So I buys a one of these.

Click for amazon's linkage.

And it has worked for months. Suddenly, like a few days back, I can just get limited connectivity. Tried switching cables, tried swapping the adapters about, tried using different plugs, different sockets, different extension leads...nada.

I don't suppose anyone has any idea why it's doing it just all of a sudden. I can't think of anything that we have new that could be affecting the network, or the electrics.

And all the reviews just say "Yeah great product no problems!" with only one suggesting I ring whassisname, Devolo, the company that makes them.

Maybe the dohickey, adapter is faulty. I'm gonna ring them tomorrow, perhaps Friday, depending on what time I get in from work.

Might have to resort to begging my dad to help me run a cable...he'll be happy !

So yeah, any help would be mucho appreciated guys !

[ 04-19-2007, 01:29 PM: Message edited by: Ivelliis ]

okay, well if its just limited connectivity. Usually its an ip conflict.

Have you checked on the more details of the error?
because if it is an Ip conflict, you can just go onto each computer and manually give them different IP. that usually takes care of the Limited connectivity.

Another possibility is your firewall. Your firwall might've been upgraded/updated to include high security features? and that's limiting it.
It might be windows firewall (if you use XP) that's conflicting. usually the limited connectivity goes away if you turn it off (if this is the case).

let me know what the more details says.

And man! Seeing a sig that I made still stand makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside :D

What happens if you connect the same computers with the same cables without the power adapter? I know it's a pain in the ass to run the cables, but if you can eliminate the power thingy's from the problem we can get somewhere [img]smile.gif[/img]

Hey Spirits...what can I say. I loved the sig ever since you showed me it, was totally how Ive looks in my mind [img]smile.gif[/img]

The conflicting IP address thing sounds right...it tells me the residential gateway is offline, whatever that is (not very technically-clued up).

*scrolls up, to see if he mentioned that before*

Nope...gateway is offline it says...

Hmm.. Gateway is offline?

This may be redundant. But are you sure your ethernet is connected/ drivers installed et.c lol

Because that happened to me with my laptop.

And yeah if its conflicting Ip, you're better off just going and manually giving Ip for your comps.

To do this you'd go to my networks
find the network places,

then you go to View network connections,
find the connection that you're having problems with. Then right click that, and go to properties. And go to TCP/IP settings
and manually give an Ip. I don't know if it matters what subnet # you put, I usually put 255.255.255.0 but that's just me
but make sure both of them have the same subnet number but DIFFERENT Ip numbers.

this should settle the conflict.

So I just give them any old random number IP, as long as they are different?

Not exactly. If you just change the last number in the grouping of four, you should be set. For example, from 192.168.0.1 to 192.168.0.131.

The only things you have to watch for...

1. Don't use someone else's IP (that's what got you here!)
2. If your firewall is set to allow access based on IP range, you may need to expand it.

Exactly what Bungleau said :D

And I do that on *both* computers?

So I do all that jazz, change the last number in the IP address to something else (keeping the subnet # the same) and then what?

Well, in truth there's a whole lot more that's dependent on how your LAN is set up....

IP addresses fall into one of two categories: dynamic and fixed. A fixed address always has the same address, and a dynamic one checks in with a special server whenever it needs one. Typically, that means when you turn it on.

That server, better known as a DHCP server, keeps track of the addresses and makes sure that no address is duplicated.

In my network, printers and servers have fixed IP addresses while computers have dynamic ones.

If your computer fails to get an address back from the DHCP server, it will take a default address of 169.254.something or other. If you see that, you're not getting a connection back from the DHCP server. I check the address by going to a command prompt and typing "ipconfig".

In my home network, my Linksys gateway/router serves as the DHCP server. If it's misbehaving, rebooting it can sometimes clean things up nicely.

So....

In your environment, if you've got a DHCP server already, you don't want to muck with that. You want to fix the problem with the DHCP server, and rebooting it is the best first step. Resetting it is a second step, but before doing that, you should make sure you know what settings were on there. It can be hard to recreate it from scratch... ;)

Soooo..... again... what's your overall environment look like?

