Does Netgear WGR614 router work with Mac?

[jamdr]

Someone told me this was a good wireless router to use with Mac OS X, but now that I've bought it I can't get it to work. I tried plugging my computer into the router and the router into my DSL modem, but when I turn them all on in sequence (modem, router, Mac), I can't connect to the internet. Does anyone have experience with this router?

[TLRedhawke]

A) Routers don't care whether they're dealing with a Mac or a PC. Period.

B) Your DSL modem may well be PPPOE. If you have to log in to connect to the internet, then it's PPPOE. In this case, you need to go into the router's setup (the manual will tell you how to do this), and change it from DHCP to PPPOE, and tell it your username and password. Effectively, what this will do is allow your router to do the logging in for you, and keep your connection alive. It will transmit this signal via DHCP rather than PPPOE, so you'll have to switch the mac to connect via DHCP.

[varmit]

Someone told me this was a good wireless router to use with Mac OS X, but now that I've bought it I can't get it to work. I tried plugging my computer into the router and the router into my DSL modem, but when I turn them all on in sequence (modem, router, Mac), I can't connect to the internet. Does anyone have experience with this router?

Can you access the router? Are you getting an IP address from the router, check your network settings? Is there any special settings that you had to do to get you DSL to work with your computer, those same settings will need to go in the router. Do you have the correct wires plugged into the correct ports? I know the last one insults some peoples intellegence, but its a manditory since it does happen.

[aeronaut]

Greetings,

I realize that this post is a year and a half after the thread started,
but I have a fix, so it might be useful for someone else if they
google this thread.

I have a PowerBook, Broadxent Briteport DSL modem, and just
bought a Netgear WGR614 wireless router to replace the aging
original airport and Linksys BEFSR41 (non-wireless Linksys.)

I followed all the instructions to the letter for the modem setup,
but nothing seemed to work completely. The DSL modem connected
to the internet directly from the computer fine. Changing the settings
to talk to the router also seemed to work fine, DHCP would get
the usual kind of IP address (192.168.1.x, where x starts at 2 and
goes up,) but I couldn't run the setup program, or connect to the
router with any of the recommended methods. I even spent a half
hour on the phone with tech support; a nice woman in India who
appropriately walked me through all the steps I tried, with the same
results. She suggested that I try a different computer, and I went to
move the router and modem downstairs, and disconnected the phone.

Anyway, enough blather. Here's the fix.

First, set up the mac. From the apple menu, go to:
>System Preferences
>Network
in the "Show" bar
> Built-in Ethernet
in the Configure bar
> Using DHCP

Now hook an ethernet cable from the mac to the router. Do not
connect the router to the DSL modem. If you have done so already,
unhook that cable. You can do this before the network config just
above if you like. But make SURE the router and the modem are
not connected together.

At this point, your computer should be talking to the router. The
Network window should show an IP address of the form 192.168.1.x
where x is 2 or a small number. Anything from 2 to 255 should be OK.
More importantly, the router should read 192.168.1.1. If this isn't
happening, click on the "Apply Now" button. If that doesn't help,
try the "Renew DHCP Lease" button. Once you have a router address,
you can proceed.

Now open up a web browser. I used Safari, but anything should work.
enter the following in the address bar:

http://www.routerlogin.com/basicsetting.htm

This should call up the router setup dialog. If prompted for a username/
password, use admin for the username, and "password" for the password.
Those are the system defaults. Then enter in the IP information that
your ISP gave you, the same ones that worked with the computer directly
hooked to the modem. I have a fixed IP address, so I had to put in all
the numbers; if you have a dynamic address, the DHCP setting should
work.

After this, everything works fine. The key seems to be that when I had
the router connected to the modem, I couldn't modify the router settings.
It could be because I have a fixed IP address, or it could be a mac thing.
It's even possible that a PC with a fixed IP address would have this
problem. Don't know, don't care at this point.

Be sure to change the router's password, set up wireless connectivity if
you need/want it, set your Wireless Network Name, and all that good
stuff. The navigation in the setup for the router is pretty clear.

Unfortunately, it seems that one has to disconnect the router from the
modem to do any work with the router settings. This is not a horrible
problem, as firmware updates and configuration changes are not a
common thing, but it's a minor nuisance. I was hoping it was just a
first time problem, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

If this post helps you set up your WGR614, to a Macintosh, using OS X,
possibly with a fixed IP address from your ISP, post a reply to this. If
you get any more info, post that too.

Regards,
Martin Melhus
(aeronaut)

[notgruntled]

If this post helps you set up your WGR614, to a Macintosh, using OS X, possibly with a fixed IP address from your ISP, post a reply to this. If you get any more info, post that too.

Worked like a charm, took about 30 seconds. Netgear should print out your directions and include them in the package. Thanks tons.

[skoobadude]

I just can't get this to work.

I bought a WGR614v5 without too much consideration - it said it was OS X compatible, Netgear are a well respected brand and to be honest I wanted a wireless solution cheaper than an Apple Airport basestation.

