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Mele20 Premium Member join:2001-06-05 Hilo, HI |
to dmxrob
Re: FCC & SamKnowsI agree that the settings page for the router is a hodgepodge of stuff jammed together without much thought. But my understanding is that most of what is on the settings page is NETGEAR not SK. I believe, for instance, that this router, without SK firmware, would STILL have NO ability to set the lease time! That is a Netgear failing along with the layout of the settings pages. I had to go to so much hassle to put it in bridged mode and get it to work correctly that way because I want to be able to set the lease time so I had to keep the Linksy router in the picture. Obviously, I would never purchase any Netgear router as my understanding is that none of them allow you to change the lease time but I could be wrong and it is just this $100 one you can't do that with yet I can do it with a much cheaper Linksy. My problem with logging into the settings page, and with logging into the Dashboard reports page, has to do with Proxo. I kept being told at both webpages that my user name/email address one or the other was incorrect. On the Dashboard login page, I saw a "401" error just opening that page. That was nuts because that is an authentication error and I had not yet had a chance to try and login so how could there be an authentication error at that early stage? I tried bypassing Proxo and then my user name and password for the Dashboard reports were accepted, but the Dashboard page then was missing a lot of stuff and had no navigation buttons (this was on four different browsers). I re-enabled Proxo and refreshed the page and everything was there. So, I have to bypass Proxo to be able to login, but then I have to enable Proxo once in so I can see everything on the page. That is WACKO. I guess I can avoid the login problem by telling the site to remember my login which I was reluctant to do until i was sure the login was correct (nothing like telling a site to remember you and then learn the login was incorrect as sometimes that is not easy to correct). With the Netgear/SK settings page, in bridged mode the login is at a different location (» 192.168.1.101/start.htm) than when in router mode. I couldn't login...rejected user name and password. I bypassed Proxo and logged in easily on Opera. But, I had to reenable Proxo there also after login to see everything and be able to make changes to the settings. That settings page is still wacky as if I make a change and click save then the page goes blank saying saving changes and the cursor appears busy and never stops being busy but the change does take place. I have to close the tab and then start over again. If I disable Proxo once inside the Netgear settings then I can't see all the settings. When I try to make a change though with Proxo disabled I get a progress box which I do not see at all with Proxo enabled. BUT with Proxo disabled, after the progress box fills, then I get a "503" error which is Service Unavailable. In other words, I can't reach 192.168.1.101 after making a change if Proxo is disabled. If it is enabled then I can't see the progress box and the progress never finishes. WHAT A MESS! I never had problems with needing to bypass Proxo to log into my Linksy router settings and no problems with making changes there (other than the password bug after enabling UPnP). I never had ANY problems with Proxo interfering with Linksy logon, making changes in Linksy setting pages, etc. This SK Netgear is a MESS both with the hodgepodge of settings just thrown in any old way, and useful settings missing entirely, and then the problems with Proxo enabled and with Proxo disabled I already see some results on the tests. It does a lot more tests than I was expecting it to do. It should be interesting when there is sufficient data to look at. However, if I have to deal with the login and settings problems for three years....UGH. | | |
It doesn't make any sense that you would need Proxo at any step of the setup process, since I am pretty certain that the people who designed the firmware never expected that the typical customer for this router would have this program installed (or would have even heard of it).
I can't speak for all Netgear models, but the WGR614 v6 also has no way to change the DHCP lease time, and they never tell you anyplace what the default value is. | | Mele20 Premium Member join:2001-06-05 Hilo, HI |
Mele20
Premium Member
2011-Jan-20 7:06 am
You don't understand Proxo then. It is a proxy server for ALL web pages EXCEPT SSL ones and that is only because I have chosen to not use it with SSL although many do. The Netgear settings page appears in your browser just as the page for the Dashboard Reports does. Those pages are filtered through the Proxomitron. So, as I explained, I bypassed Proxo and refreshed the settings page but the thing is that you cannot fully bypass Proxo. The usual way to do that would be to go into your browser's settings and set it to direct connection to the internet instead of use a proxy server. I suppose I could add in Opera the SK netgear settings page as one that should not use a proxy server. I didn't think to try that. I never had any problems with the Linksy signon page or the Linksy settings page and Proxo. I don't know why the problems with Proxo and Netgear signon and settings.
Yes, someone else in this thread, I think it was, said that Linksy is known for the ability to set the lease time and that most, maybe all, other vendors don't have that ability. That tells me I'll be buying another Linksy then. To see the lease time (which is set by your ISP but with Linksy routers you can change it), you have to use Run/CMD and IPconfig /all and then Windows will show you the length of the lease time but, of course, a good router should show you that I think instead of having the myriad of mostly extraneous stuff that is in this Netgear.
