AirPort Extreme - settings and cable help

[Quackington]

Hi all,

I am hoping someone can help configure my AirPort settings to configure a problem I've been having for a while. In my household, there can be around 4+ devices connected at any one time (TV, laptops/desktop, Wii etc).

My setup is an AirPort Extreme base station, which is connected to a Draytek Vigor 120 DSL modem.

Sometimes, when I type in a URL in the address bar, my browser will partly load a page and will then show that the page is loading for ages, but it won't load. I can sometimes hit reload and the page will load immediately. Initially, I thought this was a website issue, but it seems to happen across a number of different sites. It's not just one computer either, I've experienced this across my laptops and desktop. I recently decided to stare at the various activity LEDs on my modem after typing in a URL. You know how the activity LED flashes to indicate that it's sending/receiving data? I noticed that the light wasn't flashing when a blank page showed as 'loading' in my browser. It took about 6-7 seconds, and then the activity light flashed whilst the page loaded. Now, this doesn't always happen. I have a feeling this is an issue that could possibly be affected by how many devices are connected to the network at any one time, possibly something to do with handing out IP addresses? I'm not technically inclined enough to work it out, though.

Based on my setup mentioned near the begining of this post, can anyone tell me what my settings should be please? I've had a look on the Internet tab in AirPort Utility. There is a section called Internet Connection, where I have the following settings:

Comnnect using: Ethernet
Ethernet WAN Port: Automatic (default)
Connection Sharing: Share a public IP address

For the Connection Sharing option above, there are two other options I can choose from, 'Distribute a range of IP addresses' or 'Off (bridge mode)'. Have I got the right setting selected?

Slightly unrelated, but does anyone if I can get a shorter plug adapter for the Airport base station? My base station sits very close to the modem, and the long wiring to plug it in is completely unnecessary.

Any help/advice would be most appreciated.

 

[drsox]

I have just done exactly this with a new Express unit and a Draytek 120.
First question : Previously, when you were connected to the Internet, what settings did your ISP ask you to use ?
My ISP uses PPPoE and asks me to input my account name and password.

I input these into the settings on the Extreme and BINGO without any further issues it connected.
This is the 4th router/modem combo I have used and each time there has been more aggro than found here.

If it isn't PPPoE, then I can't help you.

For the other settings, "Share a Public IP" is fine.

You also need to configure the DHCP options. Are there any other Routers/DHCP network boxes in your network ?

 

[Quackington]

Thanks for your response.

Previously, I was using the O2 Wireless box, which was terrible and kept disconnecting. Since moving on to AirPort and this Draytek 120 modem, the connection has been very stable.

For some strange reason, I don't need to enter any login details in my Draytek 120, and don't think I did on my AEBS either. Can you tell me where i can check? Also, not sure aboit PPPoE/A, I'm pretty sure my ISP (O2) uses the most common one, whichever that is.

 

[drsox]

The Draytek is one of the few modems I have encountered that don't require any data to be entered directly - all data is entered in the Router/PC that connects to it.

I presume that you still have the ISP info that came from O2 ? It would have a user login and password that you can re-use with the AE.

If you have this then you can use it in the AE. Where you had selected Ethernet as the connection mode, then there is a pull-down menu that will allow you to select PPPoE.
Then you will be asked to enter user name and password. Usually the user name is something like XXXXXX@ISP (I guess in your case it would be O2, but it's only a guess).

 

[Quackington]

I don't see a section to enter ISP username/PW in the Airport Utility. Strangely enough, I don't remember ever entering these settings either. I don't know why, but IIRC, I tried when I initially got it but it ended up just working somehow.

 

[drsox]

Do you get a pull-down menu in AE where is says "connect using" ?
Is the AE actually connected to the Draytek using the WAN socket of the AE to the Yellow socket of the Draytek ?

I'll go get my MBA and see what my Airport Utility says - typing this currently on my iPad.

PS I do recall somewhere that the Draytek does come pre-setup for most UK ISPs, so maybe you don't actually need to do anything, in which case something else is going on. OR O2 doesn't use PPPoE and that's why the AE isn't giving you any of these options.

Found it - see : http://www.draytek.co.uk/products/vigor120.html

 

[Quackington]

Oh right, I have now found this in AirPort Utility:

Internet > Internet Connection > Connect using

Mind is set as connect using Ethernet. I clicked on the drop down menu, which allows me to select PPPoE. I selected that, and it shows more options, and there seems to be a broadband username and password there. I must have entered it when I first got the modem. However, IIRC, it wouldn't work at the time and I had to select the Ethernet option for it to work.

I'm worried about switching to PPPoE...because it still works via the ethernet setting. It's just this niggling 'loading' issue I get. Is changing over to PPPoE likely to resolve this?

Thanks.

 

[drsox]

See the Draytek URL I listed for more info.

However, if you don't have any of the user login info that is required, then don't make any changes. You'll have to contact O2 to see if you actually need them. I suggest you leave well alone until then - esp if it didn't work last time.

Don't you have to enter login info to access emails via O2 ?

For my ISP I do need them so that's what I've used.

----------

Just found this page that seems to give more info about O2.

See :http://www.o2user.co.uk/forum/o2-br...673-how-use-your-own-router-o2-broadband.html

Looks like O2 doesn't support the standard config in some of their offerings.
Maybe you should ask this question in O2's user forums.

See also : https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2049686?start=0&tstart=0

 

[Quackington]

Thanks for the links. The O2 moderator post says that you don't need to enter a username/password, which funnily enough connects goes back to what I mentioned about not having entered a username/pw.

 

[drsox]

OK, then you might have other problems to look for.
What settings do you have for DHCP in the AE ?
Have you done a full network shutdown/restart since you changed routers ?
Could be that you have duplicate IP addresses that are causing your problems.

Suggest you start by looking at the DHCP settings, checking that all your devices are listed and turning everything off, waiting and then restarting. Are any devices on fixed IPs ? Printers ? Switches ?

If you are going to do this, then turn them back on in the order : (wait between steps to ensure boot up)
1. Modem
2. Router
3. Switch(es)
4. Anything else that is wired
5. Anything that is wireless

 

[Quackington]

I have done a full restart, not actively, but by having to unplug things.

DHCP settings are as follows:

DHCP beginning address: 10.0.1.2
DHCP ending address: 10.0.1.200
DHCP lease: 1 days

Nothing else filled in on the DHCP tab.

 

[drsox]

OK. You might also check that all the devices that should have an IP address actually do have one.

Look at Airport>Summary>Wireless Clients>DHCP Clients. Are they all there ?

 

[Quackington]

There's quite a list of clients, they all seem to have their own IP address. My phone is showing up too, though it's not connected (wifi is off).

Since I started this thread yesterday, I've not had the issue I've written about. It's one of those odd things that seems to happen quite intermittently.