I have a ZyXEL Prestige 600 ethernet DSL modem that has always worked well straight out of the box - all I had to do was put my DSL PPPoE username and password in and it has been faultless ever since.

I figured that all I would need to do was connect the WGR614 to the modem via an ethernet cable and enable my Airport card and it would work - how wrong I have been so far.

I have followed the instructions posted above to get access to the router setup and that works - I have had my Mac talking to the router across a wireless connection and the little "i" lights up on the router to say it's connected to the internet via the modem when cabled together but I simply cannot get my Mac to connect to the internet via the router whether wired or wireless - what am I doing wrong???

[jlewis2k1]

I would connect the router via ethernet then verify the configurations you have on your router.

Make sure that you are configuring the correct settings based on your ISPs needs. If the connection is PPTP then select that with your login and password. Also, if there is a service name this should be entered.

If that didnt make sense here is an exerpt from the routerlogin.net (the configuration applicaiton)

Does Your Internet Connection Require A Login?

Select this option based on the type of account you have with your ISP. If you need to enter login information every time you connect to the Internet or you have a PPPoE account with your ISP, select Yes. Otherwise, select No.

Note: If you have installed PPP software such as WinPoET (from Earthlink) or Enternet (from PacBell), then you have PPPoE. Select Yes. After selecting Yes and configuring your router, you will not need to run the PPP software on your PC to connect to the Internet.

Internet Service Provider

Select the service provided by your ISP. "Other" (PPPoE) is the most common. "PPTP" is used in Austria and other European countries. "Telstra BigPond" is for Australia only.

Login

This is usually the name that you use in your e-mail address. For example, if your main mail account is JerAB@ISP.com, then put JerAB in this box.

Some ISPs (like Mindspring, Earthlink, and T-DSL) require that you use your full e-mail address when you log in. If your ISP requires your full e-mail address, then type it in the Login box.

Password

Type the password that you use to log in to your ISP.

Service Name

If your ISP provided a Service Name, enter it here. Otherwise, this may be left blank.

Idle Timeout

An idle Internet connection will be terminated after this time period.

If this value is zero (0), then the connection will be "kept alive" by re-connecting immediately whenever the connection is lost.

[skoobadude]

As far as I can tell I have put all of the correct info in to the set up screens - it simply doesn't work when it's all put together - the mac cannot see the internet when the netgear unit is in the circuit.

[CrackedButter]

Just out of interest have you got the wireless in your machine?

Also does anybody know if besides the Apple wireless card any other adapter works with this router including USB ones? Do they matter since they are all 802.11g anyway?

I'll be taking my first steps into wireless networking and want to know more before I buy the exact same router. (But have more luck with it).

[jlewis2k1]

I have this particular router and I'm loving it a whole lot more than the airport extreme. honestly, the airport extreme couldnt handle the traffic like netgear can :-D

[CrackedButter]

I just bought this netgear router from PC world, got it for £45. I used the collect at store function. Normally in store its £60. So a £15 quid saving isn't bad, even the guy at the till was surprised by how much i got it for.

I have just setup my wireless network and it was a breeze, didn't use the CD, didn't follow the instructions listed in this thread, i just tapped away on the browser which popped up and its up and running.

There is even a windows user in this shared house who has logged on as well wirelessly with no problems.

[skoobadude]

Today I bought an "actiontec" combined dsl modem/wireless basestation from my local "mac man" for £29 and it's up and running with better signal strength than the netgear was giving me.

The WGR614 I had was a version 5 model and searching around the net did not seem to be compatible with my dsl modem/router - talking to the local mac guy he reckons it's to do with different bits of third party hardware all assigning themselves the same IP address so they just wind up in a big knot - he said you can manually assign IP addresses to them all but I simply can't be bothered to undo the knot myself, the new piece of kit is a one box solution so the netgear is going back and I'll flog my old modem on ebay to cover the cost of the new one.

[CrackedButter]

Today I bought an "actiontec" combined dsl modem/wireless basestation from my local "mac man" for £29 and it's up and running with better signal strength than the netgear was giving me.

The WGR614 I had was a version 5 model and searching around the net did not seem to be compatible with my dsl modem/router - talking to the local mac guy he reckons it's to do with different bits of third party hardware all assigning themselves the same IP address so they just wind up in a big knot - he said you can manually assign IP addresses to them all but I simply can't be bothered to undo the knot myself, the new piece of kit is a one box solution so the netgear is going back and I'll flog my old modem on ebay to cover the cost of the new one.

Good for you, at the end of the day just get what works best.

[SiggySputnik]

Some people might need to actually set their DSL modem into "Bridged Mode". It really depends on the ISP and Modem Brand. I know I would have saved myself about 6 hours of work if I knew this before hand. I was using a G4 PowerBook with BellSouth DSL, Westell Modem and a NetGear WGR614v6 Wireless Router. Definitely check the documentation that goes with your modem. I think this might happen a lot with 3rd party routers, especially with companies like BellSouth and Earthlink that offer their own wireless routing services (usually for about $5 - $10 a month). Hope this helps someone else save the frustration I went through. P.S. I should mention I just got this one for about $15 (+about $8 for shipping) off of TigerDirect.

