Ex6100 connected/no internet

Hi Michaelkenward,

Thanks for clarifying.

You have the order of devices correct (white box >> Optus Sagemcom >> mercusys).

The mercusys only ever responds to the ethernet connection from the Sagemcom, and other mercusys satelites. 

The best way to provide the detail you now mention, is I figured photos of the identity stickers (or what eva they are called. And here they are:

(looking forward to your further advises)...

L=-

As I suspected, those model numbers make all the different. We can now see what may be going on.

The picture is even more complicated than I first thought.

The white box does seem to be a simple modem for NBN's eccentric implementation of DSL. However, the Sagemcom 5366 TN is also a  modem/router. That's why it has a DSL socket.

I can't see where the connections are to the Sagemcom. I assume that there is a connection from the white box to a WAN/Internet input and that there is a wired connection from a LAN port on the Sagemcom to the Mercusys.

The Mercusys Halo S12 describes all of its boxes in the manual as routers. In reality, in Mesh talk one acts as a router and the others are "satellites"

The bottom line is that you are adding router to router, Sagemcom followed by Mercusys.

When you try to add the EX6100, it may be getting confused as which which router is in charge of its Internet connection. If it latches on to the Mercusys, if the Sagemcom handles the Internet connection, the EX6100 get lost. It may be connected to the Mercusys, but not to the Internet. Anything that tries to connect to the wifi from the EX6100 sees gets those "connected - no internet" messages.

You seem to have three different sources of wifi there, more if you count the Mercusys satellites. Do you need them all?

If you want to continue with the Sagemcom followed by Mercusys, the simplest option would be to work out how to use the Mercusys in access point (AP) mode. You will have to ask Mercusys how to do that.

Hi Michaelkenward,

Thanks for your subsequent note.

More complicated?...my setup and operation/reliance on the ex6100 WORKED fairly well (nothings perfect) for over 18 months, until recently.

Yes you are correct a WAN input to the sagemcom, and LAN out from sagemcom to mercusys.

Given the way the Mercusys was setup initially, it was reliant on proximity of the 'satelites', to the primary mesh box (located next to the Sagemcom);

I experienced no other signals/devices being affected at the time. As a result I still struggle to call the Mercusys a router, but by definition they are (perhaps 'limited router') may be more appropriate for us here.

The EX6100 simply has to pick up the SINGLE SSID that is repeated in the sagemcom and mercusys. It did so initially, and I then renamed the signal eminating from the it. As mentioned earlier, it worked well for quite sometime. I'd like to get back there, as it DOES work.

You say I have sources of wifi. I loose count.

1/ optus/sagemcom

2/ Initial Mesh box

3/ ?

The white nbn box does not emit anything, only via ethernet.

My experience with access points has not been great, so i prefer to avoid.

regards

---

Lethal57 wrote:

 

More complicated?...my setup and operation/reliance on the ex6100 WORKED fairly well (nothings perfect) for over 18 months, until recently.

 

When you set up the system, there is a chance that one or other of the routers detected the second router and set itself to match that. (Hard to tell as neither of these boxes is a Netgear device.)

---

The EX6100 simply has to pick up the SINGLE SSID that is repeated in the sagemcom and mercusys. It did so initially, and I then renamed the signal eminating from the it.

 

---

As soon as you start changing things, those settings can fail. This can explain why something that worked for months suddenly fails.

I find it hard to see how you can get the same SSID to emanate from both the sagemcom and mercusys routers. But they are nothing to do with Netgear, so my experience is no help. You'll have to talk the the people who make them about their systems.

---

Given the way the Mercusys was setup initially, it was reliant on proximity of the 'satelites', to the primary mesh box (located next to the Sagemcom);

I experienced no other signals/devices being affected at the time. As a result I still struggle to call the Mercusys a router, but by definition they are (perhaps 'limited router') may be more appropriate for us here.

 

There is no "limited" about it. I read the manual. It calls all the Halo devices "routers". The first one in the change acts like a router as most people recognise it while the others set themselves into a "satellite" mode.

Have you tracked down the manual for your Mercusys system?

