KR1 Instability

Stingingfork · Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 3:48 pm Post subject: KR1 Instability

I've searched your messages and haven't found this question addressed before but please forgive me if it has. My KR1 has never been stable with the Verizon PC5740 card. It is constantly dropping the signal with the wireless function enabled. I've read recently that I may be able to disable the wireless component of the KR1 and use a wireless router or wireless access point in conjuction with the KR1 essentially turning it into a modem that allows its' signal to transmit from the wireless router. I'm not very savvy when it comes to setting these two pieces of hardware up to work in conjuntion with each other. Is there someone on this forum that could provide a step by step process? Based on what I've read about the instability of the KR1 as a wireless router and my own experience with the same this maybe my only chance to make my wireless card work to provide a wireless signal to my three PC's at home (2 desktops and my laptop). Any help would be greatly appreciated. Ps: I have contacted the tech support group several times in the past for the KR1 with no success other than freezing up my first KR1 when they were walking me thru a firmware upgrade. Currently I'm using the 1.006 firmware on my second KR1. Shocked

Spinnaker · Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2007 7:06 pm Post subject:

I've set up a KR1 with the wireless mode disabled. I didn't do it because the KR1 is unstable. I did it because I wanted to attach an 802.11a wireless access point. I've cabled the KR1 to a wireless router set up as an access point. I currently have my KR1 cabled to an access point.

Do you know how to access the Web interface on your KR1? If you do, you disable the KR1's "wireless mode" on the "Basic -Wireless" page.

I guess my question is... Are you sure the KR1 is stable if you disable the wireless mode and cable a couple of your PCs to to the KR1's LAN ports and use it that way for a while?

What wireless router or access point do you have, or are you thinking of purchasing? Whatever you get, it's wireless radio needs to be compatible with your PC's/laptop's wireless cards. You should be able to test each of your PCs to see if they will connect with security disabled, then enabled. If the unit is not compatible, you should be able to return it to the place where you bought it.

Once you have a compatible wireless router or access point in hand, it's a simple matter of configuring the router/access point, and cabling the unit to the KR1. If it's a router, you access the unit's Web interface, disable the DHCP service on the unit, and give the router a LAN IP address such as 192.168.0.254 . If it's an access point, you give the unit a LAN IP address of 192.168.0.254, a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0, and a gateway IP address of 192.168.0.1 .

Stingingfork · Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 4:04 pm Post subject: KR1 Instability

Spinnaker, I can access the web interface of the KR1 while I have it hardwired to my PC. My wireless router is the Netgear WGT624 and I've been using it with my Cable broadband service up til now. To set it up the way you're suggesting do I just disable the wireless funtion on the KR1, run an ethernet cable from the KR1 (Port 1) to the Netgear where I currently have the cable from the broadband modem connected? Also if I understand you right I should log into the Netgear router, disable the DHCP service and assign the router a fixed IP address. Is that what some people call a static IP address? Do I have to go into my PC's and apply that same address anywhere? As I mentioned I've never been very familiar with wireless networks and the router wizard didn't present any problems when I first set it up. Up til now all of my PC's have been able to pickup the signal from the Netgear router without any issues with it dropping the broadband signal so I'm assuming I wouldn't have any problems using the Verizon card via the KR1 through the Netgear router. Before I make the final move I will hardwire the KR1 with the wireless card to each of my PC's to be sure I don't have any stability issues before going through this exercise. Thanks again for your assistance! Very Happy

Spinnaker · Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2007 8:26 pm Post subject:

Yes, you need to connect a PC to the KR1, access the KR1's Web configuration pages, and disable the "wireless mode".

You would connect any LAN port (port 1 will do) on the KR1 to any LAN port on the WGT624. You would not use the WAN or Internet port on the WGT624.

Here's a set of instructions to set the WGT624 up to function with the KR1 as a switch with wireless access point...

While you are getting things set up, disable any Windows or software firewalls running on your PCs.

Leave your KR1 disconnected from the WGT624 while setting things up.