[digeridooguru]

:D Much love aeronaut. Thanks for the tips. PS I know a little bit about the aeronaut thing, I hope you enjoy.

For those wandering (^lol).... wondering souls,

please read Aeronaut's entry on this subject and follow these instructions. I wanted to add, MAKE SURE that when you connect the NETGEAR router to your computer so they can whisper sweet nothings into eachothers DSL ports, that you do not hook the DSL cable to the router via the "internet" port but rather one of the other network ports on the router. Also, if u have any trouble opening the browser for NETGEAR Basic Settings, try try again - close out, reconnect, retype url. It will only work if it prompts you for the password (admin/password), so try until that happens.

Otherwise it worked out for me.

[Maarmalade]

Once you have a router address,
you can proceed.

Now open up a web browser. I used Safari, but anything should work.
enter the following in the address bar:

http://www.routerlogin.com/basicsetting.htm

This should call up the router setup dialog. If prompted for a username/
password, use admin for the username, and "password" for the password.
Those are the system defaults. Then enter in the IP information that
your ISP gave you, the same ones that worked with the computer directly
hooked to the modem. I have a fixed IP address, so I had to put in all
the numbers; if you have a dynamic address, the DHCP setting should
work.

New to forums but really stuck with my Macbook/WGR614 connection. When I enter the www.routerlogin.com/basicsetting on safari it just says cannot open the page because the server stopped responding.

This is day 3 of trying to get wireless at home and I don't know what to do, what am I missing, do I have all I need to get online and if so why ain't it working?

Any clues, would be exceedingly grateful.

M.

[mlunacat]

Greetings,

I realize that this post is a year and a half after the thread started,
but I have a fix, so it might be useful for someone else if they
google this thread....
If this post helps you set up your WGR614, to a Macintosh, using OS X,
possibly with a fixed IP address from your ISP, post a reply to this. If
you get any more info, post that too.

Regards,
Martin Melhus
(aeronaut)


:D awesome, THANK YOU SO MUCH :apple:
after three days of going around and around in a similiarly fruitless loop :-)
as some others who have posted here and on other forums - I was ready to give up. But posts like aeronauts' and Siggy Sputnik's -- thanks for the reminder about bridge mode - made it all come together, comprehensively! aeronaut should be in charge of NETGEAR guide publishing - I was trying to setup and configure a WGR614v5 router with a Westell 6100 DSL modem - using Verizon DSL (PPPoE) - with my G3 450 MhZ iMac Indigo DV, to (hopefully) connect with my nice little G3 500 MhZ Dual USB refurb iBook - w/ original Airport card (both still happily running OS X 10.3.9/9.2.2 and feeling no need to 'strain at the Tiger bit' ) -- and after i followed aeronauts' instructions WITHOUT connecting to modem first -- see above -- then contacted my ISP about learning how to switch to 'bridge mode' -- thanks again,sig -- it was all smooth sailing after that.The instructions in the convoluted ref manuals even worked, after that -- (this router was given to me, used, without the resource CD) - so I really thank you again, and yes, you are still helping, all this time later (March 2007)
huzzah!
Thanks to all -- proof that these forums really do help
M Luna *)

[jonnet]

An article was written on how to manual setup a Netgear WGR614 router.

It include photos and descriptions

http://jon.pinoyspecialist.com/index.php?itemid=2

Hope this helps you... :)

[jonnet]

Someone told me this was a good wireless router to use with Mac OS X, but now that I've bought it I can't get it to work. I tried plugging my computer into the router and the router into my DSL modem, but when I turn them all on in sequence (modem, router, Mac), I can't connect to the internet. Does anyone have experience with this router?

Setup link page of WGR614 Netgear
http://jon.pinoyspecialist.com/index.php?itemid=2

[THX1139]

I have a slightly off-top question that is relevant to this thread, so I thought I'd add it intead of starting a new one.

Has anyone ever had trouble with certain websites killing your wireless connection? I'm running a MacPro off a Netgear WGT 264 and when I go to mapquest.com, my connection will break half-way through loading a page. The only way I can get my internet connection back is to restart the router/modem. Happens every time and only on certain websites. tvguide.com is another website that if I try loading the homepage, it kills my wireless connection.

[mkrishnan]

That's very strange...I've never personally experienced that. The only things I can think of are very loosely connected... (1) can you try turning IPv6 off and see if this helps, and (2) try increasing the duration of DHCP leases, on both the computer-router and router-modem connections. Particularly, if you're using PPPoE (most DSL), then the most likely culprit has to do with getting kicked off PPPoE for some reason, and not successfully re-establishing. Once you chase down what you need to do for this, it becomes a non-issue, but I've found that with DSL, occasionally, this will be a really annoying problem that manifests itself in weird ways.

