Setting up airport base station

[demonx]

Ok im having trouble with this, I have a brand new iBook with an airport card installed.

I just went out and bought an airport base station.
At home i already have a network that my PCs use.

Downstairs comp
Cable Modem connected to internal card
NIC card, with rj45 running out to a d-link thingy, that has like 5 ports.

Upstairs comp 1
NIC card with rj45 running to D-link

Upstairs comp
NIC card with rj45 running to D-link

All the PCs are connected fine with no problems.

I plug in the base station upstairs, then connect an rj45 from the Dlink, to the base station using the ethernet (lan) port. The ibook picks up the base station, but when I open IE web browser it never loads webpages, just sits there.

Anyone have any idea what im doing wrong?
It keeps talking about airport admin, and airport setup assistant in the book, but I don't see these in OSX.

 

[al256]

Re: Setting up airport base station

Originally posted by demonx

It keeps talking about airport admin, and airport setup assistant in the book, but I don't see these in OSX.

These programs are in the Utilities folder which is in the Applications folder.

 

[edesignuk]

Re: Setting up airport base station

Originally posted by demonx
It keeps talking about airport admin, and airport setup assistant in the book, but I don't see these in OSX.

AirPort Admin utility is here: Applications > Utilities > Airport Admin Utility

 

[demonx]

Thanks guys

Now getting "The server could not be found error"
*sigh*

 

[drastik]

I was having a similar problem with my software base station, which I solved by turning of the ethernet sharing. I actually just disabled it with network port config, and now I am writting from my back deck.

 

[Kid Red]

You shouldn't need to configure much (unles you do for multiple comuputers). Have you tried disconnecting the pcs and leaving the iBook? I assume you've set up the network prefs on the iBook? Not sure what the d-link is, but maybe try switching ports with the iBook? Also, have you connected the iBook straight to the ethernet to verify connection?

Not much else I can think of.

 

[demonx]

Before I got the bastation, I had an rj45 from the dlink router or whatever you want to call it connected to by iBook and was surfing fine. As soon as I started messing with the basestation, I can't connect with the station or with the cable connected direct to my iBook.

No idea whats going

 

[demonx]

Im reinstalling OSX, gonna get it back to factory setting and try again.

If it don't work, guess I will be returning this base station back to CompUSA, wires will have to do.

 

[Macpoops]

Don't plug the D-link into the lan port on the Base station. Plug it into the WAN (looks like a circle) That is what is causing your problems. I did the same thing on my college lan when i hooked up my base station. I actually ended up brought down the entire subnet. I called apple support about it they explained it to me. Once you switch the plugs you should be golden

 

[demonx]

Yeah tried that too, weird thing is I could not get back on the network by jus tplugging the cable directly into the iBook anymore either.

No idea whats going on

 

[cubist]

Also remember to turn off the DHCP server in the Airport hub.

The particular checkbox says something like "assign IP addresses to Ethernet clients". Since you have a cable modem, you don't want the airport hub assigning IP addresses to the Ethernet clients, just to the wireless ones. Yet the setting I mention is checked by default (for people connecting with the built-in modem). It causes really weird problems.

Make sure the airport is set to get its own IP address from DHCP. What you call the "downstairs comp" is functioning as an IP router for the cable modem, right? Is it also running a DHCP service, or are you assigning IPs manually?

 

[demonx]

Ah there we go, its working now
Now sure exactly what did it, more of a combination of the suggestions above really.

Thanks guys

 

[Rower_CPU]

Originally posted by Macpoops
Don't plug the D-link into the lan port on the Base station. Plug it into the WAN (looks like a circle) That is what is causing your problems. I did the same thing on my college lan when i hooked up my base station. I actually ended up brought down the entire subnet. I called apple support about it they explained it to me. Once you switch the plugs you should be golden

You got them switched, dude.

The WAN port will mess up your network. The LAN port (<--> icon) is the one you should have your base station connected to.

You'll want to double-check your settings in the Airport Admin Utility, they should be something along the lines of:
Connect using ethernet, DHCP, don't distribute IP addresses

 

[demonx]

I have mine hooked up to the WAN port, the ethernet port was nothing but problems for sure

 

[Rower_CPU]

Interesting...

I just checked Apple's instruction and they say to use the WAN port for home networks. My bad.

All I know is, when I put a base station on our network at school via the WAN port, it tried to take over DHCP duties and messed up several machines on the network until I took it off and restarted the affected machines.