*edit* and after taking a look, your Devolo critter is just an ethernet card. It's not a self-contained DHCP server or anything like that, so the advice above about trying to string wire to your router/gateway makes sense. The problem appears to be either there or in your connection to there. Do other machines work in the network? Can you maintain the router (or modem, or whatever)? Are you suffering from geek overload yet? ;)

[ 04-06-2007, 10:32 PM: Message edited by: Bungleau ]

This is the setup:

Dads PC+router.

Wireless connection with the laptop.

Devolo links router and my PC.


My dad wants to get another devolo thing for my sisters PC, so I think they're buying one today. Can test if it's that causing the problem or not, although I do have a connection but just limited connectivity *frowns* Sending the data fine but not receiving anything.

Assuming your dad's PC connects to the internet fine, there's only one test to do: connect your PC to the router with a wire.

If that works, then the issue is with the Devolo. If it doesn't, the issue is with your PC.

A bit annoying to test, but it will narrow down the problem.

So...somehow got to find craploads of network cable [img]smile.gif[/img]

Either that, or pick up the computer and move it for a few minutes... ;)

*blushes* That would be the most obvious thing to do.

My dad bought another dlan thingymabob, 14mbps though so pretty slow compared to t'other one. Works a charm on mine, and the old one works a charm on my sisters, but plug them in together and it goes balistic.

Weird.

Interesting... so the two are fighting each other? Or does "goes ballistic" mean something special?

Nah, goes ballistic in this context means "the lights flash like crazy on the router, and everything sort of goes kaput".

Curious... I wonder if they're both trying to do something more than just serve as NICs... gods save me from hardware that wants to help me because it thinks it's smarter than me... ;)

Ok so SOMEHOW it worked.

And now it doesnt again. Limited connectivity, all that jazz.

So I did as you said, changed the IP address manually. I got the default gateway address off the laptop that works and used that, and the subnet as 255.255.255.0.

Network sign was good, but wasn't receiving any data, so basically not working. So I set it back to automatically find IP and low and behold...limited connectivity.

I'm at my wits end with this piece of crap.


/edit

I tried to ping the gateway and no reply, so for some reason it isn't talking to that.

[ 04-15-2007, 04:47 PM: Message edited by: Ivelliis ]

So, I unplugged my PC and moved it downstairs and plugged it straight into the router...

*suspense*

Got a connection of 100 mbps, solid and everything. So I assume the problem would have to be in the DLAN thing? Or something interfering with the signal going through the electric wires?

Also, ideas of how to 'ask' my dad to run a cable, he's already in a mood with me for constantly wanted help to fix my heap-of-crap-PC.

Through your experiment, you've eliminated the router, gateway, and your PC. What's left is the cable going to the DLAN on both sides and the DLAN itself. And, I suspect, the port on the router that the DLAN is plugged in to, but you can verify that easily enough.

So...

1. Switch the cable from the DLAN to the port on the router that you used. If it succeeds, bad port on the router.

2. Change the cable from the router to the DLAN to a different cable. If it succeeds, bad cable.

3. Change the cable from the DLAN to your PC to a different cable. If it succeeds, bad cable.

4. Change the DLAN to a different DLAN. If it works, bad DLAN.

All except the last one are pretty easy to try. The last one is easy if you have a spare DLAN laying around, or a friend who has one you can check with.

As for running the cable, how far would you have to run it?

My house is really fairly skinny, but three storeys high. The router is in my dads office, which is on the bottom floor. The cable (cause I don't think they'd put it through the wall) would have to get run out of the office, through the kitchen, up the stairs into my room. It's not an easy task.

Have a spare DLAN actually, my old 80odd mbps one (which worked until it randomly stopped).

Will check all that stuff later, probably at the weekend.

In that case, go wireless... three storeys is almost too far to run.

Forgot to add my room is on the middle floor. *doh*

Might be workable, then... drill a hole in the floor/ceiling to pass a cable through, put your own ends on it so it doesn't have to be too large, try to hide it down the wall and come out the bottom... or go wireless.

Would have to be wireless if the "tests" don't work. The floor we have upstairs (except in my room) is, erm, cardian or something (can't spell it), a sort of expensive wooden floor which you lay in tiles, so no drilling through.

Thanks to everyone, especially Bungleau, for the help! [img]smile.gif[/img] [img]smile.gif[/img]