[diehardmacfan]

make sure that your connections are correct

make sure that the DSL modem is connected into the WAN ethernet port of the router

then make sure that the computer is connected to the router via the LAN ethernet port

[THX1139]

make sure that your connections are correct

make sure that the DSL modem is connected into the WAN ethernet port of the router

then make sure that the computer is connected to the router via the LAN ethernet port

Thanks for your help, but why would you need to connect the computer to the LAN ethernet port? The router is wireless. The router is connected to the cable modem and you connect to the router by logging in over the wireless connection. I'm confused by your answer.

[THX1139]

That's very strange...I've never personally experienced that. The only things I can think of are very loosely connected... (1) can you try turning IPv6 off and see if this helps, and (2) try increasing the duration of DHCP leases, on both the computer-router and router-modem connections. Particularly, if you're using PPPoE (most DSL), then the most likely culprit has to do with getting kicked off PPPoE for some reason, and not successfully re-establishing. Once you chase down what you need to do for this, it becomes a non-issue, but I've found that with DSL, occasionally, this will be a really annoying problem that manifests itself in weird ways.

Okay, but that it more than I want to do at the moment, especially since it only does it on certain websites that can be avoided. I'm going to be moving next week and will be buying a new wireless router (do you have a recommendation?) since the router in question is owned by my current roommate. I posted to see if there might be something that would be a quick fix or to see if it was router related. If it was router related, I could alleviate the issue by buying a different brand. Another thing that might be causing it is my somewhat flakey Comcast internet connection. Maybe I should go back to DSL when I get into my new place? Thanks!!!

[cnymike]

If anyone is still following this thread and is using the WGR614v6 with a Mac, please try to setup your network connection using "DHCP with Maunal Address". When I try this, I cannot get any wireless computers to be able to connect through to the Internet. They will show up in the Attached Devices screen of the netgear setup, but they do not connect through to the internet.

I can get it to work with "Manually" and "DHCP" but not "DHCP with Manual Address".

If someone who is up and running with this setup could try setting one of computers to use DHCP with Manual IP and verify if this is a problem with the router or just with me, I'd appreciate it.

Netgear tech support spent an hour on the phone with me and we walked through the setup several times, but each time when DHCP with Manual Address was configured on the Mac Network settings, Internet connectivity failed.

[therethere]

hey, i just got a netgear wgr614 and i'm trying to figure out the concept behind port forwarding on all that. so far, my setup is that the netgear is connected by ethernet to my windows machine while my powerbook is connected wirelessly. in order to torrent and port forward, do i need to setup a static IP for the powerbook?

[worked]

hey, i just got a netgear wgr614 and i'm trying to figure out the concept behind port forwarding on all that. so far, my setup is that the netgear is connected by ethernet to my windows machine while my powerbook is connected wirelessly. in order to torrent and port forward, do i need to setup a static IP for the powerbook?
You will need to set one of the machines in your network to static IP. In my case, the CPU that is connected via ethernet is the machine set with a static IP. I allow notebooks to connect via DHCP (automatically).

So use the instructions above to connect the netgear to the computer, then the modem to the computer. Once everything is working, follow the directions found here for your certain torrent client (I recommend Azureus):

http://portforward.com/english/routers/port_forwarding/Netgear/WGR614v7/WGR614v7index.htm

Also, just a shout out. I used the directions above and it worked perfectly! I fiddled for days with bridging the modem, cloning the MAC address, using a second router and all this ****. Headache! I really appreciate you posting these instructions! Netgear should make these directions available in box!

Verizon DSL --> Westell 6100 modem/router --> Netgear wireless router WGR614v7 --> MAC OS X 10.4.10 (wired G4 w/static IP and wireless MacBook Pro w/DHCP).

[Cecil2006]

Have an interesting one with a WGR614 version 1 and a G4. No problem connecting the two but after 10 to 15 minutes they stop talking (the signal fades away) and I have to manually reconnect. Any ideas?

[WildPalms]

You will need to set one of the machines in your network to static IP. In my case, the CPU that is connected via ethernet is the machine set with a static IP. I allow notebooks to connect via DHCP (automatically).

So use the instructions above to connect the netgear to the computer, then the modem to the computer. Once everything is working, follow the directions found here for your certain torrent client (I recommend Azureus):

http://portforward.com/english/routers/port_forwarding/Netgear/WGR614v7/WGR614v7index.htm

Also, just a shout out. I used the directions above and it worked perfectly! I fiddled for days with bridging the modem, cloning the MAC address, using a second router and all this ****. Headache! I really appreciate you posting these instructions! Netgear should make these directions available in box!

Verizon DSL --> Westell 6100 modem/router --> Netgear wireless router WGR614v7 --> MAC OS X 10.4.10 (wired G4 w/static IP and wireless MacBook Pro w/DHCP).

Wow. Port forwarding has nothing to do with bridging setup in your modem, cloning the MAC address? wtf? I hope someone reading your post doesnt get the wrong idea. If you're double NATing or routing over two hops I'd bet your net performance isn't ideal. Unless your modem is in bridging mode, you're taking a performance hit.

