions as well, just for cannon fodder, and thank you guys for all the help. And no, you're not contributing to domestic violence, just to the education of a Mac Maniac and a Windows Lemming who must coexist. *G*


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