I spoke too soon anyway. I discovered the netgear is disconnecting EVERY HOUR and forcing the linksy to try to acquire a network address AGAIN even though it acquired one an hour earlier with a lease time of 7 days but it has to do it again every hour when the netgear disconnects. I saw this in the netgear logs. Plus, the netgear has the time wrong! I think it is is on California time. I didn't see any place to change the time to Hawaii time. Plus, the Dashboard Reports also has the time incorrect so badly that I don't what it is talking about. I think it reports on London time and that currently is a 10 hour difference and will be an 11 hour difference when Daylight Savings Time goes into effect in London but not in Hawaii. Why would the netgear use the wrong time? It doesn't know what time the computer says it is? I can sort of see Dashboard Reports using London time since the techs are in London but there should be a way to let the individual change that on their end to their local time.
The Netgear after disconnecting and coming back suddenly has a blue light which was not lit before. I don't know what the blue means or what that particular icon stands for. This netgear is poorly designed in that it doesn't have a written description under the icons as to what each one is or what the colors mean. I looked at the CD that comes with it and nothing there. Maybe it is on the netgear settings page but I haven't seen anything there. No written instructions at all in the netgear box. We were told not to use the CD but what if I had bought this router (no FCC involved) and I had a problem with my CD Rom player and the CD wouldn't play. With no written instructions included how would I set it up? That's nuts to not include written instructions in the box. If I had written instructions then I would follow them even if the CDRom worked as why use a CD if you can read how to set it up? Oh, I could set it up without any instructions but I wouldn't know what the various colors and icons mean. Or why that blue one appears only after the router trips off and comes back. Plus, after this happens then if I go to 192.168.1.101 I get this warning:
"Important Update
To avoid a conflict with your Internet Service Provider, your router's IP address has been updated to 192.168.1.101.
You must now update the IP addresses in your router's configuration settings for each relevant service,such as port forwarding and IP address reservation."
While I was in the netgear settings, suddenly my Windows taskbar disappeared and explorer.exe began eating CPU. I couldn't make any changes there or even copy the router logs and I had to use Task Manager to kill explorer.exe and my browser, email client, etc and then used it to reboot the computer.
I have unplugged the netgear for now and am back to the Linksy. | | |
Yes, you're right- I probably don't really understand Proxo, since I have never used (or needed to use) any proxy servers.
I recall (from your posts in the Security forum) that you use all sorts of programs for security/privacy. Is there some chance that one or more of these is preventing the Netgear router from working for you? Almost certainly, this router was designed for a "typical" customer who uses only anti-virus/anti-spyware, runs Windows natively (no virtual machines) and uses a modern browser (such as IE8). If you were to set up like this, quite possibly at least some of the Netgear's problems would vanish.
Pretty much 100% probable that the Netgear designers never even considered that one of their customers would be using the programs that you do, so no testing would have been done to see how these programs affect the router's operation. | | daveinpoway |
For those who are interested, here is the manufacturer's web page for the WNR3500L: » kb.netgear.com/app/produ ··· id/12150 . Under "Documentation" are the Data Sheet, Installation Guide and Setup Manual. Questions regarding the meaning of various lights, etc., can be answered here. There is also some firmware shown under "Downloads", but this is most likely for a store-bought router, and thus probably does not provide the special features that the FCC-supplied router has. | | McSummationMmmm, Zeebas Are Tastee. Premium Member join:2003-08-13 Fort Worth, TX |
Also, there is not a detail "Users Guide" manual, which I've looked for, so I can get a start on understanding how to migrate the settings I have on my current AirLink101 router. However, I ought to be able to wade through their UI to figure stuff out. | | DocDrewHow can I help? Premium Member join:2009-01-28 SoCal Ubee E31U2V1 Technicolor TC4400 Linksys EA6900
3 edits |
to daveinpoway
said by daveinpoway:There is also some firmware shown under "Downloads", but this is most likely for a store-bought router, and thus probably does not provide the special features that the FCC-supplied router has. Samknows firmware repository is here: » files.samknows.com/~support/Samknows general FAQ: » fcc.samknows.com/faq.htmlFAQ on bridging mode here: » reporting.samknows.com/b ··· ing.htmlAlternative FQDN to access router setup if » www.routerlogin.net/ or » 192.168.1.1 doesn't work: » netgearsetup.samknows.com/Netgear support page on the WNR3500L N300: » kb.netgear.com/app/produ ··· id/12150Netgear instruction guide on the WNR3500L N300: » ftp:// downloads.netgear.com/fi ··· 2010.pdfOpenrouter project page for the WNR3500L: » www.myopenrouter.com/cat ··· e-Router | | | Mele20 Premium Member join:2001-06-05 Hilo, HI |
to daveinpoway
said by daveinpoway:I recall (from your posts in the Security forum) that you use all sorts of programs for security/privacy. Is there some chance that one or more of these is preventing the Netgear router from working for you? Almost certainly, this router was designed for a "typical" customer who uses only anti-virus/anti-spyware, runs Windows natively (no virtual machines) and uses a modern browser (such as IE8). If you were to set up like this, quite possibly at least some of the Netgear's problems would vanish.