But hey, if it works for you, then great.

[WildPalms]

To the OP, that Netgear model works just fine with Apple computers and any tcp/ip based OS will work just fine for that matter.

[jennytisme]

I just got a wireless Netgear 614 router. I'm trying to figure out how to get it work with AMSN. I need to forward some ports. does anyone use this messenger?

-Jenny
intel imac/OS X 10.5.1

[cooker47]

I had a caller today with this issue.

We signed in to the router at 192.168.0.1 using default username and password admin/pass.

We went thru router setup, selected the automatic/use DHCP option with no login in (required for his ISP's "Broadband connection that is always on").

Along the way the router asked a question about MAC address and we went with the default setting ("No", I think).

Thereafter he eventually got a valid WAN IP address, but we could not launch a regular browser session and get to the WWW. We kept getting sent back to the router setup dialog. This happened on two machines. He also kept getting a message during router setup, something like "your computer is now being managed by the address 192.168.0.2".

Despite my advice my caller kept running router setup on both Macs and he kept getting the same results, so eventually I let him go after giving him Netgear's phone number (1-888-NETGEAR). However, after the call was ended it struck me that maybe the router setup was trying to do a MAC address clone" thing when the mysterious "MAC address .. Default" option was selected in the setup dialog. This would explain why he kept getting the "your computer is now being managed ..." message for the same LAN IP address on each of the two different Macs.

We didn't try doing the router configuration with the WAN port on the router NOT plugged in to the mode, as has been suggested above.

I'll try to give the guy a call back tomorrow to see if he was able to resolve the issue.

[TitusCooker]

I haven't seen this solution posted anywhere and it's pretty simple. You have to prepend a $ on WEP and WPA keys on your Mac computer when attaching to a non-apple wireless access point.

I first came across this about 10 years ago, when B first came out and the big issue was what level WEP key you needed (56 vs 128). For proprietary reasons, Apple did not want people using industry standard IEEE non-Apple wireless access points, so intentionally made it difficult to attach to them. This is not a slam on Apple, it's an unfortunate fact.

After digging through Apple's support for a few days trying to troubleshoot why all my Mac clients were unable to attach to other manufacturer's WAP's, I finally found this little snippet. It said when you attach to a WAP that is not an Airport, you need to put a $ at the beginning of the string.

Last week, I had a student with a Macbook Pro unable to attach to a Netgear router in his new apartment. We looked at all the obvious things (wireless overlap, etc), and I finally suggested the $ option. Turns out that it worked. The Netgear is configured to WPA PSK encryption, and the Macbook Pro still needed that $ at the beginning of the key in order to make it work. Don't know why it would still be a problem after all these years, but it's still hiding there in the code on the Mac.

Hope that helps if you ever have trouble attaching a Mac to a non-Apple WAP.

titus

[Eraserhead]

You don't add a $ to WPA keys, I use a Netgear router on WPA with no issues at all, I think it might even be a WGR614...

[kdum8]

Greetings,

I realize that this post is a year and a half after the thread started,
but I have a fix, so it might be useful for someone else if they
google this thread.

I have a PowerBook, Broadxent Briteport DSL modem, and just
bought a Netgear WGR614 wireless router to replace the aging
original airport and Linksys BEFSR41 (non-wireless Linksys.)

I followed all the instructions to the letter for the modem setup,
but nothing seemed to work completely. The DSL modem connected
to the internet directly from the computer fine. Changing the settings
to talk to the router also seemed to work fine, DHCP would get
the usual kind of IP address (192.168.1.x, where x starts at 2 and
goes up,) but I couldn't run the setup program, or connect to the
router with any of the recommended methods. I even spent a half
hour on the phone with tech support; a nice woman in India who
appropriately walked me through all the steps I tried, with the same
results. She suggested that I try a different computer, and I went to
move the router and modem downstairs, and disconnected the phone.

Anyway, enough blather. Here's the fix.

First, set up the mac. From the apple menu, go to:
>System Preferences
>Network
in the "Show" bar
> Built-in Ethernet
in the Configure bar
> Using DHCP

Now hook an ethernet cable from the mac to the router. Do not
connect the router to the DSL modem. If you have done so already,
unhook that cable. You can do this before the network config just
above if you like. But make SURE the router and the modem are
not connected together.

At this point, your computer should be talking to the router. The
Network window should show an IP address of the form 192.168.1.x
where x is 2 or a small number. Anything from 2 to 255 should be OK.
More importantly, the router should read 192.168.1.1. If this isn't
happening, click on the "Apply Now" button. If that doesn't help,
try the "Renew DHCP Lease" button. Once you have a router address,
you can proceed.

Now open up a web browser. I used Safari, but anything should work.
enter the following in the address bar:

http://www.routerlogin.com/basicsetting.htm

This should call up the router setup dialog. If prompted for a username/
password, use admin for the username, and "password" for the password.
Those are the system defaults. Then enter in the IP information that
your ISP gave you, the same ones that worked with the computer directly
hooked to the modem. I have a fixed IP address, so I had to put in all
the numbers; if you have a dynamic address, the DHCP setting should
work.