How to build a Mesh Network with MERCUSYS Whole Home Mesh Wi-Fi router? - Welcome to MERCUSYS

Download for Halo S12 - Welcome to MERCUSYS

I found it after looking at the picture you posted of the label. That said that you have a Halo S12.

This clearly says:

The router, Halo S12, or Halo devices mentioned in this User Guide stands for Halo
S12 1200Mbps Whole Home Mesh Wi-Fi System without any explanations.

It then goes on to tell you how to Connect the Router.

So we are talking about a Halo router. 

The next bit says:

 

If your internet connection is through an Ethernet cable from the wall instead of
through a DSL/Cable/Satellite modem, connect the cable directly to either Ethernet
port on your router, and follow Step 3 only to complete the hardware connection.

In your case, you have connected the Halo 12 router to another router, the Sagemcom.

This is a recipe for chaos:

What is Double NAT? | Answer | NETGEAR Support

Adding an extender to this just makes things even messier.

The simplest solution to your problems would be to remove the sagemcom from your network and to connect your Halo 12 router to the FTTC Network Connection Device.

Then, if you still need it, connect the EX6100 to the network from your Halo Mercusys network.

Setting up the network before you get to the EX6100 really has nothing to do with Netgear. It is all down to the bits between that and the Internet.

Perhaps this is clearer now that you have been told that, whatever you have been calling it, the Halo S12 is a router.

Thanks for the advise MichaelKenward,

You may have seen I add some 'kudos' for your response in another post when u said words to the effect of moving/reliance on app and killing of Genie, is not a logical way to go.

Back to this one...I am aware that my ISP tracks the router/routers I am using, and in providing support for connectivity issues (nbn), it does not do so, if I am not using the stated modem...so basically I am not comfortable in taking the sagemcom out, but will give it a go.

I did use a R6400v2 for months prior to the above being identified. It work fine with both the Mercusys and then by default, the ex6100.

Where the ex6100 was located, it would not have a hope of picking up anything from the sagemcom, even IF the wifi on the sagemcom was enabled.

Hence the mesh/router system.

The mercusys (and satelites) is at the end of the day, a 'repeater'...boosting the same ssid and signal throught the house. I dont follow/understand how that is 'hard to see'.

Question - what is a router if it does not extend/repeat wifi signals?

It is interesting when Mercusys state (as you have flagged) :

If your internet connection is through an Ethernet cable from the wall instead of
through a DSL/Cable/Satellite modem, connect the cable directly to either Ethernet
port on your router, and follow Step 3 only to complete the hardware connection.

Are we assuming 'port on your router' means the Mercusys router..

As the mesh system is design to repeat and boost signals to satelites, perhaps they do not mean the Mercusys router? Possibility only.

I WILL however try the network set-up without the sagemcom, to see how I go, and if it allows more reliable setup of the ex6100, and report back.

In the interim and otherwise it is all a part of the learning curve.

 regards

---

Lethal57 wrote:

Question - what is a router if it does not extend/repeat wifi signals?

 

---

A router manages the flow, or routing, of the traffic from all of the devices on a network. It hands out an internal IP address for each of the things on your network that try to connect to the Internet using the external (WAN) IP address that your ISP gives you.

Most people also use their routers as a wifi source, but that isn't essential. It is perfectly possible to turn off the wifi on a router and leave it to something else to provide the wifi. But it is still down to the router to play that traffic cop" role.

A router does not repeat or extend wifi signals.

The devices that do that are called wireless repeaters or extenders.

These can be connected back to the wifi source either by wifi (that's an extender or repeater) or plugged into the router (that's a wireless access point, AP).

In a Mesh system, most brands use the term "satellite" to denote repeaters and extenders. Satellites can also connect to the router over wifi or "wired backhaul", their equivalent of AP mode. Again, all the traffic is managed by the router at the heart of the network.

One thing about Mesh systems is that their "router" can also works as an AP that feeds the signal to satellites.

Most routers can also work in AP mode. But if they do that there has to be a router – and preferably only one router – that connects to the Internet.

As you can see, there are plenty of places where things can get confused. The bottom lime is that to be easy to use, a network starts with one router that feeds on to, and manages, everything else. Your network has a mixture of things that may be fighting with each other to control things.