Pretty much 100% probable that the Netgear designers never even considered that one of their customers would be using the programs that you do, so no testing would have been done to see how these programs affect the router's operation. No, I only use Avira Personal antivirus version 8 and ProcessGuard. For the rare occasion that I need to use IE6 I have Spyware Blaster kept up to date but all that does is set the killbit on nasty Active X programs. It does not run in real time. The Proxomitron provides some security (it blocks some iframes, etc) but is not really a security application per se. I think folks must ASSUME I have tons of security programs because I don't get malware. Netgear did not design the firmware as the router uses SPECIAL SK firmware so it can run these tests. I have had ZERO problems with my Linsky with the exception of the password bug after enabling UPnP and the DHCP problems all the earlier Linksy routers have. The Linksy though doesn't have extraneous junk attached like this Netgear does. Plus, the Netgear settings page is a huge hodgepodge of stuff all thrown together without apparent rhyme or reason. Plus, way too much extraneous stuff that certainly isn't needed for FCC tests. We should have been given a small device to attach to our current routers that does the tests or software similar to Visualware's MySpeed Advanced (now MyConnection Advanced) that I own and let that do the tests. Visualware can set a specific server of theirs to do all sorts of sophisticated tests on my connection. THEY set up the server ....I don't. The tests MySpeed Advanced does are much more than just download and upload speed and SK could have used some software like this and added tests for DNS servers, ping times, etc. Visualware's tests are highly sophisticated and their sofare runs fine on my XP. Plus, I can access my tests on their server, etc. | | Mele20 |
to daveinpoway
said by daveinpoway:For those who are interested, here is the manufacturer's web page for the WNR3500L: »kb.netgear.com/app/produ ··· id/12150 .
Under "Documentation" are the Data Sheet, Installation Guide and Setup Manual. Questions regarding the meaning of various lights, etc., can be answered here.
There is also some firmware shown under "Downloads", but this is most likely for a store-bought router, and thus probably does not provide the special features that the FCC-supplied router has. That says some stuff (like written instructions) should have been included in the box but wasn't. The box contained a piece of paper with SK instructions but that didn't tell me what the lights mean. Maybe SK didn't want the instructions in there since the firmware is different? The SK instructions was a web address where you enter your email address and get hookup instructions for your ISP but that had nothing about the lights or about not using the stand, etc. And none of that is on the Netgear setup page. It might be on the CD but we were told to not use the CD. The blue light was the WIRELESS turning itself on every hour when the router would disconnect and then come back. I had the wireless turned OFF in the settings. The manual says NOTHING about having to use IE. It just mentions using a browser. Netgear says several times as a WARNING to NOT use the router behind another router. The problems may mostly be because I am trying to use it bridged. Plus, I noticed last night that it will not stay in the off position for dns. I don't want any chance that the router handles dns because SK has it setup to test an absolute crap backup dns server way off in Denver. SK says they test the dns on their end and we can use whatever dns servers we want yet the router won't let me do that or just turn off dns so I can be sure the computer handles it and uses other Oceanic DNS servers besides the one RR one instead of that backup server in Denver that is as slow as Moses. The manual also said to be sure to use the stand! I removed the stand and turned the router on its side so I don't have see that blue light that for some reason flares out very bright and smeared looking at night. I can't see the router turned on its side as it is on the top of the shelf at the back of my computer desk. I have to stand up to see it or to see the Linksy lights. Maybe it was getting hot on its side. A MANUAL inside the box would have been a big help! The manual describes a way to turn every thing on after setting it all up that is odd and would not work with my modem. | | |
I can't recall the details, but you had some sort of problem a few months ago, and you finally indicated that it had been caused by some program you were running. This is why I suspected that at least a portion of the problems you are having with the router might be due to your software.
Unfortunately, a paper manual is a thing of the past with many products. Most of the time, these days, you get a CD with the manual included. Reduces costs for the manufacturer.
With your concerns about security, I am surprised that you enabled UPnP (a known security issue) on your Linksys router. Most business-grade routers (there are a few exceptions) do not even provide a means to enable this, since it is not expected that the IT department would ever wish to do it. | |
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