After this, everything works fine. The key seems to be that when I had
the router connected to the modem, I couldn't modify the router settings.
It could be because I have a fixed IP address, or it could be a mac thing.
It's even possible that a PC with a fixed IP address would have this
problem. Don't know, don't care at this point.

Be sure to change the router's password, set up wireless connectivity if
you need/want it, set your Wireless Network Name, and all that good
stuff. The navigation in the setup for the router is pretty clear.

Unfortunately, it seems that one has to disconnect the router from the
modem to do any work with the router settings. This is not a horrible
problem, as firmware updates and configuration changes are not a
common thing, but it's a minor nuisance. I was hoping it was just a
first time problem, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

If this post helps you set up your WGR614, to a Macintosh, using OS X,
possibly with a fixed IP address from your ISP, post a reply to this. If
you get any more info, post that too.

Regards,
Martin Melhus
(aeronaut)

I don't know if you still frequent this site aeronaut, as this was posted some time ago (several years), but if you are I just wanted to say thanks for posting this. I used MRoogle to search for info on setting up this wireless router and your careful and detailed instructions worked perfectly. Thank you very much for taking the time to write this. :)

[PabloAbroad]

Hey there, I've been following this thread with interest. I'm trying to set up a Netgear WGR614 v6 with a Thomson ST536 v6 DSL modem and a PowerBook G4.

The Netgear router was originally set up on a PC with a cable connection. I have reset it to factory settings.

After much fiddling around, I have finally managed to access the Basic Settings page, after following Aeronaut's instructions (thanks, these were very well written and easy to follow!) This works like a charm when the router is plugged into the computer via an ethernet cable.

However, I have all sorts of trouble as soon as I try to log in to the router wirelessly. I get the 'device is now being managed by 192.168.1.4" error page whenever I try to log onto the thing, or the page just times out completely. I've tried turning off the 'default MAC address" option and using the computer's MAC address (as I think was suggested by cooker47).

Totally out of ideas. Does anyone have a solution to this???

Thanks a lot.

[kdum8]

Hey there, I've been following this thread with interest. I'm trying to set up a Netgear WGR614 v6 with a Thomson ST536 v6 DSL modem and a PowerBook G4.

The Netgear router was originally set up on a PC with a cable connection. I have reset it to factory settings.

After much fiddling around, I have finally managed to access the Basic Settings page, after following Aeronaut's instructions (thanks, these were very well written and easy to follow!) This works like a charm when the router is plugged into the computer via an ethernet cable.

However, I have all sorts of trouble as soon as I try to log in to the router wirelessly. I get the 'device is now being managed by 192.168.1.4" error page whenever I try to log onto the thing, or the page just times out completely. I've tried turning off the 'default MAC address" option and using the computer's MAC address (as I think was suggested by cooker47).

Totally out of ideas. Does anyone have a solution to this???

Thanks a lot.

I don't have a solution for you I am afraid but if you run a google search for 'Netgear' and 'WGR614' there are lots of threads on various sites with people having similar problems. You might find a solution to your difficulty there.

[ScotRobson]

Hi I hope someone can help, I have just bought this router thinking it was the only thing I needed to connect to the Internet. After Reading this thread I'm confused about the difference between a router and modem. Do I need to buy a modem aswell? I thought I could just connect the router to my iMac using the Ethernet cable and that would be it.

Im not having any luck setting this up. I'm not very technical so please be quite simple with the replies.

Many thanks

[frimple]

Hi I hope someone can help, I have just bought this router thinking it was the only thing I needed to connect to the Internet. After Reading this thread I'm confused about the difference between a router and modem. Do I need to buy a modem aswell? I thoug

ht I could just connect the router to my iMac using the Ethernet cable and that would be it.


So, the difference between a modem and a router is or can almost be semantics.

/**** Simplified *****/

The "modem" in a classical sense decodes and encodes transmissions to and from the source i.e. your internet service provider (ISP). What a router will do is direct your request (and many other "client" request's) for http://www.google.com/ to the modem. Once the response is received from the modem it's directed back to it's requester.

/**** / ***********/

The line between modem and router have been blured by most ISP's today by offering some kind of an all in one product. Anyways, in a classic system the two roles are separated into two components. Hope this helps.

[ScotRobson]

The line between modem and router have been blured by most ISP's today by offering some kind of an all in one product. Anyways, in a classic system the two roles are separated into two components. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the reply but to be honest I didn't really understand it. I don't really need to know the ins and outs of how they work really, but how to solve my problem. So, do I need to buy a modem? I was using a netgear router before with nothing else and it was working fine until recently when I kept just loosing my Internet conection which is why I bought a new one. I have also used my old netgear router with an airport extreme which I don't think I really needed.