Use a PC with a wired ethernet adapter. Configure the adapter to obtain it's IP and DNS IP addresses automatically (as a DHCP client) and shut down the PC. Connect the PC's adapter to a LAN port (not the WAN/Internet port) on your Netgear with a regular Cat 5 patch cable and power up the router.

Boot up the PC. It should receive an IP address from the DHCP server on the router and the PC should be connected to the router.

Use the Browser on the PC to access the router's login window by browsing to the LAN IP address of the router.

Enter a User Name of admin and a password of password (lower case letters). If the Setup Wizard window comes up, check "No. I Want To Configure By Myself" and press the Next button.

You don't need to configure anything located in the Basic Settings link on the Setup Menu. These are the WAN, or Internet port, settings and you will not be using the WAN port.

Wireless Settings on the main menu of the browse interface:
The default wireless network name (SSID) on the WGT624 is NETGEAR, and you should consider changing it to a name of your own. To get your laptop connected via wireless to your router's access point, the wireless adapter in your laptop needs to connect to the SSID (or wireless network name) broadcast by the router. The laptop wireless adapter may find and connect to the router's SSID automatically. You may have to use WinXP's Wireless Zero Configuration utility or the wireless adapter's own utility to find the "available wireless network" (SSID) broadcast by your router, and connect to it. Leave WEP/WPA encryption disabled on the router and the wireless PCs until you get set up and operating.

LAN Settings (in Advanced - LAN IP Setup):
Change the LAN IP address to 192.168.0.254 with a subnet address of 255.255.255.0 and uncheck "Use Router As DHCP Server", and press the "Apply" button. Close the browser to exit the router's Setup pages.

Note: From this point on, you will need to use the IP address of 192.168.0.254 in your Browser to access the router.

Shut down the PC.

Connect your KR1 and any wired PCs to <B>LAN</B> ports on the Netgear router using regular Cat 5 patch cables.

Set your wired and wireless PC's network adapters to receive their addresses automatically via DHCP from your KR1, OR set up Static addresses. An example showing Static IP addresses is as follows:

IP address: 192.168.0.2
Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0
Gateway: 192.168.0.1
Preferred DNS: 192.168.0.1
Alternate DNS: {Enter a Verizon DNS server, listed on the KR1's "Status - Device Info" page}

Next PC, use an IP address of 192.168.0.3 and enter the same settings for the other addresses as shown above, etc.

Don't get the wired adapter and wireless adapter on the PCs mixed up when you do the configuring. Use the proper one. If a PC has both wired and wireless adapters, you should disable the one not used.

Reboot the wired and wireless PCs and try browsing the internet. Ping a server (ping www.yahoo.com) on the internet. If successful...

Don't forget to re-enable your firewalls. Hopefully, everything will still work, but you may need to adjust some firewall settings if it doesn't.

Finally (if you wish), go back into the router's configuration to enable WEP/WPA encryption on the router with matching encryption on the wireless adapter on the wireless PCs. If the router and all of the wireless adapters support WPA, try WPA-PSK (Pre Shared Key), and use the same "passphrase" on the router and the wireless adapters.

Stingingfork · Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 5:40 pm Post subject: KR1 Instability

Spinnaker, I followed your instructions and I was worried at first since initially I couldn't reach the Netgear upon changing the IP address and clicking on Apply but once I restarted my PC everything was working just fine. I really appreciate your taking the time to walk me thru the changes. Thus far both of my desktop wireless adapters as well as my laptop are receiving the Verizon signals as expected. It's running a little slower than my previous Cable Broadband but not slow enough to be a problem. Thanks again for all of your help!!! Very Happy

Spinnaker · Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2007 8:35 pm Post subject: Re: KR1 Instability

Stingingfork · Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2007 3:05 am Post subject: KR1 Works Great

Just one more question. With your KR1 do you leave it powered up 24/7's or do you just unplug the KR1 once you shut down your PC's. With the Cable Broadband I left the modem and the router powered up all of the time but with the Verizon card I wasn't sure if it mattered or would Verizon sense the use of a router if it was always connected and question me about it? Confused

Thanks!

Species8472 · Posted: Wed Aug 22, 2007 4:42 am Post subject:

Leave 'er going!!! Mine is 24/7