Many thanks

[kdum8]

Thanks for the reply but to be honest I didn't really understand it. I don't really need to know the ins and outs of how they work really, but how to solve my problem. So, do I need to buy a modem? I was using a netgear router before with nothing else and it was working fine until recently when I kept just loosing my Internet conection which is why I bought a new one. I have also used my old netgear router with an airport extreme which I don't think I really needed.

Many thanks

OK first question, have you signed up with a local Internet provider already? I.e. are you paying a monthly fee for an Internet service?

[ScotRobson]

OK first question, have you signed up with a local Internet provider already? I.e. are you paying a monthly fee for an Internet service?

Yes and just trying to replace my old netgear router with a new one and then I saw all this about connecting it to a modem.

[kdum8]

Yes and just trying to replace my old netgear router with a new one and then I saw all this about connecting it to a modem.

OK next question, why are you trying to replace your old router? Is it broken? Are you trying to setup a wireless network, what's the deal?

Until now have you connected directly using an ethernet cable from you old router into you iMac? (This thread has been mainly about setting up a wireless network in a house, but that's fine).

(p.s. you probably don't need an additional modem by the sounds of it but we can work through this gradually and find out for sure, they can be tricky to setup sometimes so don't worry if it doesn't work first time).

[chrono1081]

The box your cable / dsl company gave you is a modem. The modem receives the signal from the internet company.


The router is what you buy and that splits the signal and/or will give your internet a wireless signal that you can connect to.

Its like this:

[Internet Line Into Your House] -> [Modem] -> [Router] -> [Computer]



Now, if the box your internet company gave you has an antenna on it, then it has a built in wireless router and you do not need to purchase one seperately so your your house would look like this:

[Internet Line Into Your House] -> [Modem] -> [Computer]


I hope this diagram helps.

[ScotRobson]

OK next question, why are you trying to replace your old router? Is it broken? Are you trying to setup a wireless network, what's the deal?

Until now have you connected directly using an ethernet cable from you old router into you iMac? (This thread has been mainly about setting up a wireless network in a house, but that's fine).

(p.s. you probably don't need an additional modem by the sounds of it but we can work through this gradually and find out for sure, they can be tricky to setup sometimes so don't worry if it doesn't work first time).

The old router kept stopping working, loosing the connection or slowing right down. I had to keep rebooting it then it was fine.

At first I just used my old netgear router alone, which wasn't wireless. Then after a wile I bought an airport extreme to set up a wireless network with my old router.

My new router is wireless with a little antena so didn't think I'd need the airport anymore.

I never had a modem off my ISP

[kdum8]

The old router kept stopping working, loosing the connection or slowing right down. I had to keep rebooting it then it was fine.

At first I just used my old netgear router alone, which wasn't wireless. Then after a wile I bought an airport extreme to set up a wireless network with my old router.

My new router is wireless with a little antena so didn't think I'd need the airport anymore.

I never had a modem off my ISP

Well your original router was a modem too by the sounds of it. So you can't get your Internet to work now? You have done a one-for-one swap with the old router, plugged in the cable and it doesn't work? Or is it just the wireless capability that you can't get to work? Explain what is exactly the problem.

Hi I hope someone can help, I have just bought this router thinking it was the only thing I needed to connect to the Internet. After Reading this thread I'm confused about the difference between a router and modem. Do I need to buy a modem aswell? I thought I could just connect the router to my iMac using the Ethernet cable and that would be it.

Im not having any luck setting this up. I'm not very technical so please be quite simple with the replies.

Many thanks To answer your first question, yes usually the router is the only thing that you need. What is the brand and exact make of the router that you bought?

[ScotRobson]

Well your original router was a modem too by the sounds of it. So you can't get your Internet to work now? You have done a one-for-one swap with the old router, plugged in the cable and it doesn't work? Or is it just the wireless capability that you can't get to work? Explain what is exactly the problem.

To answer your first question, yes usually the router is the only thing that you need. What is the brand and exact make of the router that you bought?

Netgear WGR614 that's why I posted in this thread originally, but yeah exactly that mate a straight swap. It's connected to the computer with an Ethernet connection. I can't even establish a connection to the Internet. I'm not bothered about the wireless at the mo.

I logged into the netgear set up page and used the connection wizzard. I chose automatic at first but it detected a static ip adress and asked me to enter it. I've never been given one before as it was set to dynamic. So, I went back and selected the manual set up, selected dynamic etc and still can't make a connection. Hope this helps

[frimple]

You might want to call your ISP and ask what to do next. Support should be free :)

[kdum8]

OK so you have the same router as me. It is both a router and modem so it should be all that you need.

You say that you logged into the Netgear setup page. Does it look like the one that I have attached? There are a lot of careful instructions on the right hand side of each menu page, make sure you have read them all carefully and gone through their suggestions. They can be quite helpful.

OK, so as long as you are sure that you actually have an active and working Internet connection running to your house then the problem looks as though it is just a setup issue. There is a lot on the Internet about this router so try doing some googling as well I would suggest.

My IP is dynamic so it was easy to setup, but if it says that you have a static IP have you tried entering it or don't you know what it is? (How are you getting online to type this by the way?)

[cooker47]

Netgear WGR614 that's why I posted in this thread originally, but yeah exactly that mate a straight swap. It's connected to the computer with an Ethernet connection. I can't even establish a connection to the Internet. I'm not bothered about the wireless at the mo.

I logged into the netgear set up page and used the connection wizzard. I chose automatic at first but it detected a static ip adress and asked me to enter it. I've never been given one before as it was set to dynamic. So, I went back and selected the manual set up, selected dynamic etc and still can't make a connection. Hope this helps

Sounds like you are making progress. Judging from calls I get at work, for WGR614 the Netgear setup wizard sometimes does ask if you have a static address. We usually sidestep that: log in to the router (at 192.168.1.1, user name "admin", password "password") and then, near the top of the blue column on the left, under "Setup", click on "Basic Settings".

Here, many cable provider ISPs (Internet is accessed through your TV cable) would simply want you to use the default settings: to obtain the IP address and name servers (DNS) dynamically (i.e. using DHCP).

However, if your provider is a phone company (Internet is accessed using a modem connected to a phone line) then you usually have to specify the PPPOE connection option, as well as to provide a user name and password, and maybe also hard code your DNS server addresses. You can check your existing network settings for the Built-in Ethernet device to see if it is (or was) set up to use PPPOE. If so, then you must setup the router the same way, AND THEN reconfigure OSX to use DHCP but NOT PPPOE. (If you can already log in to the router configuration it sounds like you have already gotten past this. Otherwise, the best thing to do on a Mac is to create a new Location in System Preferences / Network for use when you are going through the router, and then edit the settings for Built-in Ethernet accordingly.

Either way, once you have applied the correct settings on the router, use the "Test" button at the foot of the Basic Settings screen and then check the Router Status screen. You want to see a non-zero WAN IP address, plus DNS server addresses.

One other issue you may encounter is that in many cases you need to reset the modem (turn it off for twenty seconds, then turn it back on), and watch the lights until it comes back online, AND THEN restart the router. On recent versions of that router the Internet light (about in the middle of the unit) looks like a small letter "i" in a circle) will turn green when the router has gotten its external IP. This restart procedure makes the modem forget that it has been talking to the computer's MAC (Machine Access Control or physical hardware) address, so that it will then be free to talk to the router. If you do need to do this, you can't rush it as the sequence is critical, and you might even need several attempts before you get the timing right.

Another constraint can be that some ISPs require you to actually tell them the MAC address of the router so they can put it in some kind of access table at their end in order for you to be able to use it to connect.

I hope this helps you and that you will soon be "at end of job" with this setup problem: most people find it rather confusing and it can be very frustrating.

Yours truly,

cooker47

[poobah]

Another constraint can be that some ISPs require you to actually tell them the MAC address of the router so they can put it in some kind of access table at their end in order for you to be able to use it to connect.


That would be my first guess. I have experience with time warner and adelphia. They both 'marry' your account the MAC address in the cable "modem".

[Taulhag]

I just enabled my Netgear WGR614 v9 router for the first time on my mac and its quite simple.
In case anyone needs help, just ask.

Cheers

[AlejandroMoreno]

WOO HOO! I've been struggling for 3 days to get the netgear router at our vacation home in Colombia to get to work (bought it in California at Best Buy too). My mac works like a charm just about anywhere I go in the states, so this was new. It would find the network here no problem, and would even show full signal power on the airport icon. But it would not let me into the net. Finally on mac forums after scrolling through replies and more replies, I found the "$ sign prepend" to your network password solution. Netgear doesn't even mention this on their router login page. Just FYI my Netgear router model is WPN824v3. The network here uses a WEP password and we do not need a password to connect to the internet with the pc desktop and pc laptops we already use here.

Thanks Titus!

-Alejandro

I haven't seen this solution posted anywhere and it's pretty simple. You have to prepend a $ on WEP and WPA keys on your Mac computer when attaching to a non-apple wireless access point.

I first came across this about 10 years ago, when B first came out and the big issue was what level WEP key you needed (56 vs 128). For proprietary reasons, Apple did not want people using industry standard IEEE non-Apple wireless access points, so intentionally made it difficult to attach to them. This is not a slam on Apple, it's an unfortunate fact.

After digging through Apple's support for a few days trying to troubleshoot why all my Mac clients were unable to attach to other manufacturer's WAP's, I finally found this little snippet. It said when you attach to a WAP that is not an Airport, you need to put a $ at the beginning of the string.

Last week, I had a student with a Macbook Pro unable to attach to a Netgear router in his new apartment. We looked at all the obvious things (wireless overlap, etc), and I finally suggested the $ option. Turns out that it worked. The Netgear is configured to WPA PSK encryption, and the Macbook Pro still needed that $ at the beginning of the key in order to make it work. Don't know why it would still be a problem after all these years, but it's still hiding there in the code on the Mac.

Hope that helps if you ever have trouble attaching a Mac to a non-Apple WAP.

titus